I never fell asleep.  I waited.  Watched my two sisters who shared a bedroom fall asleep...listened for my parent's bedroom door to close and waitied some more.

 

That Christmas Eve night I stayed awake and heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the roof and ran to my parent's bedroom and told my mom. She looked panicked and told me to get back to my room or Santa wouldn't leave any presents.  "But what about the sound on the roof!"  She wasn't havin' it and rushed me back to bed.

 

I layed in bed breathing so quietly and listened for a long time.  I thought.   Then I woke up and it was Christmas morning.  I rushed down the hall to look in the living room and was sternly told to wait for the rest of the family.  I could see, much to my relief, all the presents perfectly wrapped, nestled under the tree.  

 

My Santa had come afterall. 

 

~

 

 

 

 

 

 

As my daughters would tell you, I really blew it right about the time they were getting old enough to figure out what I was up to.

 

As was the tradition, any fallen tooth would be neatly tucked under their pillows at bedtime, where a special little prayer would be said for the tooth, as it was going to be missing in action by morning. Though bittersweet and melancholy to think of the familiar tooth being gone forever, the anticipation of a shiny silver coin magically appearing under their pillows, was enough to soothe the pain of a tiny loss.

 

The challenge remained for the weary single mom and the necessity of staying up long enough to ensure curious lttle eyes would be fast alseep to pull off the important retrieval of the tooth and replace with the new quarter.  A quarter for regular teeth; a dollar for molars.   

 

Waking with a start and heart pounding realization that I had forgotten to take the tooth and put the quarter under the pillow, I tiptoed to my child's room to see if she might still be sleeping.  Only to find a puzzled look on that precious face, while scanning mine for clues as to what happened to the tooth fairy.  I was caught.  Or was I?

 

With a little quick thinking (what parent hasen't done that?) I hurried into the room to slip the quarter under the sheets and feign shock and disbelief that the tooth fairy had forgotten the tooth!  Alas, the quarter was there and a collective sigh of relief that my child was not hurt beyond repair.

 

Yet, again it would happen.  And then again.  And the gig was up.  The look of suspicion illustrated all over my little one's face, told me that I had revealed not only the err of my ways, but had buried the tooth fairy in the process.  

 

"Mom!  You're the tooth fairy!"  

 

Guilty as charged. 

 

    ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's just say that after the "No Santa" debacle and the "Tooth Fairy" revelation, it was no big suprise that none of my girls was buying the Easter Bunny story for long.  It was all good as long as they liked the little baskets overflowing with candy and chocolate covered marshmellow shaped rabbits and the pretty new easter dresses with lace trimmed white socks every Easter...and the traditional coloring of the eggs leading up to the myth that the Easter Bunny came while we slept to hide the eggs around the house and yard...

 

All the childhood stories and fantasies of magical promises that happen while we sleep?  Who came up with that?  The "Sleep Fairy?"   I don't know when it happened but it was like they all simply knew it was a crock and gave me that look that only a daughter gives a mother when the 'dissing' facial expression of "give me a break" reduces you to maternal rubble. And it did. Time and time again; long after the fairy tales ended...long after the Easter Bunny hopped away into retail bunnyland and all the handsome princes promised little girls of "happily ever afters."

 

That promise ranks right up there with, "There is no Santa."   Until we grow up and out of the dreamy sleep of our youth and learn to make our own happy endings.

 

And surprisingly, most of the time we do. 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Tree at random Hawaiin Resort from recent vacation.

 

Google images of Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. 

 

Note:  The above stories are true and retold from actual events from my own and my children's formative years.   It's a wonder we are not more derranged by these myths and legends.