A vital part of the Christmas tradition is the myth of Santa Claus and no one is more invested than kids. He’s everywhere, stores, advertisements, soda cans, tv shows, and old childhood photos.
Not only are kids invested, but they genuinely believe that he’s a real person. It seems absurd to think about now, but many kids do believe that there’s a man who lives at the North Pole and flies through the air with a pack of reindeer. Somehow this man can deliver presents to a million houses in the span of one night on Christmas Eve.
But for kids, this is all part of the magic of Christmas; a way to get them into the Christmas spirit. It’s exciting to set up the cookies, and a glass of milk, while staying up late to sneak a peak of Santa Claus.
It’s also equally exciting to accompany your family into the mall and wait in line for your turn to take a picture with Santa Claus. Taking a picture on his lap and telling him what gift you want embodies the spirit of Christmas and a fun tradition for the kids.
Knowing how excited kids are about everything having to do with Santa Claus, especially during the holiday season, is it better if you tell them the truth? Is it better if you crush their dreams or let them continue living a lie?
Oftentimes the kids that are most likely to believe in Santa Claus are very young. It makes sense considering how absurd the story of Santa Claus really is, only someone young and gullible would believe it.
Yet since these kids are so young they might not take the news well at all. Kids are very passionate, telling them something that they take pride in is just a creation by companies to sell merch would break their hearts.
If you choose not to tell them it brings into question how and when they will figure out he’s just a myth. They might be able to deduce that he’s not real naturally when they realize it’s impossible to deliver presents to millions of houses around the globe in one night.
Another way a kid could find out is if they fly too close to the sun and get burned. They could stay up late one night and realize that the person placing the present underneath the Christmas tree is in fact not Santa but instead their parents.
This seems like the worst-case scenario as the image inside their heads is immediately shattered.
Kids nowadays also have unmonitored internet access, if they try to do any research on him, they will immediately figure out that he is fake. This also is less than ideal and doesn’t seem like the right way for a child to find out.
Considering the potential ways that finding out Santa is fake could go wrong it might be better off that you break the news to them gently.
Simply sitting them down before revealing the truth could be a way to make sure they know from someone close to them instead of from any other multitude of ways.
Although telling kids the truth may be the best in the long run, letting them grow out of it naturally is also an option. Kids are the most innocent among us and they won’t be this way for long so it might be best to allow them to enjoy it while it lasts. Especially during the holiday season when joy is in the air.