I was one of those kids who believed in Santa Claus well past the age of most. When I was six, Dad was stationed at Kodiak Island, Alaska. We lived in a small mobile home; back then, we called them trailer houses. My Dad got a friend to climb up on the roof of our trailer house and stomp around. There was about a foot of snow, and I could hear the crunch of the snow under his feet. Dad and Mom got a plate of cookies and milk and set it on the table for Santa to have when he finished his delivery at our place. They told us that he wouldn’t come in with the presents until we got into bed, and if we got up before he left, he would take the presents with him. I went to bed and stayed there until Mom yelled that it was time to get up the following morning. I was thrilled that he had eaten all the cookies and drank the milk, and most importantly, there was a bunch of presents under our tree. We lived in Kodiak for about 18 months, but Christmas is my only memory of living there. Old Santa Claus made a strong impression on my mind. About two years later, I was getting excited about Christmas and Santa Claus, and my younger brother said, “There is no such thing as Santa Claus; Mom and Dad are the ones who buy the gifts, and they eat the cookies and drink the milk. They just made him up for fun, kind of like the tooth fairy. I believed in the tooth fairy as well. He said he had gotten up, sneaked out, watched Mom and Dad wrap the presents, put them under the tree, eat the cookies, and drink the milk. I asked him why he hadn’t let me in on this little secret sooner, and he said he was afraid he would get in trouble. I promptly went and asked Mom, and she confirmed the fact that Santa Claus was not real. I don’t remember having much grief over this new revelation. I do remember feeling embarrassed when my brother informed me that I was the only kid in school who still believed in Santa Claus. Oh well, at least the presents kept coming. I know some people make a big deal about how parents shouldn’t lie to their kids or get them to believe in something not true, or they will damage the poor kid’s faith, and he won’t believe in God after being fooled about the jolly old man in the red suit. I believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, angels, and demons, and I fondly remember old saint Nick.