Goodbye Santa, hello new beliefs

It’s the question you always knew was coming, but you were still caught by surprise when it came:

‘Mom, Dad, is there really a Father Christmas?’

This will generally be asked by an anxious primary schooler whose very foundations have been rocked by talk in the playground, possibly stemming from slightly older kids.

The implications are huge – not just because there is a fear of losing out on presents from the man in red and white, but because…’you have lied to me!’

So what do you say?

My married daughter had the perfect answer when her eight-year-old popped the question.

She sat her down, admitted her ‘guilt’ and calmly built her a whole new belief system with this explanation:

‘Kyle, you now share a grown-up’s secret! You are a big girl now.

‘And you have to make a big promise – not to spoil for other children all the fun and joy you have had waiting for Santa every Christmas.

‘Keep the magic alive for the younger children. Help to make them excited, just the way you have always been every year.

‘And here’s the most beautiful part. Even when we know there isn’t a Father Christmas, we can still pretend there is, and have lots of fun seeing the joy on faces when they open the presents ‘Santa’ has delivered.

‘That’s the best gift of all: making others happy.’