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Editor's Note

The Santa secret Operation Christmas Child delivers the magic. By Kimberly A. PorrazzoPublished: December, 2008

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It just might have been the most magical Christmas we’ve ever had – although it certainly didn’t start out that way. It was the year our boys discovered “the truth” about Santa Claus.     Oh, my husband and I had carefully crafted an explanation that gently shared the Santa secret without destroying the years of magic that we all had enjoyed. We told our boys that there were transitions in life in which we move from one side to the other. It was now their turn to move from being on the side of “the mystery” to becoming part of “the magic.” We explained that THEY would have the privilege of becoming Santa for other little children.       They were fine. I was the one who felt the loss – almost as if someone had died.     I made up for it by buying too many presents that year and wrapping them in sinfully expensive wrapping paper. At least it would look like Santa had come, I thought.          Part of my “therapy” was to involve our family in several charitable projects that year, including Operation Christmas Child. The nonprofit asks donors to fill shoeboxes with things an underprivileged child might want. We decided to prepare shoeboxes for two boys. My sons shopped for little trucks, crayons and coloring books, warm socks, candy and baseballs. They wrote a note to the child as if they were Santa. We wrapped the boxes in colorful paper and then delivered them to the Operation Christmas Child drop-off point in Santa Ana.     Upon arriving, I was certain I had walked into the North Pole’s warehouse. There were thousands of gaily wrapped shoeboxes on dozens of conveyor belts, all being sorted for delivery all around the world.     But the magic moment was yet to occur.     After a marathon of opening presents on Christmas morning, my youngest was sitting quietly amid a sea of paper and bows. He suddenly sat up straight and looked at me with excitement.     “Do you think they got them?” he almost shouted. I was taken aback, not knowing what he was talking about. “Do you think the little boys opened their shoeboxes yet?” he said excitedly.     My son gazed at our Christmas tree, the twinkling lights reflecting in his eyes. Instead of looking at the star on our tree with wonder, he was framed with an aura of wisdom. At that moment, my son, whose name is Nicholas, became Santa.     Thanks to a shoebox, the year my boys discovered the truth about Santa Claus was the year I started believing again. You can deliver your shoebox to 2803 Yale St. in Santa Ana through Dec. 15. operationchristmaschild.org Was this the year you shared the Santa secret with your child?  How did it go? E-mail your experiences to kporrazzo@churmmedia.com.

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