Does The Boy Believe?

Jacob has grown so much this last year, taking on so many activities and new concepts in his eight years on this planet that I wondered ...

Does he still believe in fairytales? Would he still be willing to put out milk and cookies for Santa? Would he still look for a basket of goodies from the Easter Bunny?

My concerns were put to the test shortly before Christmas. I was frantically making my list and checking it twice when I heard a cry of exultation from the living room ... "MOM! I PULLED A TOOTH OUT!"

After I verified that it was indeed his tooth, and not the dog's, I congratulated him and gave an obligatory look-see at the bloody gap in his mouth and the gross little tooth he had gripped between his thumb and index finger. I reminded him that we'd have to dig out our bedazzled tooth bag to put it under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy. I'm sure at that moment that the Tooth Fairy herself was making a mental note to pack an extra gold dollar coin to bring to San Diego that evening for The Boy. He must have been thinking the same thing, because he told me that he had written a note to leave for the Tooth Fairy. It read...

Dear Tooth Fairy,

I keep getting gold coins. This time may I please get either $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 or $100 dollar bills? And thank you for all the money you give me!

Jacob Sevilla

Humph! He woke me up at 5:00 a.m. in tears, telling me that good ol' T.F. had forgotten him. Shnikeys. I insisted he lay down in my bed and hurry back to sleep, because it was still dark out... T.F. probably had a long night and was still out making deliveries. Sure enough, he awoke to find four singles in the bag, with a note that said "Looks like I'll need to pack more dollars! But at least they're lighter than the coins! T.F."

The following week brought further confirmation of his faith in all things holiday. In November he had informed me that he was too old to go visit Santa at the mall. Besides, he knew that the mall Santa was really just a go-between for the Big Guy. But he did agree to writing Santa a letter. In it, he told Mr. C that he was a cool guy. He promised him nine carrots and ten chocolate chip cookies if he could take a break at our house in the wee hours of the morning on Christmas Day.

The week before Christmas, his letter was answered. Santa wrote to him to thank him for his kind letter and the treats he had promised him. He also praised him for being a good boy and an excellent student.

I was thrilled for him, but even more so because it further cemented my knowledge that my boy is still a little boy. Thinking that this was the end of the lesson, I counted down towards Christmas Eve.

That night, Jacob counted out carrots and cookies, and then bolted from the living room, returning with a pack of lined college rule paper. He told me that he knew that he was supposed to be asleep quickly, but warned me that I might awaken in the middle of the night to find a guest. I wondered aloud who that might be.

"Santa, of course!" he said. "He and I communicate now. He might want to stop in and wake me up so we can meet in person. But in case he's too busy, I think I'll leave him another note."

I was running through the list of to-do items still on my checklist for that evening, and made a mental note to deal with "Santa correspondence."

His note said:

Dear Santa,

Thank you for that wonderful letter. You're too kind. Yes or No ... does Rudolph exist? Circle one.

Your dear loving pal,

Love,

Jacob

Santa obliged him by circling the large Yes on the paper and wrote, "You bet!" He also left Jacob a note thanking him for the goodies, telling him that he was going to take some of the cookies home to share with Mrs. C, and that Cupid shared a carrot with our dog, Sadie.

The holidays were a big success! Jacob is truly a believer, as I still am at heart. But he's hoping that Santa takes him up on his offer to vacation in San Diego during his off-season. I'd better get the guest room ready.