When he wasn't messing up cookies before Christmas, Ryan Reynolds had other challenges this holiday season.

Like every parent, the actor found himself faced with at least one tough question from one of his children about Santa Claus. Reynolds shared the story on Instagram on Tuesday, posting a photo of his fireplace and recounting the awkward moment. Based on his account of the conversation, his nearly 3-year-old daughter, James, is a thinker and she noticed something strange with the Santa story.

Wrote Reynolds:

Daughter: Santa comes down the chimney?

Me: Yup.
Daughter: You left the fire burning all night.

Me: Yup. (Silence. Slight breeze. A crow circles in the distance.)

It's unclear if Reynolds ultimately ended up attempting some kind of recovery after his last statement, or if he did truly just let the conversation hang. But really, James is still only 2 -- at least for a little while longer -- so maybe Reynolds didn't actually need to say anything more. While she seemed to recognize that it was strange that Santa was greeted at the bottom of the chimney with a fire, that doesn't mean she grasped the implications.

Whatever the case, it makes for an entertaining story. Christmas at the Reynolds house seems fun, doesn't it?