Editor’s Note: This story contains an honest talk about Santa Claus. Parents, use caution when scrolling if little (believing) eyes are present.
Cristina Wecker was caught off guard several years ago when, after a shopping trip to Target, her then 3-year-old daughter, Ryleigh asked, “Mommy, Santa isn’t real, is he?”
Since Wecker’s husband hadn’t grown up in a house that “did the whole Santa thing,” the Pittsburgh, Pa. couple agreed they’d make Santa-related Christmas magic for their daughter only until she began asking questions. Once Ryleigh wanted the truth, however, Wecker had promised they’d be completely honest.
“My heart broke and my mind started racing on how to handle the situation because I thought I had more time,” Wecker tells Yahoo Life. “I was honest with her and told her that, yes, it was Daddy and me, but that people like to pretend because it’s a fun and magical part of Christmas.”
Because her daughter was so…
