The Importance of Your Child's Belief in Santa Claus

by Vickie Oddino

Even though the questions had assaulted me for a couple of years, I still found myself unprepared every time. "How does Santa fit down the chimney when he is so fat?" "How does Santa get to everyone's house on Christmas Eve?" "Why is there a Santa at every mall? Which one is the real Santa?"

On top of their own ability to question everything, the media filled my children's minds with doubt.

When I still believed in Santa Claus, Christmas programming was comprised solely of the classics: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, and A Christmas Carol with Tiny Tim proclaiming, "God bless us, everyone!" But today, with 500 channels and the advent of videotape and DVD, children are bombarded with Christmas/Santa shows of often dubious quality. When I first sat down with my children to watch some of these, I became extremely anxious. The shows were all about kids who did not believe in Santa. At this point, it had never occurred to my children that it was possible that Santa Claus may not be "real." And I was not ready for that seed to be planted.

So there we were one Christmas night two years ago, feasting with friends and family. Emily, my then seven-year-old daughter, marched into the kitchen where the grown ups were sharing a bottle of wine and some laughs. She confidently, and with a wry smile crossing her face, summoned me to a private corner.

"You are Santa, aren't you?" she challenged.

I never expected such a direct accusation. I don't remember the moment I figured out that indeed Santa was my mom. It happened gradually, and at some point, I just knew. There was never any actual discussion about it - with my mom, my dad, or even my sister.

I hesitated and muttered a prolonged "Nooooooo..."

Then in her best Sherlock Holmes, she looked me straight in the eye and assured me that yes, I was. She then listed all of the clues that led her to this conclusion.

"I heard you say you were up until 2:30 last night. The neighbor girl said that the bird Santa brought us looks just like the one hidden in her garage. I saw the wrapping paper used on the birdcage in the hall closet last week. We always get exactly what we ask for, even when we don't tell or write to Santa."

She had only just begun.

When faced with such rational deductive reasoning, what choice did I have but to fess up?

Although I had always dismissed them as rubbish, over the years I had read numerous articles and had my fair share of conversations about the supposed traumatic impact on children upon learning that they had been LIED to (gasp!) about Santa!

Well, upon my confirmation of the great "lie," my daughter beamed. She had outwitted me.

We agreed that we would not share this discovery with my then four-year-old son, James. And actually, that has probably prolonged his belief, for whenever he does express doubt, Emily jumps in to assure him that Santa does indeed exist rather than confirm his doubts.

The bottom line is that most kids want to believe in Santa, to believe in such goodness and love. That is why kids continue to pretend they believe for years after knowing the truth. And even though we all tell our children they have to be good boys and girls for Santa to visit, the truth is, unless parents are nothing short of cruel, Santa will visit regardless. He loves your children - dirty hands, messy rooms, leaps from tables, temper tantrums, and all.

Playing Santa is the ultimate in the spirit of giving. It is giving without the expectation of accolades and kudos. It is giving out of love, rather than out of the desire to get something in return. It is unselfish giving. It is giving to make others feel good.