Need help thinking up an excuse for Santa

Caroline_a

I used to say that the presents were bought for the Christmas elves to come during the night to take to Santa. This solved the mystery of the presents from friends and relatives that disappeared before Christmas and then miraculously appeared on Christmas morning. We even made a big thing of it, putting the presents on a windowsill so that the elves could easily see them!

trolleyrun

What do you all mean Santa doesn't exist???:eek::eek::eek::eek:

I bet you're going to tell me the Easter Bunny isn't real either :shocked::shocked:

I'm off to sob into my breakfast

Spendless

FBaby wrote: »

The reality is that he now knows (if he didn't before anyway) that santa doesn't exist. It doesn't matter though because kids think differently to us and he will make himself believe he still exists if that's what he wants to believe, or stop to do so if he has reached that stage where he doesn't nee the magic any longer.

Yes, I agree with this. When I asked my 13yo son why he stopped believing he said 'when I worked out reindeers can't fly'. I know this to be around the age of 3 or 4 as I remember him telling me that he'd watched Discovery Kids and said he'd learnt from it that animals need wings to fly. He was around 7-8 when he 'discovered' my present cupboard and it became 'official' that he knew.

DD aged 10 admits she 'found' some presents under my bed that turned up on Xmas Day when she was 7 but she likes to think she lives in a world where fairies exist and animals talk etc so is quite happy to go along- even though we openly talk about buying a gift for x etc and she's making me a stocking this year. Her older brother points out to her she knows the truth and pretends otherwise.

iammumtoone

notanewuser wrote: »

Actually the problem is lying to your child!!!

??? He is 6 not 12! ok technically I am lying but I don't know of any parents who celebrate Christmas that don't tell the story of Santa, for a child never to believe in the magic of it I think would be very sad.

seven-day-weekend

iammumtoone wrote: »

??? He is 6 not 12! ok technically I am lying but I don't know of any parents who celebrate Christmas that don't tell the story of Santa, for a child never to believe in the magic of it I think would be very sad.

I do, I know several and if I only had myself to please I would not have done it in anything other than a 'pretend' way. I too think it is lying to children.

gingin_2

iammumtoone wrote: »

??? He is 6 not 12! ok technically I am lying but I don't know of any parents who celebrate Christmas that don't tell the story of Santa, for a child never to believe in the magic of it I think would be very sad.

We have this debate on MSE every year, mum (the lying to kids part)- it's as traditional to MSE as turkey and tinsel is to me. Don't get offended - most of us have done it your way.

The naysayers usually get as good as they give i.e it turns into pages of heated banter

DigForVictory

Santa delegates. (That's what my 7 yo told me.)
If your lad is not really ready for this, rewrap *some* presents & explain you are a secret drop off point, chosen as he's been such a good lad. Embroider til your imagination fumbles.
You aren't *lying* - you're passing on something you read on a forum!

iammumtoone

FBaby wrote: »

The reality is that he now knows (if he didn't before anyway) that santa doesn't exist. It doesn't matter though because kids think differently to us and he will make himself believe he still exists if that's what he wants to believe, or stop to do so if he has reached that stage where he doesn't nee the magic any longer.

This is very true even before last night I am sure he knew (or at least strongly suspected) that he didn't really exist but he wants to believe so like you say it doesn't really matter what I tell him, he will convince himself that is what happens.

Thinking about it if he really did believe strongly he would have been upset finding the presents and finding out the truth that way, he wasn't he knew he shouldn't have seem them and decided to not admit it, maybe due to the fact if he thought if he did I might stop the other 'magic/pretense' about Christmas as well like the putting out food for reindeer and Santa etc (he loves all that )

notanewuser

iammumtoone wrote: »

??? He is 6 not 12! ok technically I am lying but I don't know of any parents who celebrate Christmas that don't tell the story of Santa, for a child never to believe in the magic of it I think would be very sad.

Well you do now. DD is 3. If she wants to believe in Santa that's fine, but we will never tell her that its real (as its a lie). This may become a bit more complicated as she gets older, but I know many many families where the "magic" doesn't come from lies. At least 2 of her 4 closest peers aren't being told Santa is real either.

The story of the kindness of St Nicholas is more important to us than some lies about some commercial invention.

notanewuser

gingin wrote: »

We have this debate on MSE every year, mum (the lying to kids part)- it's as traditional to MSE as turkey and tinsel is to me. Don't get offended - most of us have done it your way.

The naysayers usually get as good as they give i.e it turns into pages of heated banter

We don't do tinsel either!! Horrible, tacky stuff!! :rotfl: