What’s something you used to believe as a kid that seems ridiculous now?
Childhood is a time for children to believe in Santa and the tooth fairy. It’s the short time you have between birth and school where anything is possible.
This is a ‘true’ story. When I was a little girl my mum and I put my Christmas presents in the hearth so that Santa could come and get them, and put them with all my other presents ready for Christmas Eve delivery.
We went out to the kitchen to do something, and a few minutes later we went back into the front room and the presents were gone, vanished. It was a miracle!
That was the best moment!
Then when my first tooth fell out we put it in an envelope and tucked it under my pillow, the next morning I woke to find a whole shilling (5 pence) in the envelope and the tooth gone!
Another magical moment I have not forgotten.
It’s important because we only have that short time between innocence and reality where we are so easily enthralled. And these memories are precious.
Of course if someone was silly enough to tell you about the bogeyman hiding under the bed, your childhood memories may not be all you would hope, and of course you need to keep telling yourself it’s ridiculous, but these things leave scars!
However, the fear isn’t ridiculous and someone from your past needs a good talking to!
But those good memories, when you fell for the Santa Claus myth, and were so excited on Christmas Eve, desperately trying to stay awake, only to fall asleep and discover that he had visited! Those are worth their weight in gold and why generations of parents lie to their children. It would be unfair not to!
Nowadays of course you can track his journey around the globe, maybe it’s more fun, I don’t know.
I can visualise a stroppy child, outside in the snow, stamping its feet and saying “It says he’s here, so where is he? Santa hates me! He won’t visit my house!” Sound of broken-hearted sobs and wails.
Perhaps the old days of less information were the best, and made a myth an easier story to sell.
You see we’ve always lived in the post-truth age, it’s nothing new, but these are the best of fibs!
Best love
Amorah – Deb
Deb Hawken - Amorah 
I enjoyed your reflection because it distinguishes between the kinds of stories that enrich childhood and those that diminish it. The magic of Santa or the tooth fairy isn’t really about believing something untrue; it’s about experiencing wonder before life becomes dominated by certainty and practicality. Perhaps those cherished memories endure not because the myths were real, but because they remind us that imagination can be just as valuable as facts during the precious years of childhood.
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You’ve put it better than I did! Exactly!
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