CHAPTER 4: DADDY TO THE RESCUE...WELL, SORT OF

The Santa Claus question was tabled. But not for long. As mother and daughter began rolling dough and cutting cookies, Lizzie babbled happily about school and cookies and My Little Pony, until all at once…she grew silent.

Jo looked up and saw Lizzie staring at the Santa Claus cookie cutter in her hand. Lizzie looked up at her mother with a pained look of confusion and said, "Mommy, you didn't actually answer my question before. IS Santa Claus real?"

Jo took a deep breath and sat down beside Lizzie. Maybe they were going to have to have this talk after all.

"Well," she began carefully, "why are you asking, Lizzie? Is it just because of what Gordo said?"

Now Lizzie, of course, had been hearing rumblings on the playground for several weeks, and was vaguely aware there were others beside Gordo spreading this revolutionary poison amongst the elementary school population. She had heard, but not paid much attention, knowing that some of the older kids got their fun from spreading vicious lies and rumors. She had heard, but none of it had bothered her…until the words came out of Gordo's mouth.

So she felt she was not lying when she answered her mother, "Gordo has never lied to me before. Why would he start now?"

Jo sighed. "I don't think he meant to say that, Lizzie. I know Gordo would never purposely be mean to you."

"Then why did he say it?" Lizzie insisted. "If you're so sure he would never be mean, then why did he say it? Did he say it because it's true?"

"Well…" Jo began cautiously, "I'm not sure that Gordo really believes Santa Claus is not real. Or if he believes he is real. But that's not the point, is it? Some people believe in some things, and other people don't, and whether or not you believe in something has nothing to do with it being true. Or not."

"Huh?" Lizzie said.

"And besides all that," Jo went on, warming to her subject, "there are things in life that are true, no matter what anybody believes. And Santa Claus is like that, I think. I think he's like..he's like all the goodness and joy there is in the world, rolled up into one person, and if we believe the world is a good place—and I believe that, don't you, Lizzie?—if we believe that, then of course we have to believe in Santa Claus. Because he always is, and always will be. And he's always a part of us."

"So the answer is Yes?" Lizzie questioned, wanting to get right through all this hoopla to the heart of the matter.

"What do you think, Lizzie?" Jo asked gently. "What is your heart telling you?"

Lizzie's heart was telling her that her mother was not giving her a straight answer. Fortunately, at that moment, her father walked into the kitchen.

"Daddy!" Lizzie exclaimed, running to greet him.

"Sugarplum!" he answered, scooping her up in his arms. "Whazzup, My Little Pony?"

"Mommy and I are baking cookies."

"I can smell them!"

"And we're talking."

"What are you talking about?"

"Santa Claus."

"Well, what about Santa Claus?"

"Is he real?" Lizzie asked.

"You bet he is!" Sam McGuire answered without hesitation. And then before he could see his wife's look of exasperation, he added, "And he's coming here to leave you a ton of presents the day after tomorrow!"