Telling kids Santa is real

[Choseph]

Question: Do you think it is wrong to tell your kids that Santa is real? I've always been torn on the issue. My parents told me he was real and I believed him and remember being happy about it until I found out that he didn't really exist and I was sad but not too much because I was older and was fine with it.

[Guest]

Saint Nicholas (a.k.a. Santa) IS REAL.

If you don't know who he REALLY is, you can read up on him here:

Saint Nicholas ::: Who is St. Nicholas?

[Jenamarie]

We've never told our kids Santa was real. Infact, we haven't spoken about him much at all. Most everything my kids know about Santa has come from movies and their friends. I did tell my oldest (5) that Santa was a real person who lived a long long time ago, and really loved children and gave them gifts (a condensed version of the St. Nicolous story), but my kids don't get gifts "from Santa", and we don't take them to the Mall to meet him.

I think (and hope) that, in my kids' heads, Santa is a fictional character, and "meeting Santa" or seeing him at the Mall is like "meeting Micky Mouse" at Disneyland. They know he's a character, but not "Real".

[Guest]

I grew up Catholic in the Philippines. So we celebrate Dec. 6 - St. Nick's day. Santa is different there. Christmas is different too - my memories of childhood Christmas is waking up at 3AM every day for 9 days before Christmas day to go to Misa de Gallo at the church. There would be little girls dressed up in angel costumes up on the stage singing/announcing the birth of Christ. Then the midnight mass on Christmas Eve/Day then we come home from mass and open our ONE present from our parents. No money for another present from Santa! And we don't have fireplaces...

So yeah, Santa has always been just a "disney version" of St. Nick.

But now, we tell the kids St. Nick stories but then my husband (grew up with the gift-giving Santa tradition) kept up the fantasy of Santa complete with Santa letters and Santa gifts (which I have to wrap in a different color wrapper, grrr). He said he'll keep it up until they stop being gullible. LOL. We have elves too that move at night checking who is naughty or nice. Crazy. My 8 year old figured out there's really no Santa but that it's just all about St. Nicholas but he's just as happy to keep up the pretense for his younger brother who is only 6...

[Palerider]

I always thought he was real :).....We talked about Santa with our kids and he did visit them each year. I see nothing wrong with it and it never hurt them or harmed them in. Have fun with it and let Santa visit.

[pam]

I agree with Pale. I certainly am glad my kids weren't like the little girl in Miracle on 34th St. I say have fun with it.

[john doe]

We always talked about Santa with a wink, and the kids pretty much guessed by the 2nd or 3rd trip to the mall Santa that he wasn't any one individual, but more like people dressed up as him for the occasion.

[prisonchaplain]

I don't understand this thread. I someone actually suggesting that Santa isn't . . .

[Guest mormonmusic]

I don't get it either. Every year there's presents under the tree from Santa. And the ones for my wife are always the biggest. Are you saying this isn't real?

[john doe]

Yeah, sounds like Santa loves your wife more than you do.

[Dravin]

Yeah, sounds like Santa loves your wife more than you do.

/me starts humming I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.

[prisonchaplain]

Our local Christian radio station has a billboard ad, with a picture of Santa. It says, "He listens Spirit 105.3 FM." My friend got upset that the station was promoting a pagan elf, rather than Jesus. IMHO, Christ and Clause would be friends.

[annamaureen]

I don't think it's that bad to tell your child Santa's not real. For some people, it seems to be a cardinal sin! You don't need to be harsh about it but I don't think it's going to "ruin their childhood" or whatever. I don't know, maybe it's just because Santa wasn't a big deal in my house growing up.

[Mahone]

I don't think it's that bad to tell your child Santa's not real. For some people, it seems to be a cardinal sin! You don't need to be harsh about it but I don't think it's going to "ruin their childhood" or whatever. I don't know, maybe it's just because Santa wasn't a big deal in my house growing up.

There are some people I know who think vice versa. They don't understand how others could be so evil as to lie to their children.

[Dravin]

I knew one guy online who grew up in an Atheist/Christian household, upon being told (confirmed?) that Santa wasn't real, just something you told kids to help them be good and all that responded, "Oh, like Jesus?"

Probably an awkward moment for both parents.

Edited December 10, 2009 by Dravin

[Bini]

I don't feel the concept of Santa is harmful in any shape or form. Allow children to be children and believe in something special during the Holiday that only comes once a year. I figured out Santa at about age six and wish my parents hadn't given in so easily admitting he's make-believe. After that I really wanted to believe but Christmas just wasn't the same anymore. My sister on the other hand was a firm believer for many years, until one day, she got to an age where commonsense figured it out. She wasn't devastated or depressed. It was just a natural progression of maturity—mum and dad didn't even have to say anything.

[Mahone]

Ha... no some of the kids at the primary school I attended were really quite cruel. Anyone who believed before their first christmas at that school, no longer believed after it

[pam]

Well I always thought it was fun on Christmas Eve when my kids were still believers, to put the cookies and milk out and a carrot for the reindeer. Then we'd have to make it look like someone had actually eaten part of them.

It's just one of those fun magical parts of Christmas for kids. Just like the tooth fairy.

[Vort]

Question: Do you think it is wrong to tell your kids that Santa is real? I've always been torn on the issue. My parents told me he was real and I believed him and remember being happy about it until I found out that he didn't really exist and I was sad but not too much because I was older and was fine with it.

Yes, I think it's wrong.

Now I'll go read all the other responses here and find out how grinchy everyone doubtless thinks I am.

[Hemidakota]

I don't get it either. Every year there's presents under the tree from Santa. And the ones for my wife are always the biggest. Are you saying this isn't real?

I guess you were naughty!

[pam]

Yes, I think it's wrong.

Now I'll go read all the other responses here and find out how grinchy everyone doubtless thinks I am.

I figured that out long before this thread.

[JohnnyRudick]

We've never told our kids Santa was real. Infact, we haven't spoken about him much at all. Most everything my kids know about Santa has come from movies and their friends. I did tell my oldest (5) that Santa was a real person who lived a long long time ago, and really loved children and gave them gifts (a condensed version of the St. Nicolous story), but my kids don't get gifts "from Santa", and we don't take them to the Mall to meet him.

I think (and hope) that, in my kids' heads, Santa is a fictional character, and "meeting Santa" or seeing him at the Mall is like "meeting Micky Mouse" at Disneyland. They know he's a character, but not "Real".

This is almost exactly how I have always handled it.

Just scarred my kids for life it did:p

Bro. Rudick

[Vort]

I figured that out long before this thread.

A true story:

***********

PARENT: Let me tell you something: There is a being who loves us dearly, who watches us, who wants us to do good, and who rewards us for our good efforts with gifts. His name is Santa Claus!

CHILD: Oh, goodie! I love Santa Claus!

PARENT (Years later): Just kidding! There is no Santa Claus! It's all just pretend! But let me tell you something else: There is a being who loves us dearly, who watches us, who wants us to do good, and who rewards us for our good efforts with gifts. His name is God!

CHILD: Uh-huh. Right.

PARENT: No! Seriously! No fooling this time!

***********

Not my kids. I may tell them things that are not true, since I'm only an imperfect, ignorant mortal man. But I will never intentionally tell them falsehoods like this.

[Dr T]

I just AMAZED that Pammy agreed with Pale right there!

[JohnnyRudick]

I don't feel the concept of Santa is harmful in any shape or form. Allow children to be children and believe in something special during the Holiday that only comes once a year. I figured out Santa at about age six and wish my parents hadn't given in so easily admitting he's make-believe. After that I really wanted to believe but Christmas just wasn't the same anymore. My sister on the other hand was a firm believer for many years, until one day, she got to an age where commonsense figured it out. She wasn't devastated or depressed. It was just a natural progression of maturity—mum and dad didn't even have to say anything.

My children had their times with "make believe: also.

Me nor my wife found any reason to join in to the extent to re-impose the

made up reality and mix it in with the real world where they could not distinguish the difference between them.

I always believed that if I "lied" to them about one made up character for an expediency, why could they not reason that I am doing it again for another?

Bro. Rudick

Edited December 11, 2009 by JohnnyRudick
Too many me's - Got rid of one;-)