How d'you handle the Santa story?

[Amaterasu]

Alright, so... I'm going to assume that everyone here in the Omniverse knows the truth about Santa. If you don't for any reason, you should probably stop reading right now.


...


Still here? Okay. So, with Christmas approaching rapidly, I'm asking myself: why is the "Santa lie" propagated so far and wide, sometimes even outside of families whose religion doesn't include Christmas? Much more so than the Three Kings, the Easterbunny and similar characters Santa Clause is upheld in many households to the point where many parents disguise themselves or hire someone.

So yeah, I'd like to discuss with you guys, what's your experience with the Santa story? Some of you are already parents, how do you (plan to) handle it? Did anyone grow up always knowing the truth? I'm curious to hear it :yay:

Please keep it to a mature discussion.

[The Vision]

My mom just kinda. Told me. Super nonchalantly. I don't think she ever bought into the "let's trick our kids into believing in this dude". She just played along because it was fun and a chance to give gifts and spoil her friends and family. The first time I started asking a few questions about it, I was like 6, and my mom just went, "Wait, you know that's just a story, right? Dude's not real. Don't tell your friends, though, because they might freak out."

So of course I immediately told all of them.

[Cell]

While I suppose Santa is tangentially related to religion, I always saw Santa as more of a cultural thing. Sure, Christmas started off as a Christian thing, but my parents weren't religious and I grew up with Christmas and Santa. Same as the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy.

I sorta worked it out myself by about age eight or nine. I was talking about it with either my sister, some cousins or some family friends that were my age and sorta confirmed it with Mum in the next room. She wasn't keen to let the illusion die I don't think, at least from my memory of her expression, but she didn't deny it. So wasn't a big deal for me.

But I did love the illusion of Santa when I was younger. One year we were staying with my grandparents and my cousins. One of my cousins, a little younger than me at the time, told me she was sure she heard the bells of the reindeer earlier on in the morning.

[Handsome Jack]

I propagate the Santa story. Why? My kids are gonna hafta grow up one day and realize how sterile and banal the world really is. That everything has a strict explanation and that there is nothing fantastic left, aside from in our imaginations. But, for now, I'ma let them believe in a world where magic exists and the strange is commonplace. That a fat man on a sleigh can travel the world in a single night and deliver presents to all the kids. That the world is filled with more selfless people than those who focus on their own lives and problems. Basically, I just want them to be kids for as long as possible before the world forces them to become adults.

[Guu]

Though, in all honesty, I never believed in Santa. My parents never kept the secret all too well.

Really, I don’t get why we need to lie to kids to instill wonder into them. There are plenty of real wonderful things in the world, why do we need to make it up?

And I’ve heard the excuse that they need to learn dissapointment, but it still doesn’t feel worth it to break their trust just for that, especially since it’s not even certain that lesson will land. Really, it just feels like something we just do because it’s traditional.

[Handsome Jack]

Sure, there are plenty of wonderful things in life, but it's a different kind of wonder. Everyone on this site should know it well, because we all write fantastic stories in a realm not of reality. I won't make assumptions as to whether anyone on the site is here to escape from a banal reality, or recapture something from their youth, or even just to hold off boredom. But, we all seek something outside the normal run of our lives when we sit down and write here.

I don't understand why people always equate Santa and such to breaking a child's trust. I never felt betrayed by my parents for the Santa thing. Even when I knew it wasn't real, I played along with it, because I could see it made them happy to see my eyes light up. Maybe I'm the only one, but I feel like if a betrayed feeling were common, there'd be a lot less people doing the Santa thing.

Much like a book or a movie, it's a story, and for a child it's an immersive one. One they can feel is real because it has an effect on their life. That's the kind of wonder I mean. The amazement of something unexplainable and joyful right in front of you. A tangible presence which evokes awe.

[Cell]

I don't understand why people always equate Santa and such to breaking a child's trust. I never felt betrayed by my parents for the Santa thing.

I'm the same. I never equated it to lying or breaking my trust; it was a fun game while it lasted, and I realised that even when I was eight.

[Takanomiya Hijiri]

When I found out I just felt smug, 'cos I was in on the secret when my younger sisters weren't.
So long as I still got the presents I didn't care in the slightest where they came from.

[Omni]

I don't understand why people always equate Santa and such to breaking a child's trust. I never felt betrayed by my parents for the Santa thing.

I'm the same. I never equated it to lying or breaking my trust; it was a fun game while it lasted, and I realised that even when I was eight.

That's a pretty good explanation.

I don't remember when I figured it out or how I felt, I just remember making up theories like "Santa must be invisible, because I don't remember falling asleep, and yet presents were there when I woke up."

My mum did make a valiant attempt to propagate the lie, making reindeer footprints out of fake snow and the like, but it was pretty easy to see through because she always smiled when I asked. I'm pretty sure I suspected even when I sort of believed it.

On the other hand, telling your siblings that vampires or werewolves or what have you are real and are COMING TO GET YOU! is not cool! .... Not gonna lie, I was victim to that but then I perpetrated it on my stepbrother when I was older.

[Revan Noctis]

Well Santa Claus and Christmas is a cultural thing. Some parents choose to push the lie more so then others for their own personal reasons. I guess the question is why does humanity celebrate holidays and stuff at all? Well we know that ancient civilisations made holidays too. 

I guess in the end like our ancient ancestors all we are doing is celebrating that we survived and at the same time trying to teach children to be glad that they are.
It’s also to do with a sense of control. Keep in mind ancient tribal cultures had to make up stories to keep their kids from straying too far into the evil dark forest.

[Revan Noctis]

For the record if I ever have kids I may not even tell them Santa exists at all. Obviously I’m still a bit on the fence about it though.