
Allyson wants to know if Santa is a thief. She'd like to know if he buys stuff in the stores when everyone is sleeping, and if so, how does he pay for the stuff if the cashiers are sleeping. I think she is beyond believing that little elves make the same stuff they sell at Walmart, and last year I made the mistake of saying that Santa can't afford to buy every little girl an American Girl Doll. We've also purchased gifts to children whose parents can't afford gifts this Christmas. The lies begin now, and now I need to remember which lies I've told. Why can't Santa afford AG dolls for all little girls? Why doesn't Santa bring the same number of gifts to the underprivileged as he does to the over-privileged? Is Santa violating Trade Mark rights and patent infringements by allowing his elves to copy the toys we see at Target? And do the elves have non-compete clauses? Are they allowed to work in factories during the off-season, or sell their goods to China if they've already met the "wish-list" demand?
I've decided that my best bet is to go with naivety. "I don't know. I've never met Santa so I'm not sure". We'll see if that will get me through the next couple of years.

