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[Zombine]

I will tell them that Santa is a demon that takes over my body one day a year. It forces me to buy presents for them and eat cookies against my will. On December 25th at 12:00 am it leaves my body for another year and I have no recollection of what happened.

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Santa R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.

 

[Air]

Along the same lines, I don't think anyone is arguing the necessity of it. They're saying it's fun.

I understand that but 1. I'm a very family oriented person, Christmas to me is about being with your family.

2. Santa is a cute idea and while I don't think it does any harm to a child to tell him he's real and pull the curtain from them, I'd rather not have to go through that at all lol.

3. I'd also not give them a logical out when I would have the 'God talk'. I think people lazily latch on to a false equivalence of santa = God (and are magical fairy beings) when they get older and I'd rather stop lazy logic too (I consider myself a Christian fwiw).

4. I'm a black man and there ain't no reason I'll have my child believe a magic white man is coming into my house giving them presents!

 

[Count Dookkake]

You can still have fun with xmas even if you let the kids know that Santa is a con. Like, you could have a beard and a hat and everyone can take turns being Santa and eating all the cookies or whatever.

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

I get that, and I love Christmas too, I just never understood why pretending that Santa is real is an important part of the enjoyment kids (or adults) get out of the holiday.

It's not important per se, I suppose it's just that the kids love the idea so we go along with it. I don't remember being heart broken when I found out he was not real, and I think kids kinda grow out of the idea of it.

 

[Brianimaniac]

We're going to argue on that pedantic of a level?
Fine.
"I just never understood why pretending that Santa is real contribute to kids enjoyment of Christmas".

I know, most people do, it's just that I'm not sure I understands why.
But again, since I have no direct personal experience with any of that, you might have to explain it to me like I'm 5.

It's not something to be explained. Simple things make small children happy. I enjoyed that stuff as a kid, as did many others, and it's common to carry forth the traditions you enjoyed to your own children. That's all there is to it.

 

[MrHoot]

You thought it was Santa but it was me, Daddy!

Just plaster some [MENACING] over the presents

 

[Roubjon]

We're going to argue on that pedantic of a level?
Fine.
"I just never understood why pretending that Santa is real contribute to kids enjoyment of Christmas".

I know, most people do, it's just that I'm not sure I understands why.
But again, since I have no direct personal experience with any of that, you might have to explain it to me like I'm 5.

For me, and I think many others, it made Christmas more magical. It added to the excitement that there's this mysterious jolly man who gives presents to everyone. The possibilities of what he could bring was exciting and suspenseful. It made it more special, thus, more fun.

 

[Chichikov]

It's not important per se, I suppose it's just that the kids love the idea so we go along with it. I don't remember being heart broken when I found out he was not real, and I think kids kinda grow out of the idea of it.

Honest question (seriously, I'm not being passive aggressive here) do you think kids enjoy the idea or that they enjoy Christmas as a whole and associate Santa with it?
Kids who don't think Santa is real seem to enjoy the shit out Christmas too, same for adults.

 

[Dan-o]

I don't resent my parents for telling me Santa was real.
I don't think my kid will resent me for it, either. Right now, she loves the whole idea, and it's helping with potty training.

Spoiler

potty training fucking sucks.

 

[Krejlooc]

Honest question (seriously, I'm not being passive aggressive here) do you think kids enjoy the idea or that they enjoy Christmas as a whole and associate Santa with it?
Kids who don't think Santa is real seem to enjoy the shit out Christmas too, same for adults.

Every christmas eve, we go to my grandmother's restaurant and, at midnight, one of the uncles dresses up like santa and hands out presents to the little kids, one per kid. The kids go nuts. Screaming at the top of their lungs, hyperventillating sort of deal. Being that this is christmas eve, they usually open a small gift.

Yet, the next day, when the parents give them big presents, they aren't nearly as out-of-their-mind crazy. They are happy, sure. But meeting santa clause on christmas was a huuuuuge highlight.

Let me ask you this - when you were a kid, did you ever pretend? Like, when me and my friends would climb trees - we were playing mortal kombat, and the tree was the ladder, and we were pretending to beat up people off the ladder as we made our way to shang tsung. Should my parents have come out and told us to knock it off and realize we were just climbing a tree, and to enjoy that alone and knock off the pretend?

 

[adj_noun]

I could never lie to a child.

Of course I'd have to admit Santa is real. We'd have to have a talk about tacitly permitted home invasion and the strategic placement of baked goods bribes, but I don't shy away from serious topics.

I might save the fact that NORAD has to track Santa every year for our safety until they're a little older though.

 

[Kintaco]

We're going to argue on that pedantic of a level?
Fine.
"I just never understood why pretending that Santa is real contribute to kids enjoyment of Christmas".

I know, most people do, it's just that I'm not sure I understands why.
But again, since I have no direct personal experience with any of that, you might have to explain it to me like I'm 5.

I mean that can be said about a lot of things really. Why is trick or treating fun? I could buy a giant bag of candy and my kids would be happy. It's not like they really care about all the walking around. For me I enjoy the hiding of the gifts from Santa. Gifts from mom and dad are under the tree beforehand. So the surprise gifts in the morning is fun when your kids wake you up with screams of excitement. I ha those personalized Santa videos that you can do online and they had my kids balling with joy because that silly old man acknowledged their accomplishments and where they should improve. Might not answer the question but just some little things that if my wife or I would do might not be as memorable.

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

Honest question (seriously, I'm not being passive aggressive here) do you think kids enjoy the idea or that they enjoy Christmas as a whole and associate Santa with it?
Kids who don't think Santa is real seem to enjoy the shit out Christmas too, same for adults.

That's a tough question haha. I can see it both ways with kids. I have worked with kids for 7 years now, and when the question of whether Santa is real or not I always say "whatever your parents say, there is your answer".

 

[HeySeuss]

I don't think it really matters which side of the fence you're on for this issue, but the important thing is that you teach your children to not look down on those that are of the opposite beliefs as they are.

Personally I always enjoyed my kids believing in Santa. It fosters imagination and creativity and the belief that good things happen to good people. That's not saying kids that don't believe in Santa can't have those attributes, but life is going to squash a lot of that innocence and hope out of them much more quickly than you would like, so why not let them believe for a few fleeting years?

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Of course I'll tell my children Father Christmas is real. My youngest is 1 and my eldest is 3. This is the first year he really understands Christmas so we're going the whole hog. We even downloaded an app so Father Christmas "calls" him to tell him he's looking forward to visiting. It's all magic to him. He gets very excited.

If you want to take that away from your future child then that's a personal choice but I think it's a little sad. They're only young for a little bit. I'm sure by 8 they would have worked it out. I was about that age but I still pretended for my younger siblings.

How do you take something away w/o giving it to them? Santa Clause, Baby Jesus in central and western europe, is a taught tradition you don't need to perpetuate the myth to make christmas magical and you're not taking anything away if you don't

 

[Imperfected]

If you use "i'm feeling lucky" the first result is video evidence that Santa is real, recorded from someone specifically trying to prove he wasn't real.

If my kids are that bad at using the internet then I'll know I need to keep pretending Santa is real and/or helping them a whole lot more with their homework.

 

[SuperBowser]

My parents never lied about it.
Still enjoyed Christmas, getting a present and visiting "santa" at shopping centres. Not sure why it changes anything.

 

[entremet]

Honest question (seriously, I'm not being passive aggressive here) do you think kids enjoy the idea or that they enjoy Christmas as a whole and associate Santa with it?
Kids who don't think Santa is real seem to enjoy the shit out Christmas too, same for adults.

I think in the most simplest explanation is that we're a tribal species and ritual is part of that. Rituals don't have to be religious in origin. But we all have them.

The holidays are big component in the shared peer groups young kids experience. Same with Halloween, etc.

Remember, they don't have work, career, hobbies (they're still learning what they like), and so on.

They're still exploring and making sense of their world. And part of that is integrating into society, which has it's own shared rituals.

Personally, I'm fine with parents doing whatever, but the opposition to Santa myths seems like majoring in the minors.

Who wants to be that annoying kid at school lol.

 

[DedValve]

Growing up christian I never believed in Santa and that did not deter my enjoyment from Christmas at all.

In fact it made it worse because I knew the presents were around my house somewhere....hiding...waiting....the excitement was almost too much to handle. I used to count down Christmas starting November and the extreme pain of waiting and waiting.

I still sat on Santas lap and asked for presents. I participated in almost every traditional christmas experience imaginable except the actual believing in Santa part.


I honestly don't understand how not believing in santa would take away from the holidays. Its all about the kids and trust me the kids care faaaaaaaaar more about presents than santa or anything. You don't need to believe in him and a kid who does won't necessarily have any more fun than a kid who doesn't (in fact it might be worse when the truth has to come out).

 

[Mammoth Jones]

4. I'm a black man and there ain't no reason I'll have my child believe a magic white man is coming into my house giving them presents!

This. Not teaching my kid some magical White man provides for her.

Mommy and Daddy work hard every day to provide for you. So we got your presents.

 

[FrsDvl]

Never told me daughter that Santa is real. She decided that for herself. And I like it, cause I'm telling you, she's the sweetest little girl in the world as soon as she knows Santa is at the mall, cause she doesn't want him to know she's bad.

It makes for a very peaceful month.

 

[Krejlooc]

If my kids are that bad at using the internet then I'll know I need to keep pretending Santa is real and/or helping them a whole lot more with their homework.

Even if you don't use "i'm feeling lucky" and just use the instant search, the top result doesn't say "no."

In fact, if I search for "is santa real," of the 12 results on the first page, only 3 say "no" and you have to scroll down to read those. And before all those, you'll get the infamous "Yes, Virginia, He is real!" letter from the news paper editor.

 

[DedValve]

It also might be a regional thing. I don't think ANYONE in my school in the Bronx believed in santa. The only girl who did was an attention whore and did because she would be the only one (she most def did not believe in santa and it was obvious even then).


NYC folks only care about 1 thing. The gift of giving <3

Spoiler

ME THOSE FUCKING PRESENTS BITCH

 

[SillyEskimo]

My kids are 8&9. My oldest knows he is not real, but plays along with it. My youngest has been skeptical for the past 2 years and I seriously think she's been faking her belief, lol.

I don't mind at all that they believe in Santa. I don't necessarily want them to be the first kids in their class to figure out he isn't real, but I sure as hell don't want them to be the last!

Figuring out that the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny are fake eventually leads kids to logical conclusion that santa is fake too. They naturally figure out the craziest of the holiday myths first.

 

[Chichikov]

Every christmas eve, we go to my grandmother's restaurant and, at midnight, one of the uncles dresses up like santa and hands out presents to the little kids, one per kid. The kids go nuts. Screaming at the top of their lungs, hyperventillating sort of deal. Being that this is christmas eve, they usually open a small gift.

Yet, the next day, when the parents give them big presents, they aren't nearly as out-of-their-mind crazy. They are happy, sure. But meeting santa clause on christmas was a huuuuuge highlight.

Let me ask you this - when you were a kid, did you ever pretend? Like, when me and my friends would climb trees - we were playing mortal kombat, and the tree was the ladder, and we were pretending to beat up people off the ladder as we made our way to shang tsung. Should my parents have come out and told us to knock it off and realize we were just climbing a tree, and to enjoy that alone and knock off the pretend?

Of course I played pretend, but I'm pretty sure I had a pretty decent understanding that I'm not actually flying a spaceship or genociding native americans fighting Indians.
Also, I think there's a bit of a difference between you coming up with shit and your parents telling you something which isn't true and you believe in it.
I mean, we don't think that if you tell your kids that the capital of France is London it will develop their imagination, right?

I mean that can be said about a lot of things really. Why is trick or treating fun? I could buy a giant bag of candy and my kids would be happy. It's not like they really care about all the walking around. For me I enjoy the hiding of the gifts from Santa. Gifts from mom and dad are under the tree beforehand. So the surprise gifts in the morning is fun when your kids wake you up with screams of excitement. I ha those personalized Santa videos that you can do online and they had my kids balling with joy because that silly old man acknowledged their accomplishments and where they should improve. Might not answer the question but just some little things that if my wife or I would do might not be as memorable.

I personally believe that default stance should be to not lie to your kids.
Now to be clear, I'm not saying to anyone how to raise their kids, and I know that some parents don't share that world view, and to be sure, I think there exceptions to this police, I'm just not sure I understand why the myth of Santa is the one exception many parents make.

 

[ArgyleReptile]

Sure. I'm just going to add that there are so many children in the world, that he won't be able to visit our house anymore after a time.

 

[DedValve]

Looking at this thread I never realized how many parents let their kids still believe in Santa. It seems so unreal to me because I don't think I've ever interacted with a kid who genuinely believed in it.

 

[siddx]

Don't plan on having kids but if I did, I imagine this would be a point of contention between the miss and myself. She is quite into Xmas, while I enjoy the gift giving and family time aspect of it but not the rest of it. I also don't agree with telling outright lies to children. Keeping things from them or fudging the truth is something that has to happen on occasion, but outright lying isn't.
I've also often thought concepts like Santa and the Easter bunny to be primers or "intro courses" to get kids to swallow religious ideology. I find that kind of disturbs me. But whatever, I'm sure such concerns will just get waved off as "edgy atheism".

 

[entremet]

Don't plan on having kids but if I did, I imagine this would be a point of contention between the miss and myself. She is quite into Xmas, while I enjoy the gift giving and family time aspect of it but not the rest of it. I also don't agree with telling outright lies to children. Keeping things from them or fudging the truth is something that has to happen on occasion, but outright lying isn't.
I've also often thought concepts like Santa and the Easter bunny to be primers or "intro courses" to get kids to swallow religious ideology. I find that kind of disturbs me. But whatever, I'm sure such concerns will just get waved off as "edgy atheism".

Eh, I can't see that, because the biggest influence on child's worldview is still their parents. Many parents do the whole Santa song and dance and are atheists/agnostics. Their kids don't magically become fundamentalists.

 

[Krejlooc]

Of course I played pretend, but I'm pretty sure I had a pretty decent understanding that I'm not actually flying a spaceship or genociding native americans fighting Indians.

Mm, before we go any further -- do you have experience with being around kids?

Because when you're around kids a lot, you'll hear them say stuff with conviction that you know isn't true, and can't tell whether or not they think it's true or not.

Also, I think there's a bit of a difference between you coming up with shit and your parents telling you something which isn't true and you believe in it.
I mean, we don't think that if you tell your kids that the capital of France is London it will develop their imagination, right?

On the other hand, the capitol of france being a completely different location could potentially have real-world effects for the person as they age if they never find out the truth. What downsides are there for a person who never discovers santa isn't real?

I'm just not sure I understand why the myth of Santa is the one exception many parents make.

It's not the "one" exception many parents make. They make plenty of exceptions. Sounds to me like your parents are odd balls. And, without taking this topic in an edgy direction (honestly! I swear) -- how do you handle existential questions? You mention you are jewish -- do you believe in the faith? Do your parents?

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

We're not with our kids, but we would never try to dissuade other parents from doing it.

 

[Darksol]

Nah.

 

[Polioliolio]

Is Santa real? No.
So why would I tell my developing child that he is?

That said, the idea of Santa is a fun folk tale to talk about during the holiday, so it'll be easy enough to explain why lots of people are lying to his face.

 

[Kurtofan]

most likely

 

[Amory]

Google got us covered.

this is great, lol


yeah if I have kids they'll believe in Santa. part of being a kid, it's fun
y'all are no fun.

 

[GuessMyUserName]

Also the case for going along with the mystery is incredibly easy since my family went through old home movies, watching my brother notice suspicious things and coming up with possibilities for how Santa does everything

https://youtu.be/OL08Zf6BcIY?t=295

4:55 - "Garbage... this is garbage wrapping... it looks like the wrapping we put on Gina's... [birthday presents]"
7:10 - "Maybe Santa disguises himself as a person and goes into the store..."
9:15 - "I wonder how he got her name on it, maybe he goes to stores. I really do think that!"


My brother was so proud of himself watching this lol, honestly I think he already knows at this point but enjoys playing it up for me and my sister. Hence "everybody believes in Santa Claus!" at some point

 

[Vyer]

I've got a 7 year old and a 2 year old now. The joy they get from Christmas/Santa is palpable. Real life will have plenty of time to weigh down that fairy tale stuff quick enough, I've got no desire to help that along for a 2 or 3 year old.

 

[SillyEskimo]

Don't plan on having kids but if I did, I imagine this would be a point of contention between the miss and myself. She is quite into Xmas, while I enjoy the gift giving and family time aspect of it but not the rest of it. I also don't agree with telling outright lies to children. Keeping things from them or fudging the truth is something that has to happen on occasion, but outright lying isn't.
I've also often thought concepts like Santa and the Easter bunny to be primers or "intro courses" to get kids to swallow religious ideology. I find that kind of disturbs me. But whatever, I'm sure such concerns will just get waved off as "edgy atheism".

My wife and I are atheists and it has never been an issue. More than anything, I see it as an exercise in critical thinking. Kids eventually figure these things out on their own because kids aren't stupid. They also don't fly into an angry rage or now disbelieve everything they have known to be true upon finding out because this almost always occurs when a child is undergoing one of their many transitions, which they do all the time. One of the most subtle yet most important things is when they no longer view themselves as a child. They see the belief of santa as something for those younger than them and they are now above that and they just keep looking forward.

Kids really are amazing. Everyday I feel like I observe some new secret to the world first hand. Everyday I appreciate something mundane through their eyes that I have taken for granted. Excuse me, I have to go hug my kids.

 

[Setsuna]

Mother Fucker, Santa, is real. I don't know what you're trying to prove with this thread

 

[Chichikov]

Mm, before we go any further -- do you have experience with being around kids?

Because when you're around kids a lot, you'll hear them say stuff with conviction that you know isn't true, and can't tell whether or not they think it's true or not.

I do.
Do you aware that most kids can tell the difference between reality and make believe by the time they hit 5?

On the other hand, the capitol of france being a completely different location could potentially have real-world effects for the person as they age if they never find out the truth. What downsides are there for a person who never discovers santa isn't real?

It's not the "one" exception many parents make. They make plenty of exceptions. Sounds to me like your parents are odd balls. And, without taking this topic in an edgy direction (honestly! I swear) -- how do you handle existential questions? You mention you are jewish -- do you believe in the faith? Do your parents?

Again, if you don't share my belief that as a general rule you should try to avoid straight up lying to your kids then that's fine, I mean, I'm still not sure I understand how the Santa story is better than the reality of your parents giving you gifts, but I think there's a bigger philosophical gap between us that will not be bridged by discussion this issue (and again, I don't judge you about how you raise your kids, I'm only trying to understand, especially considering the length some people go to perpetuate the Santa is real thing).

And neither me nor my parents are religious, they talked to me about death from quite a young age. It's not that they brought up the subject for the lulz, but at kindergarten, my friend's father died, and my parents talked to me about it. I remember asking my father what happens when you dead and he told me he didn't know. I think that's the first time I heard my father tell me he doesn't know anything.
Personally I've always appreciated that, and FWIW (and obviously it's not scientific) I think I have a pretty healthy attitude toward death.

 

[MechDX]

I've got a 7 year old and a 2 year old now. The joy they get from Christmas/Santa is palpable. Real life will have plenty of time to weigh down that fairy tale stuff quick enough, I've got no desire to help that along for a 2 or 3 year old.

Agreed.

Get out of here with that "Im going to be honest aint I noble" BS. Believing in Santa is a part of the beautiful innocence of being a child. Let them have it for as long as they want

 

[bosseye]

My kids are 6 and 4 and believe in Santa. The wife and I are quite happy to go along with it, it's just a bit of fun, adds a merrily mysterious dimension to proceedings and frankly a nice bit of magic for them. They're growing up so fast, soon they won't give a fuck about Santa and the tooth fairy and easter bunny and so on so I say let them have and enjoy this innocence while they can.

Also lol at all the non parents in here saying they could never lie to a child. Hilarious! When you're a parent you'll tell them little white lies all the time to manage their lives and ensure they satay within the boundaries of what's appropriate and there is zero harm in it.

 

[Deft Beck]

I will tell my children that the only true thing to fear is man.

 

[siddx]

Eh, I can't see that, because the biggest influence on child's worldview is still their parents. Many parents do the whole Santa song and dance and are atheists/agnostics. Their kids don't magically become fundamentalists.

I don't think pushing the concept of Santa in itself is the concern. My parents did it was well and they are not remotely religious. My concern is in the idea that it's then taken further by many parents and used to help introduce the idea of a God like figure that you are expected to believe in based largely on faith. I know the concern sounds silly on the surface level which is why I've never given it too much deep thought, but there is still a kernel of concern about it in my mind that I can't shake.

I actually brought it up to the miss after I posted and we agreed that the concept of Santa can be enjoyed without the lying part. Bringing it into a home as a fun story without trying to make kids believe it's real.

 

[Imperfected]

Even if you don't use "i'm feeling lucky" and just use the instant search, the top result doesn't say "no."

In fact, if I search for "is santa real," of the 12 results on the first page, only 3 say "no" and you have to scroll down to read those. And before all those, you'll get the infamous "Yes, Virginia, He is real!" letter from the news paper editor.

Again: if my kids are dumb enough that when they do a Google search they don't bother to do any sourcing on the results or look for meaningful discussion on the topic and just accept whatever surface-level value gets returned in the quick results synopsis, I'll know I need to pretend Santa is real and keep them away from voting machines.

Hopefully those circumstances change before they hit 18.

 

[Linkstrikesback]

I've got a 7 year old and a 2 year old now. The joy they get from Christmas/Santa is palpable. Real life will have plenty of time to weigh down that fairy tale stuff quick enough, I've got no desire to help that along for a 2 or 3 year old.

Yep, this is reason enough to tell my kids if I ever have any about Santa Claus until they're old enough to work it out themselves.

 

[Krejlooc]

I do.
Do you aware that most kids can tell the difference between reality and make believe by the time they hit 5?

To a degree, yes. Which is precisely what this phenomenon is playing off of - that they are in a transitional state where their critical reasoning skills aren't honed to the point where they wouldn't pick up on the obvious cues that would make Santa seem fake.

Again, if you don't share my belief that as a general rule you should try to avoid straight up lying to your kids then that's fine, I mean, I'm still not sure I understand how the Santa story is better than the reality of your parents giving you gifts, but I think there's a bigger philosophical gap between us that will not be bridged by discussion this issue (and again, I don't judge you about how you raise your kids, I'm only trying to understand, especially considering the length some people go to perpetuate the Santa is real thing).

"Never lie" is a nice aphorism to aspire to, but the way you bandy it about seems less critical than you'd hope one using it would aspire to. You've made it apparent that you don't think people should "lie" to their kid, and you have made it clear you think this is a lie. What you haven't yet explained is why you think this particular lie is egregious. I get it - you think people should never lie, you don't consider it a virtue. But the reality is that lies are a part of life, and part of social tact is being able to navigate lies and even discern when to lie yourself.

Here's a good analogy - say someone plays a prank on someone else. Are you the guy who refuses to go along with a prank?

I guess that angle is precisely why I don't see this as a terrible, awful thing - it's teaching social cues and tact. It allows older kids to experience being part of the "in-crowd," as they are in on the "joke." I remember when I found out santa wasn't real, and my mindset shifted to watching my words to make sure I wasn't spoiling the surprise for any kids who still believed. It's sort of a social grooming exercise.

And neither me nor my parents are religious, they talked to me about death from quite a young age. It's not that they brought up the subject for the lulz, but at kindergarten, my friend's father died, and my parents talked to me about it. I remember asking my father what happens when you dead and he told me he didn't know. I think that's the first time I heard my father tell me he doesn't know anything.
Personally I've always appreciated that, and FWIW (and obviously it's not scientific) I think I have a pretty healthy attitude toward death.

Mm, but isn't being non-relgious at odds with growing up in a jewish household? Presumably, lots of tradition is rooted in religion, even if you are practicing a secular lifestyle, right?

 

[GuessMyUserName]

Don't plan on having kids but if I did, I imagine this would be a point of contention between the miss and myself. She is quite into Xmas, while I enjoy the gift giving and family time aspect of it but not the rest of it. I also don't agree with telling outright lies to children. Keeping things from them or fudging the truth is something that has to happen on occasion, but outright lying isn't.
I've also often thought concepts like Santa and the Easter bunny to be primers or "intro courses" to get kids to swallow religious ideology. I find that kind of disturbs me. But whatever, I'm sure such concerns will just get waved off as "edgy atheism".

As someone that grew up in a Catholic school, relating the tales of Santa to religion made it easier for me to lose my "faith" during elementary school, honestly.

I mean you call it an "intro course"... but it ends up with the same lesson to everyone, that Santa isn't real and that you can't just believe what you're told in storybooks growing up.

 

[ZOONAMI]

Santa is all about leveraging the threat of that naughty list.

Spoiler

/jk I don't have kids, but I do hear that thrown around by people with kids around the holidays. Behave or you're only getting a lump of coal from Santa.

 

[McLovin]

I'll tell them he's just pretend reason to get you presents. It's a way to make kids think they are constantly being watched so they will be good around that season. I would alsotell them I'm agnostic but that they are free to believe what they want to.