I have a secret, and I know I shouldn’t be telling anyone this but… my grandfather is Santa Claus. It feels good to finally be able to say this to someone.
Growing up as the grandchild of Santa isn’t easy. You have no idea how many times I wanted to tell the kids at my school. This would have made making friends so much easier… I never really had any.
My parents didn’t let me see my grandfather often, they would remind me of how busy he was. But whenever I did get to see him, it was the happiest times that I can remember from my young childhood. His house felt magical, it was filled with treats and toys. It was every child’s wildest dreams come true.
Mom and dad were usually nearby, and the visits were short. The things like the reindeer were off limits, as Santa would carefully explain to me how important it was to keep his magic secret. Every time my parents weren’t around, my grandfather would pull me aside and remind me know how important it was that I never told anyone about him, or his workshop. Santa would explain how if the world were to find out about him, Christmas would go away forever.
Despite the warnings, there were times I would scour grandpa’s house searching for the secrets that only Santa knew about. It was hard at times, with mom and dad always keeping a close eye on me. The best excuse I’d come up with is that my tummy hurt from all of the treats, and I’d have to use the bathroom.
One time, tucked away in Santa’s dresser I found pages of names. This was maybe the second-best piece of proof I had seen with my own eyes that grandfather was really Santa! I found his Naughty and Nice lists. I could hear footsteps coming, as my mom frantically called out for me. I REALLY wanted to find my name, but I had to tuck the lists away before my mom saw. After all, I didn’t want to ruin Christmas forever.
It was on one of the rare occasions I got to spend time alone with my grandfather that I finally saw it, the thing that convinced me the most that it was actually true, grandpa was Santa! I was able to sneak off, outside, and catch a glimpse of his workshop. From the outside, it looked like a massive storage unit, surrounded by large pine trees. It was tucked away good, and hard to find. You can imagine the sheer excitement a child would feel upon seeing Santa’s workshop for the first time.
With such joy I ran to the only window I could see, hoping to catch a glimpse of the reindeer. But what I saw was so much better, it was the elves! Well, it was only two of them. I can tell you first hand they look and dress nothing like the ones you see at the mall, taking pictures with the fake Santa. For one they looked much younger, and sad. I didn’t get much of a look at them before my grandfather caught me. I’d never seen him this furious, he scared me even, as he pulled me away from the window I began to cry.
Inside he calmed me down with some warm hot chocolate and treats. Grandpa always had the best snacks. Before my mom and dad came to pick me up, he reminded me over and over that if anyone knew about him, or his workshop, Christmas would end forever. He explained that the elves were sad because every Christmas was hard on them, as this is when they worked the most.
But I shouldn’t worry, after Christmas there would be a big party where they all got to celebrate, he explained. He even told me he was considering inviting me to celebrate with them. You can only imagine how happy I was, to finally be included in some of the magic! I promised grandfather I knew how to keep a secret! After all, I’ve done such a good job over the last six years of not telling anyone about my grandpa.
I guess, the only reason I’m telling you all this is the secret is out, you and the other policemen already know the big secret, my grandpa is Santa Claus. And now that the other policemen have found his workshop, I’m scared that there won’t be a Christmas this year, or ever again.