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Emma's avatar

I love reading these newsletters! I was a true Santa believer until age nine, when I saw the Gremlins movie, where the dad DIES (i think??? have not seen it since) by getting stuck in the chimney dressed as Santa. I had gentle hippie parents who lovingly nibbled on cookies and reindeer carrots and made sleigh tracks in the snow, and was so mad at them for “lying” but I think it was amplified by the bizarre/abrupt Gremlins reveal and being a shy and coddled only child who didn’t get clued in by other kids somehow. And I still love Christmas!

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Michelle Tea's avatar

The Gremlins reveal! I think it’s going to happen like that - something in the culture that suddenly makes everything make a terrible sense! 😢 Thank you for this!

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Carley Moore's avatar

I totally feel you on the rush to hide the non-parenting items when the kid comes back lol. I will also say that I was mightily not forgiven for a small period of time when I admitted to my kid that I had been writing a series of “notes” from fairies who had been visiting our apartment. I felt really bad about it for a day or two but I still stand by it as a cool, magical, weird thing I did out of mom love, which is not always rational, and therefore precious I think. 😂😅😂😅

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Michelle Tea's avatar

Yes! Absolutely! It’s not rational. And life isn’t fully rational at these ages either which is why it’s so fun to splash around in what’s possible!

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