Spilling the Beans About Santa

My oldest child is almost nine, and, as far as I know, she still believes in Santa. For about the past two years during the Christmas holidays, she has asked me whether Santa is real, and I’ve always responded with, “Do you think he’s real?” She has always answered in the affirmative while noting that some of her classmates do not believe in Santa.



To be completely honest, I don’t know the best age to spill the beans about Kris Kringle. I don’t necessarily think there is a best age. As with most things, it depends on the personality and needs of each individual child. I have friends who were astounded that their fifth graders still believed in Santa Claus and felt compelled to tell them the “behind the scenes” story to prevent their children from being made fun of once they entered middle school.

Just thinking about this topic sorta gives me the heebie-jeebies, much less writing about it. I’m not ready for my daughter to not believe in the magic of Santa. Much of the fun of Christmas for me as a mom has been experiencing the wonder and magic of childhood belief all over again. It is a blessing to be able to feel some of that same delight I experienced as a kid.
 
Contributed by Carrie Vittitoe, parent-writer for Today’s Family magazine.