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Note: If your little ones are waiting for a visit from Santa this year AND know how to read pretty well, you may want to make sure they aren’t trying to read over your shoulder. Nothing devastating in here, but you can’t be too careful.
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This is the first year that TJ really “gets” the whole Santa thing. His preschool class has talked about how Santa brings presents to the boys and girls who celebrate Christmas. TJ has sat on Santa’s lap twice now – once at the mall, and once at school.
I don’t want TJ to realize that Mommy helps Santa out by storing some of his wrapped presents until Christmas Eve. You know, to help make room on his sleigh and give the reindeer a bit of a break. We parents don’t like to let on when we help the big guy out, because we don’t want to take part of the magic away. Childhood is so fleeting, and kids should be able to keep the magic as long as possible.
So TJ found one of his presents this morning, wrapped in the special wrapping paper that lets us know that the present is from Santa. He also found the rest of the roll of the special Santa paper.
I covered (badly) and said that he had found a present for one of his cousins, and not to touch it. (Though he had started trying to open it. Thankfully didn’t get far enough to know what it is.)
Tom thinks TJ will forget all about it, and that I don’t need to do anything. I think I now need to help Santa find some new wrapping paper and re-wrap everything so that TJ doesn’t get the “wrong idea” about things.
This is the little boy who still talks about how “Target didn’t have power in October.” And “Grandma Kitty had a funny tire. It’s called a donut. In October!” He remembers where the old Tumbling Tykes is, even though they moved locations in September and we hadn’t been to the old one since June.
We suspect Asperger’s, which adds a new layer to his intelligence and his uncanny memory. I don’t want TJ drawing any conclusions he shouldn’t be coming to at this point in the game.
Do you think I need find some new wrapping paper and re-wrap everything?
If you’re on Twitter, please tweet your vote:
@cutestkidever Yes, you really should re-wrap everything. Can’t be too careful. http://tinyurl.com/wrappingdilemma
@cutestkidever No, you should be fine. Leave the current wrapping paper alone. He’ll forget in 4 days. http://tinyurl.com/wrappingdilemma
@cutestkidever I can’t sum up my advice in 140 characters. I left you a comment. http://tinyurl.com/wrappingdilemma
If you aren’t on Twitter, you can just leave a comment here.
That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.
Oh by all means, re-wrap!
My 5-year-old would NEVER forget that he’d seen it before. He remembers grievances from last Christmas: “Why did Santa bring a Thomas tent when I wanted a fire engine?” Last year, I wasn’t careful enough with the leftovers from a six-pack of caffeine-free diet Pepsi, and Big Guy wanted to know why Santa was in the garage and left his soda there.
My 3-year-old’s not too far behind him. I’m only hoping they keep their nosy noses out of a certain corner in the garage for the next few days, because Santa doesn’t wrap at all at our house.
Yes, I’d definitely say re-wrap! I haven’t wrapped Santa’s gifts yet…but there is a huge box in the corner of my bedroom containing Sophia’s Hannah Montana guitar…and I am worried that once she sees all the presents from mommy and daddy under the tree, she’ll wonder where “the big one” is. So…I’m hatching a story about the big box having lots of little presents in it. Not sure if it’ll work, but she’s 5yo anyway, and I have a feeling she’ll know by next year…she’s too smart not to find out.