Controversial approach to Santa

Absolutely nothing in OP's posts suggests she would 'get funny' about people mentioning Santa.

I did the whole Santa thing with my two but I have friends who didn't. It's hardly weird to decide you won't tell elaborate lies to your kids. You sound like you've got issues of your own, tbh

I agree with this totally. There is something wrong about the idea that the amount of presents is somehow connected to you being 'good'. What the hell does 'good' mean anyway?

And every class will have a least one person who for whatever reason doesn't get much in the way of christmas presents - way to destroy their self esteem.

Look at it like this, you've saved them the disappointment of realising that Santa isn't real. My girl was scared of a big fat, hairy stranger coming into her room in the depths of the night. This seemed a very normal reaction to the santa myth to me.

Did you do elf on the shelf? My daughter was very disappointed we never did and I felt very guilty about that. I barred him from the house, the little twat.

I think your approach is a bit weird but I can't imagine anything your 2 or 3 year old says is going to spoil the magic of Christmas for their 8 or 9 year old cousins.

It's more likely to be you getting funny about other people mentioning Santa. Just chill out a bit.

We've never had Father Christmas, or a tooth fairy, or an Easter bunny. My eldest was upset at the concept of a stranger creeping around the house at night so we were honest from early days, but explained that other children did believe and that it would be unkind to tell them the secret. We are a fact-based maths and science family, more Brian Cox than Disney. 3 DC who know Santa isn't real. But we still do Christmas! Just Santa doesn't bring presents. He's a legendary Christmas character, much like witches and mummies at Halloween.

Same here, I don’t personally no anyone who uses presents as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ rewards so maybe in real life it’s less common than you think. Not denying it’s everywhere on social media and does happen though.

My kids have always known presents and stockings are from us, but we said Santa delivered them to people on Christmas Eve and some people told their kids other things. Santa is a magical delivery man here.

Kids absolutely are idiots. Your 6 year old is clearly switched on but I was really worried that I was going to have to tell my then 10 year old for myself before he started secondary as he just wasn’t asking the right questions. Thankfully he worked it out around 10. His little sister has cottoned on quicker. FC/Santa is lovely when they’re little but beyond 8, I’m happy to see the back of it. This will be the first Santa free Christmas in our house and I’m looking forward to it!

If i didn't do Father Christmas with my dc I'd just do presents I wouldn't bother with stockings at all. The whole point of stockings is that FC comes down the chimney to fill them.
It's fun the belief in FC, they will get asked what they want him to bring them once they get a bit older.

I can't see it is much different to having children that don't believe in a god. They aren't going to spoil it for other children who have been indoctrinated brought up in a religious household.

The whole 'Christmas has to be magical for children' mania that grips some people, not to mention that it starts in September, is baffling to me.

I was raised in the same way as you OP. I knew who FC was but in our house he was just a fun story and tradition, not something I was ever made to believe was actually real.

We still put out a mince pie, carrot and sherry. I still got stockings. I still used to try and stay awake to “see him” drop off the presents. Christmas morning was still as magical as ever.

This idea that not believing in FC somehow ruins Christmas forever is really odd.

Yes, but they will obviously be curious about why Santa brings presents to all their friends, but not to them? They are guaranteed to ask why. At a minimum, to wonder if there's the possibility of getting more!

It’s more that FC has gotten bigger and bigger, with social media and competitive parenting. I think it sends out the wrong message.

You got lots of presents because you are “good”. And vice versa.

It is more on a society level rather than individuals but the message has just never sat well with me. But I can’t change society I can just influence my own family, so I never made Christmas presents conditional on behaviour or come from an imaginary person.

Top quality input there

I wasn’t asking you though? OP said she plans not to answer any questions if they ask them. That’s not being honest either

Kids aren't idiots. Mine is 6 and already knows Santa couldn't possibly be real but chooses to kind of half believe in him for the extra presents!

If my children ask me about Santa I of course tell them that he isnt real and its just a bit of fun. Why should I lie to my child simply because some parents choose to lie to theirs? So bizarre to me. Christmas is still magical and exciting without an imaginary man crawling down the chimney! Presents, food, family - perfect. No need for lies.

In my house Santa presents only arrive on Christmas eve
Its everything I or my partner have got for our children.
I would never ask another family member to pretend their gifts are also from Santa

I was similar to OP, I moved to the U.K. when the kids were 4 and 6, and I came from a different culture, where Santa sort of exists but it is not made a big deal of, it is more about the birth of Jesus and the 3 wise men 🤷‍♀️

my husband is British but he never was big on Santa….

Welll all I can say was were social outcasts around Christmas time in the village, as everyone was all about “the magic of Christmas “ which was all about pretending Sara was real

so be careful as some people take it really really seriously and even have their 11 year olds still believe.

basically you might be making things hard for yourself

for me it was too late, and I never got my kids to believe as at first I was so confused by it, and the year after they were 5 and 7 and it was a bit late to start

FWIW I still find it all slightly baffling 😁 but lots of people feel very very strongly

The people who neglect/abuse their kids probably aren’t explaining stuff to their kids. And most kids won’t no someone in their class is being abused/neglected and got nothing for Christmas?

@JamesWebbSpaceTelescope
"When did Father Christmas start being called Santa?"
Not the point of the thread, but I couldn't agreed with you more.... I HATE "Santa"!

Isn't the whole point of FC/Santa that it's a nice story and a bit of fun - not the most important part of Christmas.
Children know this from quite a young age that it's a story/tradition and play along with their parents at a risk they might miss out on presents.

(Also it's a money making exercise for garden centres who have the space for a grotto as it's winter and no one is buying plants?)

Our families have always done:
Stocking from Santa, presents from everyone else.

How to do manage auntie Beryl and uncle Ken turning up with presents the week before Christmas with presents if they all come from Santa?

Where did she say she’s asking others not to mention Santa?