I need some advice on how to explain santa without lying. Thoughts?

This question was submitted anonymously by real people looking for real advice. Please be mindful with your responses. No bashing or derogatory comments will be tolerated.

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I believe that Santa is real because St. Nicholas was a real person and he did go out in his country and give people things. The real Santa doesnā€™t look like the commercialized one we have today but he was a real person and we carry on his traditions of giving still today.

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The way I explained it is that Santa is a fictional character who is alive in our hearts and imaginations, if we want to believe in said character, thatā€™s completely okay. Just like unicorns. They exist to bring us happiness in stories. I let my kids guide me any further, if they wanted the fairytale Christmas, they got it. Otherwise they didnā€™t. If they didnā€™t, I explained how important it was not to ruin it for the others who choose to use their imaginations.

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I have been telling my kids for years that if they donā€™t believe, they wonā€™t receive.
My son turns 13 this year, he found out before this last Christmas that it was me. I do a great job at lying I guess!

Santa was real
He was a good person that started a tradition and now we carry it on .

When we get older it is our job to become Santa and help others have a good holiday
So that santa can live on

Or something like that

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St. Nicholas was realā€¦find a book on the real one and explain that parents keep is story and generosity alive today.

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Whe i asked my 4 year old boy, do you believe in santa ? He replied, no momy santa is fake dnt belive anything you watch on tv :flushed::flushed::flushed:

There are some amazing letters on Pinterest

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Google the Story of Santa and read it with your kidā€¦

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He is a fictional character used to bribe kids to behave.

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Show them a pic of you shopping but first working hard for them. The gratitude will be more profound. If not, ehā€‹:wink::sparkling_heart::rofl: Dana Asciolla Iā€™ll send Savanna to tell them about a lot of things she doesnā€™t see so she canā€™t believe with her Aspergers because sheā€™s super grateful :raised_hands::sparkling_heart:

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There is nothing wrong with a little fantasy in our lives! I think when you tell children, it takes away a little bit of their childhood. Stop worrying! They will be fine as they grow up! Itā€™s a fun thing. Quit thinking about lying to them, let kids be kids, they have enough problems they will have to endure!

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In the old days in germany there was a old man whom couldnā€™t handle seeing children in deep poverty, he made toys and items children needed and spread joy where ever he wentā€¦ Santa is the spirit of sharing to people whom have less than yourselfā€¦ Teach your child to be compassionate and spread joy!

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If u dont believe it u cant explain it ā€¦

Itā€™s a lie so you canā€™t. How do you legitimize a lie?

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Explain the TRUTH truth is always best . HE is a fantasies character that weā€™ve made up ā€¦ Its fun ā€¦ ! But be sure and also tell your child the REAL reason for CHRISTMAS is that was the day we celebrate the birth of JESUS Christ !

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Id say we are all Santas bc hes only one man but anyone giving gifts is a santa.

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I say let them believe in the magic of Santa clause for as long as possible! Once our children become adults , life becomes so much more difficult ā€¦hold onto the magic ā€¦we all survived the stories , your babies will also :two_hearts:

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Itā€™s mom & dad carrying on a tradition, we passed the torch to our oldest for him to be Santa for our youngest when it was time, it was fun & he had a blast

You do know Santa isnā€™t real right??

its a time of year to celebrate family and friends with food and gifts

Santa Claus was a real person who was very giving but as he for older the harder it was to travel to local towns and cities to deliver the presents he likes to give people so you took over to continue to spread the gift of giving

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Watch the Polar Express and then choose your wordsā€¦

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Just Donā€™t !! It is something special to children. As long as they learn the reason for the season. Let them believe !!

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Explain cultural appropriation and how everyone celebrates something different and tell them santa is just a story like the books on the shelves! Itā€™s ok to believe in the spirit and magic of the holiday but let them know itā€™s all you and your hard work!

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I never lied to my children since I didnā€™t want them to lie. I never explained Santa, I didnā€™t take them to see Santa and every year we adopted a family and volunteered at a rescue mission. I made giving the focus and they never asked.

It is a folk tradition associated with Christmas with no religious significance.

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I just tell them that if you believe than it exists.

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Tell them the story of Saint Nicholas. Carry on the traditions until you know they know that you are actually Santaā€¦then let them take part and be Santa for someone. There is nothing wrong with teaching kids kindness and giving from the heart. Donā€™t ruin it for them.

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Tell the truth! Santa is your parents and just keep believing in your heart always! Worked out fine for me this way.

If they believe it then Santa exist .Surround them with instances of kindness and giving. We as a people are all into revealing and telling the truth in things past especially yet many of us keep telling lies daily.
One would think with the revelation off all things it would have been better .It seems worse.

I remember finding out that my parents lied about Santa. I was upset and wondered what else they lied about.

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Santa lives in all of us! Itā€™s the part of us that loves with all our hearts and shares it freely with others. And gifts are just a bonus :heart::pray:

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I always told my children that Santa was a spirit and you will never see him but as long as you believe in love and giving there will always be a Santa Claus

The 3 wisemen brought gifts to Jesus when he was born. He is the true meaning of Christmas. There is a little Santa in us all. Christmas is a time for miracles, family and giving. Itā€™s truly a magical time of the year. Santa is just mythical character that we have chosen to represent a part of Christmas. Santa is fun and helps bring out the adults inner child once again. But the one and true and main reason is Jesus. Itā€™s a time for giving, loving and sharing.

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I told my son its just something fun for the holidays. Of course thereā€™s no such thing

He was, and we carry on the tradition.

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How donā€™t tell the kids he comes in the chimney , just tell them , Santa gives the present at night so they better sleep without telling them that it is really mommy and daddy buys and giving it to them , plain and simple without exaggeration

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Iā€™ve always told my kids I am Santa. They still write their Xmas letters to me (like I dont know what they do or donā€™t do) :joy: the letter is to justify why they think they deserve that particular present theyā€™d asked for

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I told my oldest that the spirit of Santa lives with us all. Those who know the truth are responsible to keep that spirit alive and we are all Santa now to make sure the little ones get to feel that magic too. Only kids who believe in Santa get presents from him. I always made sure the mom presents were socks & Pjā€™s while Santa brought the cool gifts. So even as an older child who knows who is really giving the gifts, if they still believe in the spirit of Christmas, theyā€™ll continue getting gifts from Santa.

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you also risk your child telling other kids and ruining it for them

I always told my kids that parents and all the mall Santaā€™s were helpers because Santa couldnā€™t possibly do it all by himself

Tell them the real story of nicholas who gave gifts to children. Everyone liked what he did and when he died people started doing the same thing. Santa claus is not real, but pretend like batman, spiderman, and wonder woman, etc.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

Well Santa isnā€™t real so it would be lying to tell kids about him period. Why not tell them about Jesus Christ? Thatā€™s what Christmas is all about

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Santa is real!!! It is based from Saint Nicholas :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: I refused to teach my daughter about Santa :santa: but the rest of my family refused to respect that. So, I told my daughter about St. NICK.
He was amazing and he delivered the toys to the less fortunate. I told my kid that because he was such an amazing person that everyone wanted to have his legacy remembered! Thus, Santa was created in honor of him. (Which is true) There are a lot of websites that tell you about him. This is just the basic idea.

Editing to add: I also sung Happy Birthday to Jesus and made a Birthday cake every year! I taught my daughter the real reason for Christmas. But, I was just answering the Santa part. Never lie to your child- they lose trust :100:

You canā€™t explain Santa without lying?

Itā€™s fun to believe I the magic of Santa !
Tell them how you want they are your kids!:heart::sun_with_face:

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Explain the history of santa and what it represents. My understanding is that itā€™s based on a real man a generous man and that is what everyone is trying to revive, whether it be actions, role play, pretend or all of the above. Different families decide on how they get to honor the generosity that he demonstrated.

I saw on Facebook a story about a mother telling her child the truth. Iā€™m sure I wonā€™t say it correctly, but itā€™s something like this. She ask the child if he is ready to keep a secret and explains how important the secret is. She then tells him the truth, but says now that he knows, he is now Santa. He has to choose a person to be Santa to. He chooses this older widow that has no family. They begin to watch the old woman. She comes outside at a certain time every day to get her newspaper, either in a pair of socks or barefoot. He decides she needs a pair of slippers instead of being barefoot. So he buys her a pair and on Christmas morning he sneaks over to her house before she comes out to get her paper. He picks up her paper, and places her gift /gifts on her porch with her newspaper, then hides out and watches. When she comes out to get her paper she finds the paper and gifts on her porch and cries tears of joy. The child is now proud of his role as Santa

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Just let your children believe! Itā€™s a magical time

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I went historical. I told my dd that Kris Kringle was a real person from a loooong time ago in Europe and he used to give presents to children of poor families. I told her that this tradition stuck and now we are keeping the spirit alive by being his elves. Because she now knows, she also is an elf and isnā€™t allowed to ruin it for othersšŸ˜„

We actually believe in Christ and celebrate His birth. So we read the first Christmas every year.

I told my daughter he is the spirit of Christmas so to speak so now she likes playing Santa and giving to others

Santa IS a whole lie so why even tell it?

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Santa is the gift of giving at Christmastimeā€¦ thinking beyond yourself, to those around you.

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How old are we talking about

Happy Birthday party for Jesus.

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Let the older kids ruin itā€¦
I told my older ones I have to figure out how to explain Santaā€¦toothfairyā€¦so onā€¦
They took it qpon themselves to give me the opportunity to tap out gracefullyā€¦big ol meany heads thoughā€¦breaking my babies heart like thatā€¦:woman_shrugging:t3:

You are basically Santa but you donā€™t come down the chimney or have a sleigh

Read them a fairy tale and let them get a good feeling

I told my sons that if you do not believe you do not receive. They are now 52 and 51 years old if asked if they believe I Santa they both shell yes.

Just say itā€™s a story. Thatā€™s easy enough.

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We teach our children to not take candy from a stranger, why would you bust your butt to make sure there are gifts under a tree and you give the credit to a strange man, hell no all 3 my children know since forever that their parents work hard to make it a awesome holiday to spend with family and it Not about gifts!!!

You canā€™tā€¦ Because heā€™s not real.

I told my children about St Nicolas and that there became so many people that He needed help so ā€œSantaā€ mom & dad helped

Did you ever think they donā€™t want your answer anyway. When my kids asked, I said ā€œwhat do you thinkā€. They told me they believed so who was I to dash their hopes. They still think santa is real (31 & 29) and santa is a woman. At our house they call her Mom.

Tell the truthā€¦look up how ā€œSantaā€ began and educate the kidsā€¦be honest or youā€™re teaching kids itā€™s ok to lie

Kids can understand history, love, mystery and traditionā€¦with out the B.S. lies!!!

Jesus is the reason for the season and what Christmas is all about a child can know the truth and be just as happy at Christmas knowing that there is just as much reward and giving as is receiving

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I told my daughters about St. Nicholas and explained now it is just a story that makes people feel good

Be open honest and straight to the point.

Well Santa is a lie. So just tell the truth.

Tell them Santa represents the good spirit of Christmas and heā€™s based on a real person, Saint Nicholas, a bishop known for his generosity to children. There are Christian childrenā€™s books about St. Nicholas and how he became known as Santa Claus. Find one thatā€™s age appropriate for your kids to read to them at bedtime.

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Tell your child about the realā€¦St Nicholas in Germany who have gifts to real childrenā€¦ that should ease it a little

I told my kids that Santa is inside all of us. Its the joy of gifting and seeing the happiness it brings to their faces

I told me kids that Santa is the spirit of Christmas ā€¦ therefore Santa is everyone and everything Christmas

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There is a wonderful old book called ā€œThe Adventures of Nicholasā€ by Helen Siiteri that tells a lovely story about Nicholas and how he became Santa Claus. Even if your child is too young for it, read it yourself and use it to explain.

There is a wonderful old book called ā€œThe Adventures of Nicholasā€ by Helen Siiteri that tells a lovely story about Nicholas and how he became Santa Claus. Even if your child is too young for it, read it yourself and use it to explain.

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Santa is a fun game of pretend we play at Christmas time, and everyone plays a little differently. Some families play pretend so well the kids donā€™t know itā€™s a game, but itā€™s not our job to ruin their fun.

There is some form of ā€œSantaā€ in many different countries. Might want to go that route - sorry I donā€™t have a book title handy.

He is so busy that he has to have helpā€¦thus Mom and Dad

Donā€™t lie. If they ask, they already know the truth. Kids expect you to be truthful. You can still hide their Christmas. And Santa embodies sharing. Let your kids help less fortunate kids. It makes for a great Christmas.