This Love, Santa post is sponsored by Scholastic. However, the opinions and text are all mine.
When my daughter was in the third grade, the questions about Santa began. I mean, she had asked once or twice before but it was different than before. She would ask if he was real and I would respond with, “Do you believe he is real?”. When she would respond, “Yes”, I would say “Well, then that’s all the matters”. That happened a few times but when she was in the fifth grade, my husband told me it was time to have the talk.
Not fully convinced and not sure what to say, I spent a few weeks agonizing about how to go about doing it. This was a big moment and I wanted to get it right. At one point I decided it was time to do it because if I continued to think about it and the “perfect” time to do it, it would never happen. Despite her telling me that I broke her heart (which then broke my heart), the conversation went well. I think I did a fairly good job explaining who Saint Nick was and how Santa Claus came to be. I even took a picture of us to sort of commemorate a stepping stone into adulthood.
During the weeks and days leading up to that moment, I wish I’d had the book Love, Santa by Martha Brockenbrough, which helps parents explain the meaning of Santa. It is a truthful, gentle way of getting through the turning point of how a child celebrates Christmas and includes interactive letters that you can take out and read.
About Love, Santa
*For Parents and Kids ages 6-11 (for telling the truth about Santa)
In a series of letters, a young girl writes to Santa to ask about the North Pole, Mrs. Claus, and of course, Christmas goodies. Year after year, Santa writes back, and a heartwarming relationship develops, until one year, the girl writes to her mother instead: Mom, are you Santa? Her mother responds to say that no, she is not Santa. Because Santa is bigger than any one person — we bring him out through kindness to one another and the power of imagination. This transformative tale spins a universal childhood experience into a story about love, giving, and the spirit of Christmas.
*Released September 26, 2017. Learn more about the book on Scholastic.com
About the Creators
Martha Brockenbrough is the author of two books for adults and five books for young readers, including The Game of Love and Death, which earned four starred reviews and was a Kirkus Prize finalist, Devine Intervention, and The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy. She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and their two daughters. Visit her online at marthabrockenbrough.com.
Lee White is an artist and teacher who loves watercolor, print making, and climbing trees. He spends his days splashing paint in his backyard studio, where there are absolutely no clocks allowed! He has illustrated more than fifteen books and shown in galleries across the country, from Los Angeles to New York. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and young son.
Join the conversation…
Follow Scholastic on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
Follow Hashtag #LoveSantaBook
