Are We Lying to Our Kids About Santa Claus?

The legend of Santa Claus has been a long standing tradition throughout history. Waiting for Santa Claus to come to your house on Christmas Eve to place presents under the tree is part of the magic of Christmas, but are we lying to our kids about Santa Claus?

This is my personal opinion and it's a little wishy washy, because yeah, technically it is a lie if Santa does not indeed exist. But, on the other hand I am a firm believer in my children, especially these days, needing to feel the spirit and magic of Christmas.

My children grow up believing in Santa, and I do not feel like I am lying to them. I want them to feel the wonders of Christmas time. I want them to understand that it is more than simply the giving and receiving of gifts and I want them to exercise their imaginations.

As a child, there is a simple innocence about leaving Santa cookies and milk on Christmas Eve, maybe adding a few carrots for the reindeer and reading "The Night before Christmas" with the family.

I have had people say to me that it's wrong to make your children behave all year by claiming that Santa Claus will bring them presents if they are good. I do not tell my children that they need to be good to get presents, because they are going to get gifts anyway, but I do incorporate Santa Claus into Christmas as something magical and fun. We are also a Christian family and we still manage to incorporate Santa into our holiday.

Some people don't want to lie to their children and that is ok. But, it simply is not their right to tell others that they are lying to their children and that it's wrong for them to let their children believe in Santa. That is up to the parents of each child to decide.

Letting your child believe in Santa Claus while they are young is not going to hurt them. They will likely continue the tradition when they grow up and have their own families and pass the magic on to them. Santa Claus is a kind, jolly, happy, giving, man who delivers gifts to children all over the world...what is so wrong with that? And just for the record, my family also leaves teeth under their pillows for the Tooth Fairy and on Easter we get eggs from the Easter Bunny.