Trust Tour

Isn’t it a bit strange that we start our children’s lives with a lie about a big fat man in a red suit and a white beard. His name is Santa Claus or Father Christmas or St Nicholas. He can fly around the world in a sleigh pulled by reindeer at unheard of speeds. Despite his hefty size he climbs down chimneys and delivers over a billion toys in one evening. This same guy can see every kid while they’re sleeping and awake, and knows if they’ve been bad or good (a little creepy). He lives at the North Pole with a bunch of little guys with pointy ears making over 5,000,000 toys a day. With all these amazing things he can do, no wonder so many love Christmas.

Now the down side… remember when you found out that Santa was a fake? Who told you? An older brother or sister? A friend? Or maybe you over heard it from adults talking. How did you feel? Was your heart broken? Could it be true that the people you trusted the most made the whole thing up? I remember the day our youngest son found out there was no Santa Claus. I really believe it was a devastating for him, he looked at us like, “how could you?”

I guess now that I am older I’m really starting to question if it’s worth it. I don’t want to break their hearts and tell them that I really made the whole thing up. If was going to be a parent again, I’ll think I would tell them right up front that Santa Claus is not real, but that is it still fun to pretend. For me, it’s too painful to betray our children. If we want our culture to be one of honesty and integrity it needs to start while they are young. Shouldn’t we tell them Santa Claus is made up? Can’t we still pretend? I do not buy into this culture of lies. We need to rethink these stories and help tell stories that build trust between kids and their parents.

Why did we fabricate this story for our children? Is it because it is fun? Does it help our kids behave? Do we continue the lie because everyone else does?

What do you think about the Santa myth? Is it a trust buster or builder?

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