I remember the times when the girls were younger. They used to write a wishing letter to the holy man, telling him how good they had been and what presents they thought they deserved. Of course the holy man did the best he can to fulfil those wishes. Some years, he even came to our house, in person, accompanied by his Black Peters.
Just the other day, I told Eva about the last year Saint Nicholas actually came to the house. She must have been 8 back then. She was so impressed by his appearance (he wore gold shoes and gloves), that she was totally gobsmacked. This time, it was the REAL thing!!! Not some clumsy frumpy helper, but the REAL man himself! I remember the size of her eyes when she nodded to every question he asked her. She must have been really surprised about all the details the Saint knew about her. Of course he looked in his holy book, where everything was written down.. By then Lana knew the Saint wasn't that real, but still, she too was impressed.
It was not until a couple of months later, that we just had to tell Eva the truth. Most children in her class knew the truth and they started to make fun of her. So we told her, that the holy man was not really who she thought he were.. She was devastated, hurt and totally in denial. How could he not be real??? He had been to her house! And we were sitting next to him! How could we say he was not real??? He knew all about her! He even had things written down in his book!!!
She eventually got over it and now she thinks it's a good laugh. She's very good at keeping the secret to the younger kids in the family. She won't spoil the fun. When both Lana and Eva open their presents, they go back some years in time and the sparkle in their eyes remembers me of their toddler time..
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