A/N: Random oneshot idea I had! In here, Lily doesn't know about her daddy's powers yet.
Please read and review if you enjoyed it!
3-year-old Lilith "Lily" Fenton ran around the Fentons' living room, singing, "Santa Claus is coming to town!" at the top of her lungs, while her mom, Sam, waved her hand dismissively.
"Lily, you know that Santa doesn't exist." Sam had never believed in Santa even as a kid, and she didn't want her daughter to be teased at for being so naïve.
"But Daddy told me Santa is real!" Lily pointed a chubby finger at Danny. "He said that on Christmas Eve, Santa will come down chimnee and bring presents!"
Sam glared at Danny, who grinned sheepishly. "C'mon, Sam, there's nothing wrong with a bit of imagination."
"I don't want my daughter to grow up as a firm believer of fantasy."
"Imagine that coming from the wife of a half-ghost superhero."
Sam only made an impatient noise and decided to drop the argument.
"You know, you two remind me of your parents. When they always debated whether Santa was real?" Tucker sipped at his hot cocoa. He was a visitor that day to help with Christmas decorating.
Sam had agreed to let Lily choose her own religion, and celebrated Christmas with Danny and Hanukkah with her own family. So far, the house had a giant evergreen tree decorated with lights and tinsels on the walls. Despite his original intentions, Tucker hadn't helped much at all.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I stand on Dad's side. Lily's gonna have a little surprise tonight."
"Is Santa bringing her presents on Christmas Eve? Or is he having dinner with you all?" Tucker laughed.
"Even better." Danny's eyes twinkled mischievously and he glanced at his daughter who was chanting "Santa Claus! Santa Claus!" under her breath. He couldn't wait to see her reaction for tonight.
"Goodnight, Lily!" Danny whispered as he tucked her into bed like he did every night.
"Keep an eye for Santa, will you? He'll be here to bring you presents!"
Sam's voice rang from the master bedroom. "Danny, are you telling stories about Santa again? I don't want that in my house.."
Danny smiled. "Always keep an open mind, Lily. Believe." Then he kissed her goodnight and went out, closing the door behind him.
Lily was wide awake for a long time, and she was determined to see Santa. But hour after hour he never came, and soon her eyelids grew heavy.
Just when she started to drift to sleep, she heard a faint thud on the roof.
Lily got out of bed giddily. "Santa is here!"
She ran out to the fireplace, and waited in the darkness.
"I knew Daddy is right! Santa is here!"
Suddenly, something heavy dropped on the floor. Lily peered closer and found a leather sack.
"Wat is-" Before she could finish, she found herself supported by an unseen force and she soared upwards, phasing through the roof.
There, she saw a magnificent sleigh painted red and green, the colors of Christmas. Several reindeer were harnessed to the sleigh, but their expressions were blank and they remained motionless.
Right next to them stood a figure in a bright red suit, his foamy white beard spilled all over his chest, red hat slightly lopsided. But what struck her most was his jolly smile and kind eyes, though they seemed to emit a faint green glow.
"Santa Claus!" Lily grinned widely and ran towards him, giving him a big hug.
The man didn't say anything, but gently lifted her off her feet and placed her on next to the driving seat.
Somehow, Lily wasn't scared. She knew she wasn't supposed to put faith on someone you just met, but there was something about Santa that she couldn't help but trust him.
In a swift motion, the sleigh took off into the night sky.
"Mommy! Santa took me on his sled and we went around world! We were in Canada, and then we saw elefants in Africa, and-" Lily babbled on at breakfast.
Sam sighed. "Danny, you didn't do anything, did you?"
He hastily looked over to the storage room, where he had stuffed the Santa mannequin and the prop sleigh and the reindeer mascots. "What gave you that idea?"
"You just took our daughter on a world tour in the air haven't you."
"It was just for a bit of fun, I swear!"
To his surprise, Sam grinned. "It's nice to see her so happy on Christmas Day. Maybe it doesn't hurt to have a bit of Christmas spirit and be a kid again once in a while."
Danny smiled in relief. "Uh-huh! Santa Phantom has come to town!"
Lily finally stopped talking and looked at her father curiously. "It's Santa Claus, Daddy. Not fantum."
Her parents both laughed, and Danny ruffled her hair. "Someday you'll know."