What Do I Do About the Santa Thing?

I hear from parents all the time “what do I about the Santa thing?”

Do I tell my children he is not real?

I could just tell you what we do….

From the very beginning we told our kids there was NO Santa. I know there will be an outrage among parents and put us on the level of the demonic or the fallen angels. We have even had our kids literally unnerve students in their earlier grades telling them “you know there is no Santa.” We have had to tell them to be careful with their conviction of truth.

I tell them all the time, the big red guy is not getting any glory for the hard work mom and dad has put in to get you these presents. I know it’s sounds prideful and like a glory hog, but no bearded guy is getting the glory for what we did.

One year, Anna left cookies and milk by our chimney even though she knew the presents came from us. So I ate the cookies and left a note back signed DAD.

Why is it important to start TRUTH talks with your children at an early age?

I think CS Lewis captures it best.

This is so powerful from CS Lewis on combining the fairy tales of holidays with the real reason why we celebrate that day. Though Lewis is speaking of Easter, you can insert Santa into this piece. Really , really worth reading parents:

“There is a stage in a child’s life at which it cannot separate the religious from the merely festal character of Christmas or Easter. I have been told of a very small and very devout boy who was heard murmuring to himself on Easter morning a poem of his own composition which began ‘Chocolate eggs and Jesus risen.’ This seems to me, for his age, both admirable poetry and admirable piety. But of course the time will soon come when such a child can no longer effortlessly and spontaneously enjoy that unity. He will become able to distinguish the spiritual from the ritual and festal aspect of Easter; chocolate eggs will no longer seem sacramental. And once he has distinguished he must put one or the other first. If he puts the spiritual first he can still taste something of Easter in the chocolate eggs; if he puts the eggs first they will soon be no more than any other sweetmeat. They will have taken on an independent, and therefore a soon withering, life.” ~C. S. Lewis

Just to be clear….I am not telling you to do what Cindy and I did. But I am telling you that the children will hit that moment where , like Lewis said, “when the child can no longer effortlessly and spontaneously enjoy that unity” of having the fairy tale world and the real world be combined.

I want my children (and the parents) to eat chocolate eggs and cookies at the fireplace but celebrating the real reason for the holiday ALL AT THE EXPENSE of the bunny or the big red guy. so tell them the truth and eat the food. Watch Rudolph and Santa Claus is coming to town and take the glory.