No such thing as Santa?

Today, just like everyday, I picked our daughter up from school. She's six. As we were driving away from her school, she said something that caught me off guard. She told me that one of her friends informed her that Santa wasn't real and that "there was no such thing as Santa". It took every bit of restraint I had to not break the silence that followed with the thoughts that flooded my head. But instead, I somehow managed to let her finish.

Sounding a little indignant, she told me that she asked her friend, "Well, isn't magic real? Isn't love real?" I was somewhat blown away, especially because she sounded a little irritated. It was as if she felt obligated to stick up for Santa. Honestly, I didn't know what to say. But, I didn't have to say anything, because at that point she said, "You know, just because you can't see them, doesn't mean they're not real." And then solidly putting the issue to rest she said, "Germs are real."

I fall in love with this little girl a little more each day. And yes, just like love and germs, Santa is very real.