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Hi, and welcome back to We are the Hansens. I'm
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Maya Hanson, and today we're diving into the topic that
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often sparks lively debates among parents. Do we tell our
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kids about Sannah, the tooth fairy, and the Easter Bunny.
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This is such a fun and meaningful topic because it
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really gets to the heart of what we want childhood
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to look like for our kids. We'll talk about the
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approach in our family, why we made the decision we did,
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and how these little traditions are the lack of them,
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fit into the bigger picture of our parenting journey. We're
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going to start off by talking about the magic of childhood.
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Let's start with this idea of childhood magic. For many
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families enjoy of pretending there's a Sana, a tooth fairy,
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or a giant bunny delivering a as part of the
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magic of growing up. There's a sense of wonder and
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excitement that comes with those stories. But does buying into
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these myths takeaway from teaching our kids the importance of
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truth or can it just be harmless fun for us?
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This is one of the first things we talked about
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when deciding how to celebrate holidays. And handle these traditions
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as us parents. In our family, we took a mixed approach.
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We wanted to keep the magic alive but also stay
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true to our values. For example, we do talk about Sanna,
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but we frame him as part of a fun and
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storytelling around Christmas. The same goes for the tooth Fairy
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and the Easter Bunny. We say things like it's all
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in if you believe. I tell my kids that all
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the time. That way, it's clear that these are traditions
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we choose to enjoy. This approach gives us room to
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have fun without creating confusion when the truth eventually comes out,
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when the questions come. I mean, this is kind of
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a tricky part. What we do is when our kids
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start asking is Santa real? Or did you put that
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money under our pillow? For us, this is where honesty
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comes in. We've always said what do you think and
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then followed their lead. You know, if they're ready to
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know the truth, then we'll explain it in a way
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that celebrates the joy of giving and the fun of tradition.
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Here's some stuff that we emphasize. These stories are just
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the way we celebrate. They're not the main thing Christmas
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is about family and giving and faith. For us, losing
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a tooth is a milestone that is celebrated. Easter is
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a reminder of hope and renewal. The fun characters are sprinkles.
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They add color, but they're not the whole dessert, if
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you know what I mean. Respecting other families, that's a
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big thing. One of the big challenges with today's traditions
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is navigating with other families and how they proceed with
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the magic. We always remind our kids that other families
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might believe different things or celebrate in their own way,
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and that's okay. It's not their job to tell someone
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else's kids what's real or not. It's about the respect.
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At the end of the day, whether or not you
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do Santa, the tooth Fairy or the Easter money is
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a personal choice of yours. What matters most is the
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love and the values you're building in your family. For us,
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these traditions are just small pieces of the puzzle, a
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way to laugh, imagine, and celebrate together. So what do
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you do do you include these traditions in your family?
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Why or why not? Think about those questions and ask
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yourself those questions. One concern we hear a lot from
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parents is will my kids be disappointed or miss out
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on something if we don't fully commit to the idea
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of Santa, the tooth Fairy, or the Easter Bunny. That's
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a valid worry for us. We found that kids are
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incredibly resilient when it comes to these things. They might
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be momentarily disappointed when they learn the truth. What they
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value more is the time, effort, and the love you
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pour into creating special moments. Our kids know that every
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holiday is a big thing. When we stop focusing on
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the characters and started focusing on family traditions like baking cookies,
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decorating together, or even writing funny notes from Santa, we
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noticed our kids just as excited, if not more. How
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we keep the magic alive without the miss Just because
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we don't fully embrace the miss doesn't mean there's no
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magic in our home. Instead of emphasizing Santa, for example,
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we might plan a day where everyone becomes Santa for
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someone else in the family by doing secret acts of kindness.
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For the tooth Fairy, we might leave a handwritten note
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along with money, celebrating their milestone and encouraging good dental habits.
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It's always so exciting to see your kids get up
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and they're scrambling around just looking for a note that
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was left from the Easter Bunny or Santa or the
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tooth Fairy, and Easter becomes less about the bunny and
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more about scavenger hunts, decorating eggs, and focusing on what
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the holiday means to us spiritual. The magic isn't gone,
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it's just it looks different and the best part, it
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feels even more personal and intentional. You know, when we
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had to break the news to our kids, here's a
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fun one. What do you do when your kids figure
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out on their own and confront you. We've had a
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few kids come to us saying, I know Sanna isn't real.
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You know when they looked at us with that slight betrayal,
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that's okay. We've used these moments to affirm their growing
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independence and reasoning skills will tell them you're absolutely right.
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And now you get to be part of the magic.
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For the younger kids, giving them a new role in
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the tradition helps them transition from believer to creator, which
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makes them feel included rather than excluded. You know, when
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Madison found out about Sanna, the Easter Bunny and the
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tooth fairy. She didn't tell me right away. She waited,
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but her friend at school told her that there wasn't
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a Sana. And she came to me and I said, oh,
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we got to get Santa's cookies ready. And she gave
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me this look and I was like, what's wrong, and
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she goes, Mom, your Sana. You know. I giggled a
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little bit and I said, well, now you know, and
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now you can help be Sanna. So she giggled. You know.
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She wasn't really disappointed, but she knew her friends told
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her so. Another reason we've approached this topic carefully is
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because we want our kids to understand that gifts and
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surprises come from people who love them, not just magical characters.
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We want them to appreciate the thoughtfulness behind a gift
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and learn how to give generously to themselves. For example,
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around Christmas, we encourage our kids to pick up, you know,
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just a small gift for each other, just one small gift.
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This reinforces the joy of giving, which is ultimately what
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we want to carry into adulthood. Before we wrap up,
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let's answer a couple of questions we've received from listeners.
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One of the questions is what if my kids ruin
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the magic for their friends, this is a big one.
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We've been there. We've taught our kids to respect that
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all their families believe. If a friend says, Sanna bought
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me this, we've coached our children to say something positive,
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like that's so cool, rather than Sanna isn't real. It's
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a great lesson in kindness and respecting differences, because you
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don't want to be that person, or we don't want
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our kids to be that person that tells their friends
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that we had a little girl that is friends with
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Torn and Anna tell them Santa wasn't real, but Torn
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was a little believe in it. Anna. She said, no,
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Santa's real. And I've always taught them that you have
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to believe and if you believe it, that's okay, and
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if you don't, that's okay too. Another question that has
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been asked is what age is appropriate to tell the truth.
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There's no magic age. There isn't. It really depends on
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your child's curiosity and maturity. Some kids figure it out
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at six, others at ten. Follow their lead and when
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they're ready, turn it into a conversation about family values, creativity,
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and the joy of celebrating traditions together, because every parent
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that has children will celebrate different, will believe different, and
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will do things a lot different. I have always taught
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my kids that Sannah is magical and if you believe
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he will come. Same goes for the Easter money, same
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goes for the Tooth Fairy. Them magical moments your kids
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are going to always remember. And it's nothing worse, I'm
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telling you from experience than getting let down that Sana
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is not real. But after you find out that he
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is not real, you start to understand and why your
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parents told you that there was a Santa Clause or
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a tooth Fairy or an Easter Bunny, because the magic
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was there. And that is the best feeling in the
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world to know that, oh my god, it's magical. Santa
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Claus is coming, the Easter Bunny is gonna bring baskets
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of candy, we get to dye Easter eggs, or the
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tooth Fairy is gonna come and he's gonna leave us money.
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That is magical for a child. A child loves that.
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You know when they are ready to not believe anymore,
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that is their time, not ours. You need to continue
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to let them believe until they're ready to understand that
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he isn't real, because that magic is amazing for a child.
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And I know a lot of parents that have small
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kids that their kids don't believe anymore because their parents
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told them, and they don't seem like as an outsider
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looking in, my kids are pretty happy kids, especially around
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the holidays. And when I see a child that doesn't
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believe in magical mythical whatever, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy,
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the Easter Bunny, they don't seem as happy around the
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holidays as my children do around the holidays. And maybe
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it's just me. I've seen a couple families that kids
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are little seven and eight years old and they don't
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believe anymore, and them kids are not as happy as
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my children in the holiday season. My kids are so excited,
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you know, They're always willing to jump in and help
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do cookies and baking and all that stuff and decorating.
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And then the kids that don't believe, they don't do
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that very much. I don't know, maybe it's just me,
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but I've seen it with a couple families, and I'm
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just glad that my kids still believe, or at least
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the little ones. And Madison has been a big help.
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I know she doesn't believe anymore, but she has been
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a big help to keep that believing alive because magical
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moments that have been brought into our home. My kids
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are so anxious and Maddie is Sanna's coming with big
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cookies and they get so excited. It's I'm telling you, guys,
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it is a great feeling. And I'm sure that other
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parents listening that kids still do believe. I guarantee they
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feel the same way. It is great. At the end
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of the day, what matters most is creating a home
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filled with love, joy and meaning. Whether you choose to
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embrace Sannah, the tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny, or
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take a different path, the real magic is in the
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memory you build as a family. If that ain't the truth,
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thank you for joining me in this heartfelt discussion. As always,
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I'd love to hear your thoughts. What traditions have you
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created for your family? Share with us on social media
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and we are the Hanson's Page, or you can also
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send us an email at We are thee Hanson's Show
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at gmail dot com and we will try and reach
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everybody that sends us an email or sends us a
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message on our Facebook page. We are the Hansens. I
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want to hear from you. I want to know your thoughts.
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Don't forget to tune in next time for we are
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the Hansens, and until then, keep creating your own magic,
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however that looks for your family. Thank you,