The Po Show

Helllooo???

This is so trivial in light of some of the other issues going on around here (not to mention the issues in the universe in general), but MAN, I can't understand why companies would put the words "Stocking Stuffers" at the top of catalog pages that they are marketing to children. I mean, come on. This one that just caught my eye is on the Scholastic book order Tessa brought home from school. I've been questioned about this in years past regarding the Lego catalog, Amazon.com, and other sources I can't think of at the moment. Because, you know, SANTA puts the stuff in the stockings, so why are they trying to sell you stocking stuffers?

I'm actually sort of amazed that my kids still believe in Santa. It's nice in a way, and stressful in another, as I'm always on guard about saying anything to tip them off. I really don't know if Matthew still believes (considering he totally busted me by asking why the Amazon page said that I had purchased the Hover toy Santa gave him last year, under "As someone who has purchased XXXX"; oops. Now all Santa gifts are purchased under Ross' ID). But Tessa TOTALLY does, and has reconciled in her own head why some kids say that they don't believe in Santa and that their presents (usually big ticket things like a Wii) are from their parents. She has decided that *wrapped* gifts are from your parents, but the stuff in your stocking is from Santa. She isn't fazed by the fact that most of her Santa gifts are too big to fit in her stocking and are left arrayed around it. They're not wrapped, so they must be from Santa.

I'll sort of be relieved when the cat is out of the bag. Same with the tooth fairy. Yesterday Tessa lost a tooth in the Modern Art gallery at the Met, of all places. She walked around looking at Mondrians and Picassos with a big wad of kleenex in her mouth. When we got home she immediately set to making a Christmas gift for the tooth fairy, a clay pot with a heart-breakingly sweet note, that went under her pillow with the tooth. So I had to pry that out from under her pillow, write her a thank you note in curvy "fairy writing," and sneak it under her pillow with the money. Sweet, but I'm about ready to be done with all this.