How do you explain to kids?

[Lifestooshort1542]

DS is 3.5 and this year will be the first year he really gets Christmas and is already super excited 😆
He keeps putting me on the spot though and when we are talking about Father Christmas bringing the presents he wants to know how he gets here, I said he flies with the reindeers, then he says how do the reindeer's fly? 😂 erm by magic, but how do they get the magic mummy?
How does everyone 'explain' to their kids as I feel myself digging a deeper hole here 😂😂

I didn't explain. I just went with a general "I don't know either, maybe you can have a think about that". 4 y o me thought about it and figured out quickly that he wasn't real. My dd who has SN didn't figure it out until far later too late according to many on MN.

This is my issue with Santa et al. It’s fine if your child likes magical stuff and takes fantasy at face value etc. But when they don’t and when parents begin elaborate lies to enable something they think to be “fun” and “magical” it all just gets silly imo.
If they’re watching peppa pig and ask why the characters have pet animals themselves Despite being animals- we’d probably say “it’s just a Programme
Or it’s made up and not real”. We don’t go to elaborate ends to persuade the kids that peppa IS real and tie ourselves in knots about it all.
But for Christmas why can’t people just say that too? That Santa is a story based on a legend which may have some degree of truth in it and it’s a fun thing? Instead of building it into something that has to end at some point...

I always used to say “well, it’s magic, and you’ve got more magic than me because you’re a child, so why don’t you think about it and then explain it to me”.

I just go with "it's magic" or "no body really knows.... Some people think xyz or xyz" etc. My kids then fill in the gaps themselves.

It’s magic and nobody can explain magic

I just come up with more and more elaborate explanations. I love it! 😂

It's just magic. There are some things you can't explain.
You shouldn't think about it too much

The Elfs get the presents (Elfs being Parents aka Santa's helpers).
Magic, I don't know, are other good answers.

The magic comes from the kindness of children. Every time a child does something extra good it creates a little more magic, to power Santa’s sleigh.

I go with “I don’t know... but I wish I did so I could have flying reindeer too!”

I go with a variation of what Howmanysleepsnow said
Don't deny, don't explain...
Bat the question back and ask what they think...
Works well.
Any other question which I don't know the answer to they know I go to Google - so am expecting them to twig soon when I don't ask Google the answer to similar tricky questions

Ah yes I remember getting into loops with this. Kids are clever. I love it! Sadly they've sussed it now though. As soon as they did we told them they were now part of the magic which is all about giving at Christmas, and to help keep it going for younger ones and their own children one day.