Honesty's the best policy, right?

Let's face it, kids ask A LOT of questions... I mean A LOT! Some are pretty easy to answer, What's for dinner? Others, a little tougher, Why does the moon only come out at night?

"Brudders"

Just the other morning, Harrison and I had this conversation:

H: My balls have these little ball things inside- what are those?
Me: Those are your testicles.
H: What are they for?
Me: When you get older, they'll help you make a baby.
H: I'm not having a baby!
Me: Well, your wife... or girlfriend... if you have one...
Then I got the side eye and we ate breakfast in silence.

Or there was this gem:

H: Let's pretend I'm still in your belly and the doctor comes to cut me out.
Me: The doctor didn't cut you out of my belly.
H: Well, how did I get out?
Me: You came out of my vagina.
H: (Looking terrified), let's just pretend the doctor cut me out.

Although a little uncomfortable at times, I'm completely, 100% confident in my decision to answer Harrison's questions about bodies and sex (when the time comes) with honest, and age appropriate, answers. Since Dadd-O and I have both lost parents, I even feel pretty comfortable talking about death- when someone dies we never get to see them again and it can make us sad. We can still think about them, talk about them and look at pictures to make us feel happier.

With training and experience as a social worker, you'd think any conversation would flow from my mouth with ease... I mean, I've confronted drug addicts, called DCF (child protection) with the family in question with me, provided mediation between angry neighbors, told many people who were without housing, that in fact, I could not help them.

But when questions start being thrown at me about Santa, the Easter Bunny and the motherfucking Tooth Fairy, I freeze... I have no friggin' clue what to say! Do I lie? Do I tell the truth? I don't want to ruin the magic of childhood (or whatever). I'm a terrible liar! So far I've managed to give some short, simple answers it's magic, he has helpers, and sometimes ::gasp:: I don't know. My kid is smart and a bit of a know-it-all (I have no idea where he gets it) and I know eventually he's not going to buy this crap anymore.

Wiser, more experienced parents- how do you handle this???