My son lost a tooth yesterday at school.

He’s nine. We accidentally left the tooth in its case in the car.

This morning there was a dollar where the tooth had been.

He wondered, “How’d she get that dollar folded up so small to fit in there? Mom, is the Tooth Fairy real?”

“You’re not supposed to ask that question.”

“So, does she stop if people stop believing?”

Yep, kiddo.

The Tooth Fairy and Santa follow the same magical rules at our home and hopefully your home too.

They’re both real—and magical.

Parents have contemplated their answer to that inevitable question for as long as these magical beings have been making their visits to our homes. Some think there is a certain age when children need to be told the “truth.”

But what’s the truth? The truth is that we are all “the magic.”

The truth is the Tooth Fairy and Santa are very much real.

I have seen Santa’s magic every Christmas morning of my life.

Santa has left an unwrapped gift for each member of my family when we’ve woken up, every Christmas morning. As my parents told me—as long as we believe, he won’t fail.

But, if we stop believing in his magic—well, then Santa has no choice. He can’t come anymore.

There is magic in the world.

We find it when we meet a stranger we feel we’ve known forever.

We find it when we discover found money in a pocket.

We find it when we hear from an old friend just as we’re thinking of them.

Keep the magic alive—it brings joy.

Why should there ever be a certain age when we take away a child’s joy?

If you’ve already told your children the “truth,” it’s never too late to let Santa back into your holidays.

Your children—no matter how old—will appreciate seeing what unwrapped gift Santa has left for them on Christmas morning.

As for the Tooth Fairy—beyond a certain age, her existence is no longer pondered, because there are no more baby teeth to lose.

But Santa, he’s here to stay—and maybe, if we all still keep believing, we won’t lose the magic in our everyday lives.

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Relephant:

Life is Magical: 37 Life Lessons for my Children.

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Author: Colleen Clary

Editor: Yoli Ramazzina

Photo: Flickr/photophilde