To think parents who do this are hypocrites

[Cazzovuoi]

I'm so sad for all the kids who will miss the magic of Santa because parents don't want to lie to their kids.

It's a bizarre concept to me that you think letting your kids believe in a wonderful magical, mythical person is lying yet, if you are religious, you actively teach them to believe in a malevolent, omnipotent, all powerful, cruel being so controlling that he takes attendance on Sunday.

At least Santa was a real person.

@Snugglepumpkin

I dont know anyone who teaches their children about a malevolent or cruel being so YABU & rather offensive to those who are religious.

You seem to have issues with religion but don't have any issue taking part in a religious holiday which seems pretty hyprocritical to me.

The holiday predates Christianity though. By a long way. It was stolen (violently) by early Christians…….

I’m not against people telling their kids about Santa by the way, everyone can do what they like. Just seems a bit dramatic to be feeling so sad over all the poor kids who don’t believe in Santa. I mean they’re not really missing out, just doing something different.

I don't care what other people do but I can't believe some PPs felt duped when then they found our Santa wasn't real.
That is a complete overreaction

Yeh I agree op. And the folk that tell the kids they bought the gifts then Santa picked them up only to deliver them later...it just doesn't make sense.
Or removing the tags from presents from other family members and telling them they were all from Santa. Wtf. No.

Santa brings a present Xmas Eve and is flown in his sleigh by his reindeers. Not difficult :D

Not sure what you mean? If Santa brings gifts to children based on how good or nice they are then the nicest children should get the best gifts?
I've never known anyone tell their kids they'll get more or better gifts if they've been well behaved, tbh.

Really? You’ve never heard adults say ‘ooh you better be good if you want lots of toys from Santa?’ Or teachers tell their class Santa is ‘watching’ to decide who will get lots of lovely gifts?

I do the santa thing, others don't.

I don't do the easter bunny thing, others do.

I have a party for the Eurovision every year and the kids get excited in the run up, other people don't.

Some people bring their children up with religion and believing in God, I don't.

Kids aren't missing out, nor is it hypocritical. We all parent the way we see fit based on things that affected us as kids and our own moral values now.

It would be a very boring world if we were all the same.

I don't believe in Santa, but I still bloody love Xmas so no magic lost here.

I have a friend who never told her children Santa was real because she said the thought of lying to them seemed strange. they still did the stockings and presents etc but always knowing Santa was just a fun pretending game and their Christmases still seemed fun and magical.

Incidentally my friend is also firmly atheist and never told her children God is real either.

I think it’s hypocritical that people who hate religion insist on dictating to anyone else on how to mark religious holidays regardless of who does or doesn’t believe it ’Santa.’

And FYI

St Nicholas is the ‘real’ person not ‘Santa’ but in England we don’t have ‘Santa’ we have Father Christmas.

“The hypocrites are those who lie to their children about a man who brings presents for them, for no other reason other than "because I want to give you the magic of something" ; "it's because of my love for you", then teach the children that lying under any circumstance is wrong.”

I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t lie to their children, I’ve met people who say they don’t lie - but they still tell their children that the mess they painted at school is pretty or that the song they’re screeching sounds lovely...

I agree that Santa was the magical part of Christmas for me. Yes I would have still got presents etc but it was the sheer magic of wondering whether this mythical man would leave me done presents. Absolutely made Christmas for me. Was never the same when I found out the truth. 😭

I don’t believe in god or anything of the like. Imo God is as real as Santa.

@BananaPB

Equating Christmas magic with Santa is very sad

How so? I used to lie in bed and genuinely thought I heard his sleigh bells above the house one night. I imagined him going from rooftop to rooftop sliding down the chimney and delivering presents. It was magical. Why is that sad?

I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t lie to their children, I’ve met people who say they don’t lie - but they still tell their children that the mess they painted at school is pretty or that the song they’re screeching sounds lovely...

"Mummy, mummy, do you like this picture I painted of you"

"No sweetie it's shit, my legs aren't that long, my hair isn't green, I never wear a red triangle dress and my boots haven't been that perky since 19oatcake. Do better"

😂😂😂

@Kanaloa

Really? You’ve never heard adults say ‘ooh you better be good if you want lots of toys from Santa?’ Or teachers tell their class Santa is ‘watching’ to decide who will get lots of lovely gifts?

Honestly, no. I have heard of kids being told Santa might leave a sack of coal if they've been horrendously behaved, (which I don't see as being radically different to any other consequence for bad behaviour, tbh), but no reference to the quality or quantity of the gifts they'll get for being "good". If that's how you've spun it, you've created the situation yourself.

What do you think Santa means? Saint ... as in St. Nicholas

It's not St Nicholas that "lives" at the North Pole surrounded by elves and flying reindeer is it? Hence why I said that Santa was based on St Nicholas. St Nicholas lived in Turkey and I doubt very much knew anything about the Arctic Circle thus St Nicholas = real person, Santa Claus = character based on real person, but fake.

Surely it’s more hypocritical be atheist and yet lie to kids about Santa for years and then one day tell them ‘oh, it was all a lie’, or wait for them to realise through friends etc?

Wow what a goady post , probably wants to get in the daily mail .

We will teach santa the same way we will teach God. "Some people believe...." "I don't know what I believe but Christmas does feel very magical!"

Both DH and I remember finding out santa wasn't real as being a humiliating experience. I don't remember how thinking some mythical man was breaking into our house made Christmas more exciting.

@TReXX

I felt like an utter fool when I realised father Christmas was a lie.

I still remember the sting of shame at being duped years later - so I don't see it the same way I'm afraid.

We did do the whole mince pie and brandy for father Christmas and carrot for the reindeer thing with ours but always tongue in cheek, they knew it wasn't real but we all played along.

Sting of shame?? Oh for Christ sake

I have heard of kids being told Santa might leave a sack of coal if they've been horrendously behaved, (which I don't see as being radically different to any other consequence for bad behaviour, tbh), but no reference to the quality or quantity of the gifts they'll get for being "good".
If that's how you've spun it, you've created the situation yourself.

I haven’t ‘spun’ anything. I’ve told my kids from day dot that Santa is just a story. I’m fine with other people telling their kids Santa is real but it seems to be them that has the issue with kids missing the ‘magic.’

@Takemetothe90s
Why? That's exactly what it felt like.

Excuse me for being articulate.

[quote Kanaloa]@GreyhoundG1rl

Not sure what you mean? If Santa brings gifts to children based on how good or nice they are then the nicest children should get the best gifts?

Whereas in real life richer children usually get more/better gifts while poorer kids will get less. Because their parents can’t afford as much. Of course the kids with more money will still get more than my kids, but everyone’s aware that it isn’t based on behaviour but on how much money your parents have.[/quote]
That’s exactly why my kids were always told parents have to pay for the presents Santa brings.

My eldest two were given the Santa story by their father, but he then fucked off at Christmas time. No chance I was having them worry or think that they’d been naughty because they got less than other kids.

They thought Santa was basically the delivery guy. That’s carried on with the younger kids.

@MolkosTeenageAngst

I have a friend who never told her children Santa was real because she said the thought of lying to them seemed strange. they still did the stockings and presents etc but always knowing Santa was just a fun pretending game and their Christmases still seemed fun and magical.

Incidentally my friend is also firmly atheist and never told her children God is real either.

This is pretty much me.

I was brought up in a fiercely Christian household, but where private belief was private.

We were told the stor(ies) of Christmas from the different Gospels, and encouraged to think critically about why the different writers told them in different ways (or left them out entirely) - and about the dates that the different Gospels were written, and therefore about how likely the stories were to be literally true.

(A belief in God in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is entirely compatible with a critical academic discussion as to whether the angels over the fields of Bethlehem were literally real, or whether the wise men from the East really were kings or not - and why Luke talks about shepherds while Matthew has wise men)

We also told stories of Father Christmas, and celebrated them as lovely stories and fantastic family traditions of make-believe (we still all have stockings as adults).

I did the same with my children - I have no personal belief but my children know the Gospel stories, and we tell the stories of Father Christmas.

We have never had to 'pretend FC is real' - do children have to 'believe' they are firemen to have huge fun going around pretending to be firemen? Do they have to believe they are a princess or fairy to spend whole days in those roles? Every child - and every parent - knows about the magic of 'make believe', and how enjoyable it is, without any need to bust a gut trying to 'prove' that 'it's real'. It's make believe. Make believe is magical, and hilarious, and timeless, and wonderful - and even better, if you never try to 'make it real' you can carry on into middle age and beyond.....

You sound really ignorant to be honest. Do you not have more important things to worry about?

I believed in father Christmas as a kid, and I don't remember being upset when I realised he wasn't real, but all gifts in my house weren't from santa, they were from my parents.

The idea of santa only really makes me uneasy in terms of social disparity, it must be heartbreaking for kids of poorer families to have not really gotten many gifts compared to wealthier families if all gifts come from 'santa'

I will do santa when my daughter is old enough to understand, but he won't feature heavily, and I really won't feel bad for kids who's parents decide against it, there are so many more ways to enjoy Christmas and all families have their own traditions