She came home and walked in the house and directly looked me in the eye. I was caught a little off guard. She looked at me intently and had fervor in her voice when she asked me, “Is Santa real? I know he’s not real. Olive told me on the way home. from school.” Gasp. Gulp. Give me a damn class of wine. WTF. My 8 and a half year old just shot a dagger through my heart and I have a choice. I can lie and carry on. Or I can look her in the eye and tell the truth. Here’s what happened.