Santa Claus.. when to let them know?

[2long]

I have 2 daughters (half English-Thai) aged 14 (very nearly 15) and 10 (very nearly 11). I am very strict about lying, and especially lying to my own kids, but the two lies I have told them are of course Santa and the tooth fairy.

Obviously the elder one knows they're myths. The younger one also knows that the tooth fairy is me! The younger one also has asked in recent years if Santa is real, probably after being told by school friends. This year I thought I might open up, but she has already written a note and stuck it out for Santa.. in November! I have read that it's wrong to lie to them about stuff like this, but I do know that they trust me for pretty much everything else.

My question, in this society where they're mainly not Christian and most kids don't get 'visited on Christmas Eve' is it worth trying for one more year?

[BritManToo]

I've always refused to lie to my children.

Telling a story, I make sure they know it's just a story.

 

I've never understood the reasoning behind lying where the gifts come from.

Santa Claus (as we know him) is a fantasy person created by a Coca Cola  advertising campaign in 1931.

Edited November 22, 2019 by BritManToo

[EVENKEEL]

I would bet they know the truth, note is a hint to you.

[Moonlover]

They've usually found out long before you decide to tell them the truth. Kids aren't as dumb as we like to think.

[Liverpudlian]

Thought he was based on St nicholas ? some geezer from centuries ago  or is that porkie pies too ? 

[cooked]

If I thought that writing out a note would get me what I wanted I'd do it every week.

Your daughter knows what she's doing.

[Tarteso]

 To my daughter I told she the truth when she was 10 y/o., And not about Santa Clauss becouse there are more histories, like three wise men...

Edited November 22, 2019 by Tarteso

[richard_smith237]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I've always refused to lie to my children.

Telling a story, I make sure they know it's just a story.

 

I've never understood the reasoning behind lying where the gifts come from.

Santa Claus (as we know him) is a fantasy person created by a Coca Cola  advertising campaign in 1931.

 

Or as Saint Nicholas some 1586 years earlier...  of course, conspiracy against a big multinational is more fun !!

 

[There's a Christmas Urban Legend that says that Santa's red suit was designed by Coca-Cola and that they might even 'own' Santa!.... This is definitely NOT TRUE!... Long before coke had been invented, St Nicholas had worn his Bishop's red robes. During Victorian times and before that, he wore a range of colors (red, green, blue and brown fur) but red was always his favorite!]

 

https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/fatherchristmas.shtml

 

On Topic: Its not really lying is it !!!... its continuing a mythical tradition, one which kids enjoy. Keep the magic going as long as you can. Your kids will learn the truth in their own time. 

[NCC1701A]

9 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Santa Claus (as we know him) is a fantasy person created by a Coca Cola  advertising campaign in 1931.

[khunPer]

12 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Santa Claus (as we know him) is a fantasy person created by a Coca Cola  advertising campaign in 1931.

Just wonder how the story "The Night Before Christmas" then could tell about Santa and eight reindeer in front of his sledge already in 1848, originating from an anonymous printed poetry from 1823, where the reindeer were named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder, and Blixen...????

»More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and call’d them by name:
Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer, and Vixen,
On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixen;
...«

 

@2long, I have CCTV around my house in case of intruders, the below image is a screen shot from December 24th last year, so I keep my mouth shot about Santa to my daughter at now 14 – she already has a long list for this year...????

 

 

Edit: Should find the images:

To click to the books, click here.

 

Edited November 22, 2019 by khunPer

[DrPhibes]

13 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I've always refused to lie to my children.

Telling a story, I make sure they know it's just a story.

 

I've never understood the reasoning behind lying where the gifts come from.

Santa Claus (as we know him) is a fantasy person created by a Coca Cola  advertising campaign in 1931.

We always explained that different cultures have different celebrations through the year and that Christmas and the representitive of that, Santa Claus, was part of one of many western civilization celebrations (this one of gift giving and family) and that this is one of those.  Thanksgiving is where I get to show off my culinary skills once a year, they have learned the truth about the celebration and laugh like he'll at the Addams Family Values movie with Wednesday's speach about Thanksgiving at the camp because of the truth in it.

[Dumbastheycome]

13 hours ago, Liverpudlian said:

Thought he was based on St nicholas ? some geezer from centuries ago  or is that porkie pies too ? 

Based  on very dubious  "legend"  yes. But  the   "persona " of "Santa Claus" and all the  sh-ite sold  to  the world  is  based  mostly  on a   Cola advertising campaigne. Conveniently  utilized as  a commercial platform  even until this  day  to promote and  boost "seasonal" sales . Funny strange that  so many  devout "christians"  applaud  the  deception. Not  so  different  to  the  bs  of  Easter  "eggs" boosting  chocolate  based  crapola for  similar  reason. Ah well.

[ballpoint]

What??? Santa Claus isn't real???  Now you've gone and spoilt my whole Christmas.

[Elkski]

45 minutes ago, DrPhibes said:

We always explained that different cultures have different celebrations through the year and that Christmas and the representitive of that, Santa Claus, was part of one of many western civilization celebrations (this one of gift giving and family) and that this is one of those.  Thanksgiving is where I get to show off my culinary skills once a year, they have learned the truth about the celebration and laugh like he'll at the Addams Family Values movie with Wednesday's speach about Thanksgiving at the camp because of the truth in it.

yes different CULTS have different beliefs 

[Sterling]

This explanation makes the rounds on Facebook every time around Christmas and seems to me a good way to talk to kids about Santa:

 

When they are 6 or 7, whenever you see that dawning suspicion that Santa may not be a material being, that means the child is ready. I take them out "for coffee" at the local wherever. We get a booth, order our drinks, and the following pronouncement is made: “You sure have grown an awful lot this year. Not only are you taller, but I can see that your heart has grown, too. [Point out 2-3 examples of empathetic behavior, consideration of people's feelings, good deeds etc, the kid has done in the past year]. In fact, your heart has grown so much that I think you are ready to become a Santa Claus. You probably have noticed that most of the Santas you see are people dressed up like him. Some of your friends might have even told you that there is no Santa. A lot of children think that, because they aren't ready to BE a Santa yet, but YOU ARE ... We then have the child choose someone they know — a neighbor, usually. The child's mission is to secretly, deviously, find out something that the person needs, and then provide it, wrap it, deliver it — and never reveal to the target where it came from. Being a Santa isn't about getting credit, you see. It's unselfish giving.

[EVENKEEL]

2 minutes ago, Sterling said:

This explanation makes the rounds on Facebook every time around Christmas and seems to me a good way to talk to kids about Santa:

 

When they are 6 or 7, whenever you see that dawning suspicion that Santa may not be a material being, that means the child is ready. I take them out "for coffee" at the local wherever. We get a booth, order our drinks, and the following pronouncement is made: “You sure have grown an awful lot this year. Not only are you taller, but I can see that your heart has grown, too. [Point out 2-3 examples of empathetic behavior, consideration of people's feelings, good deeds etc, the kid has done in the past year]. In fact, your heart has grown so much that I think you are ready to become a Santa Claus. You probably have noticed that most of the Santas you see are people dressed up like him. Some of your friends might have even told you that there is no Santa. A lot of children think that, because they aren't ready to BE a Santa yet, but YOU ARE ... We then have the child choose someone they know — a neighbor, usually. The child's mission is to secretly, deviously, find out something that the person needs, and then provide it, wrap it, deliver it — and never reveal to the target where it came from. Being a Santa isn't about getting credit, you see. It's unselfish giving.

Don't ever under any circumstance.....reproduce.

[sunnyboy2018]

23 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I've always refused to lie to my children.

Telling a story, I make sure they know it's just a story.

 

I've never understood the reasoning behind lying where the gifts come from.

Santa Claus (as we know him) is a fantasy person created by a Coca Cola  advertising campaign in 1931.

Er no...But historical accuracy is not the issue. Its engendering a sense of magic, wonder, mystery and fun that is important.  The OP should not worry...no kid has ever been damaged by the Santa fantasy...they get it. No prob.....BTW Mr BMT..Glad i wasnt a kid at your house on Christmas day...Bah Humbug!

[tifino]

it is probably by now too late! - as already Nov)  the kids will have put in their wish list (of demands) 

Edited November 23, 2019 by tifino

[cooked]

Deary, deary me.

I told the story of how my father thought I believed in Santa Claus at the same time as I had discovered where my parents hid presents, read the books before Christmas and then casually mentioned that they didn't need to buy THOSE books as I had read them at school... etc.

Our kid went just as starry eyed as I did when I first heard the story... hundreds of years ago in snow covered, romantic and far away England... (well not all that romantic and rarely a white Christmas but never mind).

Why lie when the truth can be just as romantic. Same thing goes for sex education, not really necessary as we live on a farm, but lies aren't necessary.

 

[Gandtee]

21 hours ago, ballpoint said:

What??? Santa Claus isn't real???  Now you've gone and spoilt my whole Christmas.

I told my son there was no Santa Claus. Being isolated from those who normally spill the beans he believed the myth. He said he wished I hadn't told him as Christmas will never be the same again. It's lost it's magic. He was 16!! But then there are those who believe in doubtful gods for their entire lives. What's the difference?   

[billd766]

On 11/22/2019 at 7:38 AM, BritManToo said:

I've always refused to lie to my children.

Telling a story, I make sure they know it's just a story.

 

I've never understood the reasoning behind lying where the gifts come from.

Santa Claus (as we know him) is a fantasy person created by a Coca Cola  advertising campaign in 1931.

Not quite correct about Coca Cola. Try going back a couple of hundred years.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus#Origins

 

Origins
Early representations of the gift-giver from Church history and folklore, notably St Nicholas (known in Dutch as Sinterklaas), merged with the English character Father Christmas to create the character known to Americans and the rest of the English-speaking world as "Santa Claus" (a phonetic derivation of "Sinterklaas").

In the English and later British colonies of North America, and later in the United States, British and Dutch versions of the gift-giver merged further. For example, in Washington Irving's History of New York (1809), Sinterklaas was Americanized into "Santa Claus" (a name first used in the American press in 1773)[27] but lost his bishop's apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat. Irving's book was a lampoon of the Dutch culture of New York, and much of this portrait is his joking invention.

 

 

[khunpa]

I constantly lie when it comes to Christmas and my 5 year old son. I even told him that I am Santas Helper and his mom sometimes cooks Som Tam for Santa and Captain America. I don't know what he believes of all the lies I tell him, but for sure he is one excited guy when it comes to Christmas. I love to see the excitement in his eyes, during Christmas. 

 

I also have a 12 year old daughter, who I lie to constantly, telling storries about giants etc. Unfortunately, she is not so easy to convince anymore. But she still loves having me tell her crazy stories.

 

Fantasy is a big part of being a kid. Let them be kids!

 

Adults believing in talking snakes and Gods riding on horses in the sky, is way more messed up.

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2019 by khunpa

[Jaxxper]

They are probably trying to decide whether to tell you he's not real.....555