Dodging the Santa killing bullet

Last week Jason and I were discussing possible locations for our new internet/cable/phone and were inside the coat closet that is in our family room. This coat closet is taller than usual and I have all my wrapping stuff on the top shelf. I had put Brendan's presents in there really high and out of the way. Well, Mr. Observant came in and yelled "THERE IS LEGO ENDOR!"

OH CRAP!

Jason and I just stood there and kept saying "No.... that's not in there. You must be seeing things." Brendan went running down the hall screaming that it was THERE! He saw it, really! As he was flailing about he hurt himself. He happened to hurt himself doing whoknowswhat but that was the perfect opportunity. "Hey Jason, why don't you take Brendan into his room and see what the matter is."

*QUICKLY go hide his presents in the garage.* Good thing construction crap will be able to disguise it as just more junk!

When I get back inside, Brendan had been repaired and back into the closet where Santa had already been. "Mom, I SWEAR that it was there. I PROMISE!"
"Brendan, I believe you! Maybe the elves had to hide them in a different place. They need to take them back to the North Pole and wrap them. You'll still have to be good, or they wont bring it back to our house. They might give it to another boy that was being really good."

"Well, I want Christmas to be tomorrow so that the Elves will bring it back. And I am going to check the closet everyday to see if they put it back."

"Okay, son. Go right ahead.... Keep me posted!"

I think Brendan may now be a little paranoid by the fact that actual elves came into our home like magic! And that they may be popping in and out at any given moment.

Has any of you had to deal with this yet? It was so much easier when he was 4 or even younger. They had NO CLUE what was going on. You could buy their presents- with them in the cart. With Addison the other day I picked up something I though she could use and held it up to her. "What do you think, Addy?" When she reached for it and immediately wanted to put it in her mouth is when I knew she would really like to play with the box it comes in. Then when you got home from shopping, you just put them in your own closet because they were out of the way.

When my sisters and I were younger and still believed in Santa we were in the storage room doing/looking/playing something. We weren't in any way looking for gifts, because we still believed in Santa. All I remember is that I opened up the box that the artificial tree went into and a ray of sunshine beamed out of that box. It was the holy grail being opened. Everything that we had asked for was in that box. We all promised not to tell Mom and Dad that we saw all those things. But a few days later, little Big Mouth Heidi (love you) had to go ruin it all and ask my mom if that Rainbow Brite doll was hers. I don't remember how they explained that they had the presents and not Santa, but I totally believed them, I'm sure. Just as Brendan trusts us in the explanation that elves pop in and out of the house making sure everyone is being nice. He is going to ask Santa why we can't ever see those "dang elves". I told him that they were too busy moving things around and checking in on their Naughty and Nice list.

Then I go and scream into my pillow because I almost ruined it for my little boy! At least he is having fun telling people that an actual elf was in our house. And that he is FOR SURE getting Lego Endor. Then I remind him... Not 'for sure' unless he is on the nice list again this year.