MORAN — Halie Luken, a speech, drama and Spanish teacher at Marmaton Valley High School, remembers when she proved the existence of Santa Claus. 
She was around age 11, and her mom, Jackie Walls, was pregnant with her little sister. They lived in LaHarpe, just a few blocks from Halie’s Uncle Richard.
Traditions are important to her mom’s side, the Lukens. They celebrate on Christmas Eve with a big family gathering.
That year, before they headed to the annual family gathering, Halie’s mom encouraged her to set out cookies and milk for Santa, and “reindeer food” with a mixture of granola, carrots and glitter — just in case Santa visited while they were gone.
She also left a note for Santa, asking if he was real and, if so, she wanted a response.
When they arrived home, Halie opened the door to find their entire living room filled with gifts. The cookies had just one bite taken (Santa has to eat a lot of cookies, so he can’t gorge himself at every house). The reindeer food was gone, too.
“I was so excited,” she recalled.
Now, Halie had proof that her mom couldn’t possibly be Santa. Just like Superman and Clark Kent, he can’t be in two places at once. She’d been with her mom all night.
Not only that, Santa had responded to her note.
Still skeptical, she put her investigative skills to work, carefully analyzing the note word for word and comparing it to samples of her mom’s handwriting. She deduced: Her mom didn’t write the note.
Conclusion: Santa is real.
She taped the note to her bedroom wall and it sustained her belief.
Years later, she learned Santa had recruited her Uncle Richard for help on that magical night.
IN THE years since, Halie and her family have continued their traditions and added to them.
They still have their family gathering on Christmas Eve.
