We asked five experts: should I lie to my children about Santa?

Apparently, because kids can’t read we can tell them pretty much what we like, such as ‘Hey, you’d better be good or Poppy and Grandma might not give you that BIG Christmas present you asked for’, when the kids all know the truth – it comes from Santa – and they can annoy their parents as much as they wish leading into Christmas. So why lie to them about Santa?

By Sophie Heizer, Commissioning Editor, Education, The Conversation.

We republish this article in accordance with The Conversation’s open republishing policy, which we at FSN share.

Ah yes, December. Christmas trees and decorations are popping up in shop windows, the weather is warming up, and the school holiday period looms. This may be exciting or distressing, depending on your relationship with your family.

Not everyone celebrates Christmas. But, for those who do, you may find yourself lying to your children during the holidays about jolly old Saint Nick. But is there real harm in lying to your children to prop up a popular myth? And don’t you deserve the credit for buying all the presents?

As adults we know Santa Claus isn’t real, but many of us remember the disappointing day we discovered this was the case. We asked five experts from various fields if you should lie to your children about Santa.

Four out of five experts said no


Disclosures: David Zyngier is convenor of The Public Education Network.

By Sophie Heizer, Commissioning Editor, Education, The Conversation

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Conversation