I’ve never thought of Christmas as a time to declutter (quite the opposite), but my mother and in-laws are all about it this year.

My mom came over to my house on Thanksgiving with a paper bag filled with items from my childhood: photos of me in handmade frames of paper and glitter, the outfit I wore when I came home from the hospital, and even little boxes containing my baby teeth. (Weird, I know.)

She told me how she enjoyed sorting through tubs of photos and school projects that had been in storage for more than a decade. Looking over my mom’s shoulder through most of it, my kid sister Siarra was also intrigued. With more than 11 years between her and my other younger sister, she practically had a glimpse into another era.

Of course, like many Generation Zers, she wondered why my mom had so many photos of her three older sisters and not many of her. Then she saw the filled-out baby books and the teeth—where were hers? She stormed off but didn’t get very far before pausing. Then she spun around and asked, “Does this mean the Tooth Fairy isn’t real?”

No doubt this revelation also affirmed any uncertainty she had about the existence of Santa Claus.

Research suggests that most kids stop believing in Santa once they’re better able to acknowledge the unlikeliness of one man traveling around the world overnight—usually around 8 years old. My sister is 12, so she should already know about Santa then, right? Oh, I’m confident she suspects it, but has never really asked.

And why would she? Why wouldn’t anyone wish to believe in this jolly old guy, even just a little bit? Why wouldn’t you want to cling to this symbol of giving and goodness during the holiday season?

This year, give yourself a break from everyday life. Bask in the beauty and delight of Christmas with twinkling lights and surrounded by loved ones. You don’t have to believe in magic to make this Christmas magical.

2019 BEACON Guide now available

The 2019 Mesa County BEACON Guide is here, and the Montrose-Delta Guide will be available next month. In addition to hundreds of local, state and national resources and hard-to-find phone numbers, it features informative articles to help with the transitions you or a loved one may be going through.

If you need more free copies of this handy guide, call us at 243-8829.

Merry Christmas from the BEACON!