The Santa Story

I like the idea of being quite honest as a parent, to our kids. We don’t try to hide too much of the reality from them. We use the anatomical names to describe bodies, in fact I’m ready to go on the sex Ed. talk whenever they are.


It’s 1 week from Christmas and the whole of society (children’s society) is in love with the Santa Claus fantasy. With our first, we went pretty early on the joyful, magical, fictional story of Christmas. A great story, like Harry Potter, not real though. I don’t know if it took any of the fun away from it for him, he’s certainly always been pumped about the toys under the tree and talks about Santa flying his slay in a similar way to other children.


He did though break the basic rule and told some other kid about the Santa myth. Big mistake. I had asked him not to do that, but he was 4. A parent at his daycare that December referred to him as a ‘dream wrecker’, presumably after their son came home talking “Paterson says Santa doesn’t…”


Sorry.


We’re back in the fun of Christmas again as the three year old is spotting Santa all over town and is super pumped about it. “IT’S SANTA CLAWS” is hollered delightfully from the back seat on virtually every drive at the moment.


I keep meaning to re-brief the dream wrecker on the situation this year, however a strange thing seems to be happening. It seems like he’s sliding further towards believing the story, rather than further away. I think having a little sister who is all the way bought in, or perhaps the fundamental joy of such a magic and personally profitable story is reeling him back in.


It is a great story and a real fun part of Christmas with kids. All that anticipation and then the overnight magic of presents under the tree. For the boy it feels like a perfect outcome to me. Deep down he knows it’s a fictional story, but now he’s able to leap into it and enjoy the excitement and tension of waiting for Santa.