What should you tell your kids about Santa Claus?

[TonyChanYT]

I can't tell you what you should tell your kids about Santa Claus. That's up to your conscience as a parent.

For my conscience, I can't tell my kids that Santa Claus is real.

According to "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", Santa possesses these supernatural characteristics:
He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good

Well, only God knows that.

I also told my kids not to tell their friends that Santa wasn't real. Their parents treat Santa as an elaborate game of pretension. If their friends ask them directly, reply with something like this:

Santa is a legend based on traditions associated with Saint Nicholas. He was a kind man who brought gifts to children. Adults know the truth of this. As kids grow older, they will also learn the truth about it.

In any case, your child should love Jesus more than Santa

See also DW's documentary: The true story of Santa Claus.

 

[ScottA]

The term "make believe" should be fully taken to heart. Any good parent (including God) rightly softens the harder realities of many things in life for their children first with something more gentle. Adults often do something similar even with other adults, saying things like, "Better sit down."

The error, is to think it is malicious. When, no, actually, it is a kindness.

But why the words "make" and "believe?" --Are we so blind as not to see that in the case of God doing the same...it is to gently make us believe?