I don't know if this was a common tradition in other households that celebrated Christmas, but every year I would receive a letter from Santa Claus. After all the presents were opened and the good times were shared by everyone, we would find a letter from Jolly Old Kris Kringle. It was always something simple and quick; it may have thanked us for the milk and cookies or just commented on my good behavior from the previous year with an ominous warning to be good the next year that only a large man in a red suit who breaks into your house can provide.

Normally, these letters would be typed or written with a vague handwriting that my young brain did not pick up was my mother's. I never guessed that my parents were behind these letters, why would I when the magic of flying reindeer and elves were consuming my thoughts. For a long time, I had a strong belief in Santa Claus and the letters only seemed to solidify my conviction in the jolly Christmas figure. However, that all changed one year when instead of my mother, my father wrote my letter from Santa.

Parents and future parents of young children, make sure you either get a friend to write a letter from Santa or type it because sometimes children are not as gullible as you think they are.

You see, my parents have a decorated box filled with things from my childhood. Anything from pictures I have drawn to things related to my birth, they are all in the box. One day when I was young, I decided I wanted to look through the box; I was amused by old doodles I had done for my parents and old birthday cards I scribbled out in my near unintelligible handwriting. However, as I neared the bottom of the box, and unknowingly my crushed dreams and hopes, I found an old letter from Santa. Smiling and excited to reminisce over Christmases past, I decided to reread what holly jolly wisdom Santa thought to pass down to me. However, as I started to read, I immediately noticed something was amiss.

The problem was the handwriting. You see, my father has a very distinct way of writing his words and letters. It almost appears to be an intoxicated person's version of cursive at times with large letters to begin a word and tiny letters to finish out the rest; it was like he got really ambitious to start out, but then lost the motivation quickly after. I say this all in jest, but it is definitely true my dad has some distinct handwriting; you could not mistake it for another's. So when I saw my father's handwriting in Santa's letter, I got very confused, very quickly.

Unfortunately for Mom, she has some pretty bad timing because she came into the room shortly after I was able to put two and two together and somehow scrape out a four. She always laughs because she said I turned to her with the letter in hand with so much levity and seriousness in my face like I was trying to play the part of the knowing parent to the guilty child. She remembers that I asked her point-blank if Santa Claus was real.

All she could do was shake her head slowly and hold in her laughter as I let out a noise of knowing-disgust and whipped my head to the side in child-fueled anger. This was made harder for her when I glanced back up at her with a look in my eyes that made me seem aged beyond my years and asked another question.

"So the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy....?"

She could only shake her head again and watch amusedly while my tiny shoulders slumped with the weight of the truth.

Now we look back on this moment and laugh, but at the time, it was a bit alarming. Now that I am older I am able to appreciate the wonders and warmer feelings that Christmas can bring beyond the anticipation for Santa Claus; I am able to fully welcome time with my friends and family as well as the joy and happiness the season can bring.

However, if you have a child that still believes in Santa and want to keep that belief going on for a few more years, take my advice and make sure your handwriting is not the one that appears in Santa's letter.

You have to hand it to kids; they are a lot smarter than you think they are at times.