Every year, around this time, I get asked how to balance the fun of Christmas and being honest with your children about Santa. In our house, we’ve struck a balance by avoiding a direct answer. When eight-year-old Alicen started asking if Santa was real, we answered something along the lines of, “he’s real in the hearts of the people who believe in him.” or, “santa represents the spirit of the holiday and the joy of giving.” A year later the question shifted to a more direct, “mommy, do you believe in Santa?” To which I replied, “yes, because it’s fun to believe. It’s a nice part of celebrating the holiday with you.” My daughters are 11 and 13 this year and they’ve stopped asking. They are happy to sit on Santa’s lap (the one thing I now guilt them into each year so we have the pictures) and look forward to decorating cookies to leave out. Believing has just become part of the tradition, part of the fun.
Parenting by Dr. Rene 