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Do you, or did you, encourage your young children to believe in Santa Claus?

29 Comments

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Of course! That`s one of the funnest times of year for my son.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Duh. Of course. It's Christmas! Why wouldn't you want your kids/grandkids to believe in Father Christmas?

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Yeah, but it didn't last long, probably til 2nd or 3rd grade when the other kids in school outed Santa.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I see that JT asked this question on their Facebook page and I can't believe how many Grinches there said no. I can't believe they would deny their children the chance to believe in fairytales. Kids grow up much faster these days than when I was a child. Let them have a bit of fantasy. The look on a child's face on Christmas morning when they see presents under the tree and they realize Santa has come, is priceless. So too is when kids write a letter to Santa. The relationship between a child and Santa is very special.

My kids (and me, too) enjoyed watching "Miracle on 34th Street" and I still think that "Yes Virgina" letter is a timeless answer to the question of Santa-san.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Absolutely yes! And I'm now getting to enjoy watching my two teenagers, who have known about "Santa" now for years, contribute to their six year-old sister's excitement and anticipation as we near Christmas.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Santa never came with Hanukkah, but I think the jolly old man keeps kids in line at least for a few weeks.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Played the charade with milk and cookies left out for Santa (and hastily consumed by me after waking up late) - but I had no hand in disillusionment. As my kids grew, I turned towards the "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" mode. As in, "He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy." As a non-Christian, I am still able to enjoy Christmas with this in mind.

Here is the full piece; it is useful to read during this season:

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.

We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

No I did as it is not my cultur,e the christkindl is though.

Said that christmas is more about the whole family getting together than fairy tales, presents, etc. The advent is more important to us.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Giving children a mythological figure to believe in implies the nativity story is not enough and material rewards for good behavior is not exactly the most Christian quality to encourage. We take the time at Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus along with other Christians at the commonly accepted time of year to celebrate his birth.

We do exchange gifts, but the main gift on our minds is the gift of eternal life, not all things plastic, material and worldly. We love Jesus not a fake figure who brings gifts on flying reindeer, and we buy what we can afford or make. I would hope the kids are good all year round, not just "fake good" for a few weeks in the hope of a few extra gifts. Generosity and good behavior is not linked in our house.

No Santa here.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

I still like the song : "I saw Mummy kissing Santa Claus..." what a cute way for parents to show they love each other ! Our Dad used to dress up and I still remember myself (aged three years old) saying : "Excuse me Santa, you dropped your sack...!"

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Giving children a mythological figure to believe in implies the nativity story is not enough and material rewards for good behavior is not exactly the most Christian quality to encourage.

When my boy was young, I wasn't going to do the whole Santa Claus thing. I told myself when he was born that I was not going to lie to him as he grew up. But then I talked to my friend who has a son a few years older than mine, and he told me about how fun it was putting out milk and cookies on Xmas Eve, leaving a few crumbs and a couple of drops in the glass, and how much his kid loved that, and loved seeing the presents under the tree. And I remember being young and so excited about Santa coming and giving me presents, and I realized that I did want to do the Santa thing with my kid (now kids). And I'm sure glad I did, it makes Xmas a lot more fun.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

I take it you all know his address at Canada's North Pole, postal code H0H 0H0??? Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Santa is AWESOME!!!

Man I remember as a kid TRYING to not be naughty & hoping Santa wouldn't find out LOL!! The anticipation of Christmas was agony & ecstasy, the waiting was killer!!! And while I cursed the clothing I received Santa did always get a few of the things I wanted, GREAT MEMORIES!!! Santa always left his gifts unwrapped so my brother & I were always trying to sneak out to the tree & mom/dad yelling get back to bed, but we ALWAYS eventually made it to the tree, totally awesome!

2 ( +4 / -2 )

This question implies that Santa Claus doesn't exist. And of course he exists! Just ask Tommy Lee Jones.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Yes. And Hogwarts. We're still reaping the whirlwind 18 years later.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A little bit of "fantasy" never hurt anyone but can - as some comments say above - leave wonderful memories ! Of course Santa Claus exists in the hearts of all who know how to love.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

milk and cookies? It's a glass o'the hard stuff and a warm mince pie for Santa (it's cold out there), and a raw carrot for Rudolph.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

" and a raw carrot for Rudolph"

The snowman always gets the carrot for his nose, I give Rudolph those shika sembeis.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Giving children a mythological figure to believe in implies the nativity story is not enough and material rewards for good behavior is not exactly the most Christian quality to encourage.

Isn't this the very basis of Christianity, or all religion for that matter?

Anyway, I brought mine up to believe in Father Christmas - I much prefer the original European figure rather than the imposter Santa Claus. Father Christmas is a proper mythical being rather than a centuries dead Greek saint.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

What lying to children about a known mythical figure and exhortations to be good otherwise material goods wont appear on a certain day? No.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

.. To encourage Your children to believe in Santa Clause is inviting them to find YOU to be untruthful - in anything and everything else You say as time goes along - at the very least - subconsciously.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

To encourage Your children to believe in Santa Clause is inviting them to find YOU to be untruthful - in anything and everything else You say as time goes along - at the very least - subconsciously.

Nonsense. The realisation that He does not exist is a mark of mental development, becoming self-aware and able to analyse and interpret the world.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Lies are wrong, deceiving children is wrong, and fake santa robs the glory of Christmas. Im honest with my children, and dont use promises of material goods in reward for fleeting good behavior.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Lies and deceiving? So fairy stories are off the menu? Mother Goose? Cartoons? Children's films or TV programmes that contain any element of fiction or fantasy?

Developing one's imagination is an important part of childhood. Depriving children of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy - and the Big Bad Wolf - removes a huge opportunity for the child to develop imagination and the ability to (eventually) work out that things aren't always what they seem - a very important lesson better learned from Santa at the age of ten than from some real con man later in life, when there is much more to be lost.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Imagination means being able to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Lying to children that Santa is real does not help them distinguish between the two, Cleo.

Lessons about not being an easy mark are just as easy taught without Santa.

Santa, the tooth fairy, fairy tales are fiction, and we treat them that way. It would appear that you didn't quite get that lesson, Cleo. Children can have fairy tales without being lied to about reality.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Santa, the tooth fairy, fairy tales are fiction, and we treat them that way.

Of course they are, and of course we do. But Santa is 'lying to children' and fairy tales are just a bit of fun? What's the difference?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

cleo and LaWren, you are just going around in circles and starting to bicker. Please take a break.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Personally, I think fantasy is fine. Einstein agreed and said, 'If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.'

If you want to tell your children the truth about Santa, that is okay, too. However, let them dream. Let them fantasize. There is plenty of time for them to experience the real world as adults.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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