Then there comes a time where we start to see our kids question things. Question the magic of Santa and how it all works. There comes a time where we as parents wonder if we will have a few more years up our sleeve where we are able to create the unique experience of a magical Christmas morning. More so, we start to ask ourselves if our child is ready to know how it all works? Know the truth about Santa. Are we as parents really to let that part of their childhood go? As tough as it is, there will come a time when we will have to tell our kids the truth about Santa and welcome our kids into the Santa club, where we are the creators of the magic rather than the believers of the magic. Where we will ask them to help keep the magic off Christmas alive and spread that magic and cheer to the younger people in their lives.
It’s certainly not an easy topic to discuss. Especially if your child is a little anxious already. When you child starts to work it out and wonder what is the truth about Santa, they may start to wonder if you have been lying to them for all of these years. As parents I’m sure we all worry about how they will trust us again. It’s hard to explain why this lie was ok and other lies are not ok. We are here to help you have that conversation with the little people in your lives, to help them understand that while Santa isn’t exactly who we have said he was, but he is so much more. That the reason we are told that Santa is a man in a big red suit is because as children it’s easier to believe in something you have an image off, rather than believing in the magic that actually is. We can help you explain that Santa is not just a person, but its the ability to believe in something we cannot see and that without the help of parents around the world, Santa’s magic would not be what it is today!
When it was time to tell our children the truth about Santa, we thought long and hard about how to approach the chat. We wanted to make sure we informed them gently, without crushing their spirit and everything they have known up to this point. After all, it is quite big news for a young person to take in. After lots of googling and searching, we found the most beautiful ideas on how to tell the kids the truth about Santa and more specifically how to tell an anxious child the truth about Santa without losing their trust.
We started by explaining that although we as their parents put the presents under the Christmas tree and filled their stockings for all of those years, Santa has always been more than just who delivers their presents. That Santa is not just a single person, but rather many people who keep the magic off Christmas alive. A community of people who are connected by their belief in the magic of Christmas. Santa is that community of people who spread love and cheer by having the magic of Christmas in their hearts and sharing it with the people in their lives.
So, if your child has started to ask questions, or perhaps heard a rumour from kids at school. Overheard a conversation between older siblings or simply started to work it out on their own, or perhaps they haven’t started to work it out, but you believe it’s time they knew and you are looking for a way to gently tell them the truth about Santa, then you should take a look and download our free printable letter and see if it’s the right approach for you and your family.
You can invite your child to join the Santa Club and they can have the honour of joining the community of likeminded joyful Christmas believers who continue to help keep the magic of Christmas alive for all those who still believe Santa is a person
When the time came for us to tell our children, they all reacted slightly differently to knowing the truth about Santa. Some understood straight away and were happy to be apart of the Santa club and continue spreading the Christmas magic. Others grieved the end of something they believed in and needed a little extra time to process what they were told. But in the end, they were all happy to continue spreading the Christmas magic. As we said to our kids - The magic of Christmas is still there. Only now you are spreading the Christmas magic, rather than being the one receiving the Christmas magic, but both experiences are truly amazing. Some of my fondest memories of my children are seeing their faces Christmas morning and the excitement of the magic we created for them.
We personally found this time in our children’s lives really beautiful. It’s when they slowly joined our Santa club, one by one, and we were able to include our older children in the magical side of Christmas and begin new traditions. We would involve them by asking them to help us make it look like the man in the big red suit had been. They would take bites out of the cookies, and drink the milk. They would enjoy placing the presents under the tree and creating the magic for their younger siblings, and in the morning they would enjoy seeing the excitement and magic they helped to create for them. It was very different, but it was beautiful. Our little Santa club grows a little bigger every couple of years, as our kids each get older and although we miss the experience of having believers, its also truly beautiful having our own Santa club and new traditions. So please remember, that while one era is coming to an end, a whole new exciting one about to take place!
Santa is Magic! Santa is Believing! Santa is and always will be very, very real! Because he lives on in all of us. Santa is the Christmas magic in your heart.
Click Here to download the letter we used to tell our children the truth about Santa. We hope it eases them into the conversation and helps them to understand the true meaning of Santa and Christmas and that this year is extra special with your family’s Santa Club having grown a little larger.
