Winter has arrived, and the holiday season approaches ever closer. However, along with the festivity arrives a longstanding and controversial debate; should parents lie to their kids about Santa? 

Tales about the jolly old man seem to vary, but generally, there are a couple consistent ideas. Santa, a bearded old man with a sleigh pulled by a flying reindeer, delivers Christmas presents to children on his nice list every year. A mascot of the holiday season, his presence is well known by many. Of course, along with the tales of Santa are the traditions of having children believe in him. Many young children grow up, at least to a certain age, believing that Santa is a real person who delivers presents. Eventually, however, the cracks begin to show. When kids begin questioning their parents on some of the more implausible aspects of Santa’s story, the latter are faced with a choice; should they keep up the charade, or reveal the harsh truth?

Many parents want to be honest with their children, including revealing the truth about Santa. In certain cases, parents may even reveal that Santa is not real before their children explicitly ask, in an effort to dissuade misinformed views. On the other hand, many children who believe in Santa are still very young. It can be argued that believing that Santa doesn’t necessarily harm them, and furthermore, that revealing the truth too early can cause unnecessary sadness and a loss of Christmas magic. 

Of course, there are also parents who insist that Santa is real, even when it is more than obvious that their children have begun to suspect that something is up. In this case, an issue more significant than any Santaless-related upset can arise; being caught lying. If parents continue to lie to their children when it is obvious, there is a chance that the kids may have difficulty trusting future information given to them by their parents. While this likely does not significantly affect younger kids, it can be applicable to those who have reached double digits. Additionally, lying in the household can convey a message that it is okay to lie, encouraging lying behavior in children which can cause all sorts of complications down the line.

At the end of the day, whether or not parents reveal the truth about this jolly old fellow seems to be on a case by case basis. It may be impossible to convince some children that he does not truly exist, whereas others may be too skeptical to convince in the first place. As a good rule of thumb, however, taking a neutral approach seems to minimize both any possible upsets as well as any issues of lying. By letting children come to their own conclusions, parents allow for the development of reasoning and exploration skills. At the end of the day, parents should reveal the truth when the child becomes aware enough to ask of it.