Santa Claus

p

So, will you/do you tell your kids about Santa Claus.

It's awhile before i'll have any but it's something i've though about alot.

I don't want to lie to my children, but at the same time I don't want them to lose out or tell other kids.

I reckon I'll end up telling them about Santa, in the same way I was told about the Easter Bunny or Peter Pan and hope for the best.

What do you all think?

- Kevin

sceptre

Same situation (ie no kids and hopefully none for a while yet)

I'll probably go the opposite route and treat Santa as a character like Mickey Mouse from the beginning - in other words making it reasonably clear that there isn't really a Santa but still keeping the magic of the character alive - but purely as a character. When I was a child the story of how Santa evolved as a Christmas character was just as much fun as believing that a big fat bloke popped toys for a billion children in a bag and delivered them faster than Fedex.

I'm not Christian of any denomination, though I was brought up in the typical go to mass every Sunday family so Christmas has no significance for me as a religious holiday (which obviously has little to do with the evolved Santa anyway)

Call me nuts if you like - everyone else probably does that anyway. Assuming current relationship goes well, it'll already be a case of a mother who would like her children to believe in God and carry out the functions and requirements of the Catholic church and a father who would believe that everything out there is to be questioned (towards a humanitarian understanding of things) and that nothing should be accepted just because someone older says "it is therefore it is." Sounds like a fun time ahead - especially when my prospective four-year-old asks where babies come from and I get slapped by Mrs sceptre for just telling them (I also have a proper answer for why the sky is blue prepared:D).

Depends on the parent really I suppose - Peter Pan is certainly a good comparison for what I intend though.

paddymee

don't want to lie to my children, but at the same time I don't want them to lose out or tell other kids.

I'll tell my young fella the usual about Santa. Because he will enjoy it, like I did.

I fully expect to lie to him over his life time, so if this the worst one, great. My parents lied to me, mainly about whether they could afford what I wanted/needed. Like the Santa thing, I understand why they lied, and bare no grudges. Part of being an adult I suppose.

When I was a child the story of how Santa evolved as a Christmas character was just as much fun as believing that a big fat bloke popped toys for a billion children in a bag and delivered them faster than Fedex.

Really? To be honest that only mildly interests me now, never mind as a kid. I loved the urgency of my parents on Chritmas Eve making sure I was ready for Santa abd they excitement they displayed when I showed them with my gifts. I hope I share that with my young fella.

Paddy

Beruthiel

regardless of what your religious beliefs are, you cannot possibly stop your kid from having the whole Santa thing, you cannot let them miss the buildup, excitement and joy of going under the tree to see what he brought! for me, those were the best Christmases.
Christmas eve, 1.00am, very drunk and trying to get it together enough to put out the santa stuff, giggling uncontrobably while trying to put the teenage turtle helicopter together without making a balls of it!

p

Originally posted by sceptre
Same situation (ie no kids and hopefully none for a while yet)

I'll probably go the opposite route and treat Santa as a character like Mickey Mouse from the beginning - in other words making it reasonably clear that there isn't really a Santa but still keeping the magic of the character alive - but purely as a character.

Yea, that's what I was getting at too.
I'm not entirely sure ho to do that thouhg. (:

When I was a child the story of how Santa evolved as a Christmas character was just as much fun as believing that a big fat bloke popped toys for a billion children in a bag and delivered them faster than Fedex.

How do you mean exactly? You always knew Santa wasn't 'real'?

(I also have a proper answer for why the sky is blue prepared:D).

What is it?

paddymee & Beruthiel:
I don't want to take away from the magic of christmas, but at the same time I'd really like to be able ot say I never lied ot my children. There's still surprises and excitement around cristmas, so it'd hopefully just be redirected.

I know a family who's daughter was heart broken when she found out there was no Santa, broke down in tears and screamed at her parents for lieing to her. Now I know that's probably very rare but it still makes me think.

- Kevin

paddymee

I know a family who's daughter was heart broken when she found out there was no Santa, broke down in tears and screamed at her parents for lieing to her. Now I know that's probably very rare but it still makes me think.

I was not suprised when I found out santa didn't exist. As you get older the rumor spreads among kids that he is fiction. So I guess you are prepared.

And maybe in my case it was the flimsy excuses my parent gave when I asked them about the Quinnsworth price stickers on the gifts.

Paddy

Talliesin

The Santa thing just kind of happens. We didn't actually tell Sadhbh about Santa but when she ended up hearing about him either we just added that Santa comes to some kids at Yule, to explain how she got presents a few days before everyone else and we were stuck with the guy

I agree with the Mickey Mouse thing (except that Mickey Mouse is hardly ever on these days, but Bear or whatever). Indeed it just happens that way. Kids sort of know Bear and Tweenies aren't real, and sort of don't and ideas get clearer as they get older.

Mr.Applepie

Whats all this rubbish about santa not existing???

daveirl

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daveg

How could you not tell your kids about Santa. It's one of the most magical things about being a kid. Some of my happiest memories are of Xmas when I was a child.

logic1

Originally posted by p
Originally posted by sceptre
(I also have a proper answer for why the sky is blue prepared:D).

What is it?

- Kevin

Light is made up of electromagnetic waves.

The distance between 2 crests in this wave is called the wavelength.

White light contains all the colors of the rainbow.

The amount of light scattered for any given colour depends on the wavelength of that colour.

All the colors in white light have different wavelengths.

Red light has the longest wavelength.

The wavelength of blue light is about half that of red light.

This difference in wavelength causes blue light to be scattered nearly ten times more than red light. Lord Rayleigh studied this phenomena in detail. It is caused the Tyndall effect or Rayleigh scattering.

Lord Rayleigh also calculated that even without smoke and dust in the atmosphere, the oxygen and nitrogen molecules would still cause the sky to appear blue because of scattering.

When blue light waves try to go straight through an oxygen and nitrogen molecules, its light is scattered in all directions because of this collision.

This scattered blue light is what makes the sky blue.

All other colors (with longer wavelengths than blue light) are scattered too.

Blue light's short wavelength causes it to be scattered the most.

(The shorther the wavelength of the color, the more that color gets scattered by the atmosphere)

Actually, violet has the shortest wavelength of all colors. Violet is scattered even more than blue light. However, our eyes are much more sensitive to see blue than violet, therefore we see the sky as blue.

Very little visible light is absorbed by the atmosphere.

http://www.why-is-the-sky-blue.org

.logic.

Moonbeam

Its not really lieing to them I think the worst thing you can do to a child is to wreck the magic of childhood,it dosent last for long and we would all love to have it back so while they have a chance I think its better to let them enjoy it,
I was barely old enough to know who santa was when I was told that there was none and I would do anything to have not been told and not to have known for another 5 or 6 years,

Talliesin

I also have a proper answer for why the sky is blue prepared

Why is the sky blue: Summary
So, why is the sky blue? It is because blue light from the sun strikes the air molecules and scatters and our eyes perceive it as blue.

Why is the sky blue: Short Summary
Why is the sky blue, you ask? Blue in sunlight collides with air molecules and our eyes see it as blue.

Why is the sky blue: Condensed
Sunlight collides with air, scatters blue wavelengths.

Why is the sky blue: Ultra-Condensed.
You are seeing things. Stop asking.

Source

Talliesin

Actually I just found out that Tyndall was a distant relative of the girls. One of them should eventually inherit his tea set or something

Suppose I better give a good explanation of why the sky is blue then.

kamobe

The whole beauty of christmas as a kid was the build up to that morning when the fat man brought the gifts. I remember not being able to sleep, and at the same time, being scared that if i didnt sleep, he wouldn't come! I would definately encourage the dream of santa being brought to kids, and it must be a wonderfull feeling for parents too, watching their children tear open their gifts with a big goofy smile

ho ho ho!!

Tippex

Guys,

I've two kids (both boys) one is 9 and the other 6 months.

About 2 months ago my nine year old said to me that santa isnt real and said that we bought the presents. It came as a bolt out of the blue because we hoped we would get another year out of him.

When I realised he wasnt just testing the water I spoke to him about the whole thing and he was really upset and know when everyone asks him whats he getting off santa he just laughs at them.

So he has been saying I'd like this or I'd like that and he has never been one to go over the top so we have pretty much got him everything he wanted to try to make up for the santa thing.

But I would say he will be fine once next year hits and the other little fella is on the santa merry-go-round....

So I would definately say let the kids be kids and dont try to make them grow up to quickly.

Tip.

sceptre

Originally posted by p
How do you mean exactly? You always knew Santa wasn't 'real'?

Never really thought about it at the time but thinking about it now, I suppose so. There are plenty of clues - the basing of the character loosely on St Nicholas (I knew that he supposedly visits children in other countries on December 6), the Coca cola design of the character in the 30s, the Kris Kringle thing (a few views of the 1947 Miracle on 34th St can cause a little confusion if you pay enough attention), why Santa lives at the North Pole yet people visit him in Lapland. Things I'd have been aware of at a fairly young age (as soon as they tech you to read the info is there). It just didn't add up. My parents did manage to delay my realising for definite by answering the "how does Santa know if I'm good or bad?" question by telling me that they let him know. Probably held up the realisation for at least a year.

I suppose I was 6 or 7 when I finally just asked. These days kids probably find out earlier (they seem to be doing everything else earlier) but might pretend they don't know as they've enough cop to realise that a parent can play the impecuniosity card whereas Santa with unlimited funds and elves can afford anything. Actually, if people out there have children that have made the no santa declaration, what age were they?

If I'd been a smarter child, I'd probably have been concerned about the elf labour problem too:) or why a big fat guy gets the urge to give stuff to kids, but I suppose you don't do that at an age where goblins and fairies probably exist and everyone knows that a tardis (or a flying trickshop) is bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside

Victor

Originally posted by p
I don't want to lie to my children, but at the same time I don't want them to lose out or tell other kids.

Is it lying? Is telling your pregnant girlfriend shes not fat lying? Or many other things.

It's a bit like secrets, bad secrets should not kept kept, good one should.

daveirl

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memphis

Kids grow up, the whole Santa Claus thing is a phase.

I think it is the duty of a parent (which I'm not yet) to tell there kids there is a Santa. Afterall, where would the magic in Christmas be if they weren't visited by him?

By the time they're about 9 or 10 they'll suddenly cop that the big guy in the red suit doesn't exist. What i'm saying is let them find out for themselves. I don't believe that telling kids that there is a Santa to be actually lying to them. Its merrily a way of keeping them happy!!!

Even in adult life we tell lies, or twist the truth. We hold things from family and friends in order not to hurt them. Some times its best to let people find out the truth themselves. I can't think of an example straight off but I'm sure ye see what i'm getting at.

Hope this gets a few of ye thinking.
I'm not exactly the best person to give suggestions or advice.

scojones

I doubt there's many sheep in dublin, the only sheep i know of in dublin are on bertie's bandwagon.