How Myths Evolve

One night over 10 years ago I was sitting in the living room of the apartment I had at the time. Outside I heard two little girls talking and laughing with an older woman (a neighbor in her sixties) about various everythings under the sun. Their conversation turned to things Christmas, which was upcoming. One of the girls asked if the woman and her husband were going to leave their door unlocked on Christmas Eve.

The woman asked why.

The child said, of course, how else would Santa Claus get in?

(We didn’t have fireplaces or chimneys in this complex.)

There was a moment of silence.

Then the woman said matter-of-factly that Santa uses the air-conditioning system.

The girls started laughing. The air-conditioner? How silly!

The woman pointed out that if Santa can fly through the air with reindeer and a sleigh, then he could most certainly get into the apartment through the air-conditioner.

Who knows, maybe someday Santa will always come through the vents. Or the front door.