Eddie had been saying, "San-ta! San-ta!" all week, but now that he was face-to-face with the man, he just sat there and said nothing. He didn't look particularly happy, and yet he didn't look particularly sad or frightened. He simply sat there as if Santa's lap was a chair like any other.

As the boys were all running around, the other child told my son, You better behave, Santa is watching." Without missing a beat, he answered, "Nah, he doesn't watch me because I'm Jewish!"

He is not someone who lives at the North Pole, makes toys, drinks hot cocoa and hangs out with elves, flying reindeer and Mrs. Claus. But he is real.

In our busy, hard and sometimes cold world, we have learned as adults that a belief in some kind of magic can help soften the edges. And as parents we can easily get caught up in the magic of the season, seeing those young eyes light up on Christmas morning.

One of our holiday traditions is to make homemade cookies for Santa and the reindeer. We were getting ourselves pumped for the holidays when my son asked, "What if Santa has Celiac?" Good point!

The holiday hasn't even started, but 3-year-old Kieran may have just won Christmas 2012. Not only did Santa personally hand over this boy's gift, but ...

Between books and movies, video games and social media, I'm anticipating years of helping my kids sort out what's real and what's not. So why would I want to add to the confusion by trying to convince them that once a year, there will actually be an elf creeping around the house?

Between books and movies, video games and social media, I'm anticipating years of helping my kids sort out what's real and what's not. So why would I want to add to the confusion by trying to convince them that once a year, there will actually be an elf creeping around the house?

By: Tia Ghose, LiveScience Staff Writer Published: 12/17/2012 12:05 PM EST on LiveScience When Santa visited Emily Burr's house when she was a ch...

I shine as a mom when it comes to difficult conversations. Where do babies come from? No problem, though I'll never forget the her horror as she came to the conclusion, "I suppose if that's what I'd have to do to get someone like me, I would." The "Santa Talk," however, was different.

Tick tock, tick tock. TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK. That ain't my biological clock you're hearing, folks. That is the sound of the clock furiously racing towards Christmas, hurtling through time and space at breakneck speed that only is possible this time of year.

Instantly, every child scurried to the sliding glass doors at the back of the house, pushing their frosting-covered faces to the windows -- desperately trying to see into the darkness beyond.

I don't get it. Santa is a dude. So shouldn't his influence have trickled down to some sort of fair division of holiday labor?

The Elf on the Shelf is one of those genius ideas that makes me want to slap myself for not thinking of it first. Well, this morning, our Elf on the Shelf quit.