Today is the best day in the world

TODAY IS THE BEST DAY IN THE WORLD, proclaimed my youngest niece, bursting with excitement. Santa Claus’s arrival was imminent, and she was looking for him everywhere: the sky, the neighbors’ rooftops, and any flickering light that might give him away. She had taken precautions at home regarding the cat, just in case the big-bearded man decided to leave gifts in more than one place. “It’s because Antonio might pee on them,” she explained solemnly.

“I feel a little sad,” my ten-year-old nephew suddenly confessed during a conversation among those in the know—the ones freshly emigrated from the world of fantasy.

“About what?” I asked, intrigued.

“Knowing. Sometimes I wish I could believe. It’s nice.”

His sister, almost the same age, chimed in enthusiastically:

“Even though I know, when I see the gifts… I still get so excited!”

She said it with her green eyes shining, as if she could already see the mountain of presents.

The highlight of the evening came when my husband showed the youngest, the one still blessed with the gift of innocence, a photo of Santa Claus flying across the sky, captured on his phone. It was madness! She shouted the news at the top of her lungs. The bearer of the bag full of our wishes had been caught in action. I got emotional; for a moment, I wanted to be her and also hug her, to apologize for fostering such an over-the-top illusion.