Spoiler alert: this article may ruin childhood dreams.
It’s not long now until we’ll be opening presents and gorging ourselves on Christmas Day. But for children, anticipation of the arrival of Santa Claus can be the best bit. The only question is: how far do you go in perpetuating that myth?
Creating the image that Santa’s on his way can involve a lot of effort – writing letters, creating a grotto, some parents even dress up and sneak down at night to drop off gifts.
But those spoilsport academics have suggested that less might be more. Two professors – Christopher Boyle from the UK and Kathy McKay from Australia – said the Santa story can lead children to distrust their parents. In an essay published in the Lancet Psychiatry, they wrote: “Seeds are planted – Santa might not be real! But adults are not meant to lie … you are aware that they have, so as a child you also consider what else have they lied about. The quandaries of suddenly realising that not all accepted parental truths are that.”
What do you do as a parent? Go all out, hiring a group of elves and heading down the chimney? Or maybe you’ve gone the other way, and tell your children from the off that Santa isn’t real. Share your stories with us here.
