Secondary school and Father Christmas

[ScottyDottyDooDah]

My DS was (weirdly) humming Christmas songs to himself this evening, and when I questioned him, he told me he was just letting his Elf on the Shelf know that he's thinking about him!

My DS is off to secondary school this year. He's a sensitive little soul, although not silly (the Easter bunny and tooth fairy believing stopped a couple of years ago)

Do I need to have the chat?!

@HunkyPunk no- not the same one then!!

No, but evidently sharing the same refined ambience!

I’ve had a chat with dd this afternoon-(not about Santa yet but I will ) along the lines of :
You probably won’t always like hatchimals do you don’t want to be forever known as ‘that weirdo who likes hatchimals’ (paraphrased!) and that kids might be unkind if you’re into babyish things.

She’s adamant she doesn’t care what people think of her, that her current friends already take the mickey but they still want to be her friends and that if people are unkind they are probably just jealous.

I can’t deny I’m proud of her for this standpoint but will it be enough? I definitely don’t encourage the babyish interests-I take more notice of what her friends wear and do than she does and try to steer her in that direction but she’s known her own mind from birth!

(Sorry to derail the thread)

Watching with interest
Don't know when I right time to bring it up.

Just before lockdown in March I took ds out in car the boot was rattling and I pulled over and he said I'll close It.
I had Easter eggs in boot thought dd took them out. He got back in car big smirk I had my head in my hands he said what's wrong and I'm said to have just spoiled the Easter bunny on you and he replied I didn't think a big white rabbit bounced around deliver eggs I just pretended I believed to keep you happy but then he said I suppose your going to say Santa not real either. I hadn't got the nerve to tell him then.
I really don't know if he believes
I'll just said if you rd believe I'll m magic it happens.

My DD is in year 8 and I haven't told her yet 😬

Don’t tell him till after this Christmas. Believing in magic like that is such a wonderful thing as a child. This letter is a lovely way to tell him next year!

SANTA LETTER:

The letter:
Dear Lucy,
Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: “Are you Santa?”
I know you’ve wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I’ve had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.
The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.
I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)
I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.
This won’t make you Santa, though.
Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.
It’s a big job, and it’s an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.
Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.
With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.
So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I’m on his team, and now you are, too.
I love you and I always will.
Mum

How do these kids get to Year 8 without anyone telling them Santa isn't real? I can hardly believe it's possible?!

@StephenKong

How do these kids get to Year 8 without anyone telling them Santa isn't real? I can hardly believe it's possible?!

Well my 12yo niece has additional needs and believes. It's not unheard of. She isn't teased or bullied either.

Most children know by the age of 8/9 from the playground. They keep quiet so it keeps happening.

My DD asked me when she was 7 if SC was real. I replied whether he was or not she would still get presents.