I would love to hear some opinions. When Mariah was only 6 or 7 years old, she stopped believing in Santa. After hearing Pres. Faust's Christmas talk--about the family who did not have presents under their tree, she determined that either he was lying or we were lying...and since he was part of the first presidency of the church...WE were obviously lying. Smart kid, eh?? So--Mariah graduated into the next "kid stage"--knowing but keeping it secret. This week, Amber came to me and said, "Mom--I don't think the Tooth Fairy or Santa are real. What's the truth?" SO--knowing that I wasn't going to lie directly, I asked, "Well, what do you think?" My thoughts: I don't like that Santa gets so much credit for Christ's holiday. I don't like that a spiritual holiday has become the most comerciallized day of the year. Satan has really done a great job--taking Christ out of Christmas. As much as I enjoy the "Santa" angst and thrill...it's just not what the holiday is all about. Of course, it's what our culture has created out of the holiday...but we're just encouraging it. I've considered this for some time--since Easter has also become "the Easter Bunny Day", too. THOUGHTS?
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I've actually been debating within myself whether or not to tell Madeline the truth about Santa. Our friends did that with their kiddos and they love the holiday just as much. In other words, there was no harm done to their children for telling them the truth. It does tire me out at times to focus so much energy on Santa - the girls are afraid of the mall Santa anyways...so who knows, maybe one of these days I'll just snap and let her in on the truth and then she can break the news to her siblings :) It is fun to have them believe in Santa and figure it out for themselves too though. I like how Mariah figured it out!
I have felt myself that at the point when they start questioning, it's probably time to tell them. Your kids are so bright, it doesn't surprise me that they start asking at a young age. Good luck!
This is going to get long and windy, so I apologize in advance. I had this dilemna. I won't go into the details, just the solution. I tell my children the Truth and nothing but the truth. I tell my children that there really WAS a man called Santa Claus. He was a wonderful man. He and his wife didn't have any children and they loved children dearly. They wanted to make sure that every child felt loved. To show their love, the man and his wife made toys for the children.
People thought this was a great idea, so they carried on the tradition at Christmas. Giving presents to children, especially those in need. These people aren't Santa, but they sometimes pretended to be Santa or Santa's helpers because they wanted their gifts to be anyonymous. But it's gotten a little crazy and a little out-of-hand.
Some people today think they HAVE to get Lots and Lots of presents at Christmas and that Santa Claus is real and has magic and that Santa and presents are what Christmas is all about.
Then I ask them what they think Christmas is all about. And I tell them that Christmas is the Mass of Christ. Hence, ChristMas. And I tell them that Santa Claus was a very good man and I ask them Do you think he would be sad or happy that people celebrate YOU instead of Christ. I think he would be sad because Santa was a good man and he believed in Christ. And that's what Christmas is really all about.
So yes, the tradition of Santa lives on and give each other presents and make sure that children in need are taken care of. Those are good things. Christ has told us to love one another and take care of one another. But we have to remember that Christmas is about Christ.
And that is all.
We have the same sort of discussion about the Easter Bunny. It goes kind of like this: Can you imagine a little bunny hopping to every single house. Isn't that silly! Isn't that a fun and silly tradition. (I don't say this condescending at all. I say it very upbeat and light-hearted, because I WANT my kids to have fun and be silly.)
And then I explain that some funny mom probably came up with the idea to make her kids feel special and now all the silly moms copy her. Because we want our kids to feel special too. But the Easter Bunny is really ME! And Easter is really about Jesus rising from the dead. And all the Easter bunny stuff was made up to remind us of Jesus' resurrection. And then I point out to them all the symbols of Easter.
Now as for the tooth fairy. SHE is real! She is about 5 foot 8 inches, has blonde hair, no wings, and sneaks into your room at night to give you a quarter for your tooth! WHAT??? You think I"M the tooth fairy? You smart little kiddo! You're right! I AM the tooth fairy! At least, I'm Your tooth fairy.
Good Luck! And remember to be upbeat and positive when talking to your kids, because this stuff weighs heavily in their hearts.
I told my kids the truth because I didn't want them to start questioning the gospel or MY integrity/truth-telling when they "discovered" that the magic wasn't real. Aferall, it's really the anticipation of surprises that captivates the children.
I was bummed when I found out the truth (from my older sister!) so I pretended to believe for a couple more years. It made things more exciting for my young heart. Therefore, I say let them believe until they ask you about it. There is no need to lie about it, but no need to tell them before they wonder.
When your kids ask, you tell them the story about Santa Clause and how it all started. When they ask again if Santa is still alive and giving presents today, thats when I tell them the entire story. I think Santa is magical. He does not get the big show in our hosue because well...we tell them that we only want Santa to bring one small present to each child so that he can give more presents to those let fortunate. We also let them know we are helping Santa when pick a family each year to drop off gifts. Bottom line, if they know Santa is real or not they are still going to wake up super early to find out what was brought. Its still fun and magical. Bring Christ in throughout the month with your activities and stories. The night before Christmas we always have a Christmas program, lesson on Christ, the children act out the manger scene, and sing songs.
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