What I Tell My Children About Santa

There are plenty of Christmas wars going on about whether or not to promote Santa and Elf on the Shelf or not. Some people say that it is wrong to tell your kids that there is a man in a big red suit that brings them gifts. That this is really a form of lying that will scar their children.

Others say that it is part of Christmas to put an Elf on the Shelf out every day or promote Santa. If you don't, then you are doing a disservice to your children.

The Reason Santa Doesn't Stop Here

I have a pretty anti-climactic reason as to why I do not teach my children there is a Santa Clause. You can read the full post HERE. Instead of using my creativity to come up with fun ideas for Elf on the Shelf or fantastic Santa stories, I focus my attention on making homemade gifts. 

What I Tell My Children About Santa

Earlier today, I was asked what I tell my children about Santa, especially since a lot of their friends believe in him. This was a bigger issue when my kids were younger, and didn't quite understand why everyone kept asking them what Santa was going to bring them. 

I told my kids that some parents tell their children that Clause is real, as a way to play a game with them. I would explain that he was a fun character that we could think about and watch on television. I also shared that St. Nick was a real man that actually went around and put a gift in children's shoes. 

He is a fun and benevolent character. He isn't banned in our house. We just don't put on a big charade to make our kids thing he brings them presents. We take the credit for the few toys they get each year. 

What I Tell Parents When They Get Mad That My Children Don't Believe in Santa

I wish I could tell you how many times I have had adults look at my kids with a scowl when they say they don't believe in santa. Immediately, adults would instruct my children not to tell the other kids around them or it would spoil Christmas for their friends. 

Of course, the adults would continue on and tell me I needed to make sure that my kids weren't going around telling all of their friends that old St. Nick wasn't real. How dare I not play along with the unwritten rule of not spilling the beans about St. Nick. 

My response to that was: if my children can cause doubt in their child by just saying that santa wasn't real, then they weren't doing a good enough job convincing them he was. 

Really, I can't keep my children from telling others what they believe in. I'm not going to stop my kids from speaking their minds. 

I'm not against Santa or Elf on the Shelf. If you'll read the blog post I linked to, then you'll see that my reason for not bothering with it has nothing to do with a religious or moral position. I love Christmas and seeing other celebrate in the ways that make them feel excited.