In the Nick of Time

I was a believer. I grew up
with a firm faith in the Tooth
Fairy, Jesus, and Santa Claus.
The grown-ups in my life
said it was so, and I believed
them. The Fairy left monetary
evidence, and the Sunday
school stories about Jesus
were too good not to be true.

While the logistics surrounding
Santa Claus puzzled—how
could he visit every
house in the world in a single
night and how could his sleigh
hold all that stuff—I didn’t let them
trouble me for long. After all,
he always showed up at my
house just in the nick of time
to make Christmas morning
magical. I asked for nothing
more.