- - Mom Gets Emotional When Daughter Stops Believing in Christmas Magic. Then, the New Role She Takes on Surprises Her (Exclusive)

Kayla GrantDecember 26, 2025 at 2:00 AM

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Courtesy of Yvette Olazar (2)

Yvette Olazar's family -

A Texas-based mom found the silver lining after her daughter stopped believing in the magic of the holiday season

Last December, Yvette Olazar, a 33-year-old mom of three, had a hunch that her daughter Natalie, who was in the 6th grade, had stopped believing in magical elves and Christmas miracles

Now, the 12-year-old is taking on a new role: keeping the magic alive for her younger brother

A Texas-based mom found a silver lining after her daughter stopped believing in the magic of the holiday season.

Last December, Yvette Olazar, a 33-year-old mom of three, had a hunch that her daughter Natalie, who was in 6th grade, had stopped believing in magical elves and Christmas miracles. When she asked her daughter, now 12, about it after the holidays, she confirmed what she already knew: that chapter of her daughter's life was closed.

"My heart was so broken. I was in disbelief and did not want to accept it," Yvette tells PEOPLE. "She used to get so excited for elves to come every single year. [She] even had a meltdown one year because her little brother, who was 1, had touched the elves, and she thought they lost their magic."

"I just replayed those special Christmas magic moments in my head, [and] then accepted that the time had come," she adds. "She was a big girl now who stopped believing. A chapter in her life was now closed, but as a parent, it can be very emotional."

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Though Natalie stopped believing, she took on a different role and recreated that same holiday magic for her 7-year-old brother, Christian.

The doting mom shared a short clip on Instagram, showing the tween taking an active role in the family's Elf on the Shelf festivities. In the video, Natalie can be seen setting up the Elf on two separate occasions — once in the bathroom and another in a room with her sister, Kristalynn, 13. Reflecting on her daughter's role switch in the caption, the proud mom opened up about how "emotional" she is experiencing this sweet transition.

"My mommy heart is so emotional experiencing this for the first time 😭," she wrote. "The sisters officially stopped believing & are now helping keep the magic alive for their brother. ♥️ I’ll forever have all the memories. 🥺."

Courtesy of Yvette Olazar

Yvette Olazar's family

Yvette tells PEOPLE that despite how emotional it makes her to see the switch, her daughter has been "incredibly helpful to have" as a helper. She adds that she and her husband Johnathan Olazar, 33, haven't had to move the elves once since her daughter joined the planning side of things.

"She already has all the plans and ideas. She waits till her little brother is in bed, then runs downstairs to set up the elves for him for the next day," says Yvette. "She even had me take her to the store to get all the cute props for all the set ups she planned. She has been doing just an amazing job with being creative, which has made it so easy on me this year."

While her brother is still in the dark about the truth behind the mysterious, magical elves, his eyes are bright and filled with excitement every morning. Yvette says he runs to show his sister where the elves moved, invoking superb acting skills from the newly minted planner.

"He runs to show his sister where the elves are each day, and she does a great job acting just as surprised. You can see the little smile she tried to hide as she is the one that set it up," she tells PEOPLE. "You can see has a great sense of pride and excitement about doing this for her little brother."

She adds, "She is now part of keeping the magic alive for her little brother."

Courtesy of Yvette Olazar

Yvette Olazar's family

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Since posting the clip, the video has gone viral, connecting Yvette with parents around the world who have either experienced this phenomenon or are not ready to witness it. She tells PEOPLE that it's been "amazing" building this community of people who can relate to each other online.

"I love to see that I am not the only one who goes through this stage," she says. "I feel that as parents, we do whatever it takes, especially during the holidays, to make sure our kids feel the magic. From watching Christmas movies, talking about Santa, to moving an elf around our house overnight, it can be a lot of work. However, we do it for the joy it brings our kids."

"So when our children get older and come to the realization that it was us and not real magic, it can be heartbreaking. At the same time, though, it was fun while it lasted," adds Yvette. "Reading parents' comments and reactions of either going through this themselves currently, previously, or even those who are not ready for this time to come, it has been amazing. I was so happy that over 2 million people have been able to relate through my video."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”