How to Answer Kids’ Questions about Santa Claus

Come Christmastime, three kinds of parents emerge.  The “fantastic” ones perpetuate the Santa Claus myth: that he is real and alive, and that he would leave a big gift under the tree while managing not to wake you or the kids up on Christmas Eve -- provided the tots were nice all year round, of course.

Then there are the realists. Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, and through time, his legend has permutated to become a Western symbol for commercial activity and merry holiday festivity. He is known for his generosity and kindness towards children, but no, he doesn’t come a-sleighing down from the night sky with reindeer to deliver you goodies.   

The last is the repentant group of parents -- those whose children are too old to be fooled or those who are scared of being caught red-handed and have decided to come clean. This is the year they are going to shatter their children’s holiday fantasies (unless, of course, the kids have known all along, but the charade had just been too good to pass up).

If you find yourself belonging to any of the three groups, prepare to be questioned—and so as not to leave you dodging them, we enlist the help of a child psychologist (as well as your favorite celebrities) to give you sensible ways to answer. Now, take heed!

IF YOU ENCOURAGE THE BELIEF IN SANTA…

Kid query # 1: “Why is Santa so fat? Doesn’t he take care of his health?”
Aida Maria Perez, Ph.D., developmental psychologist and school principal at DBC Child Learning Center, Inc., advises you to say: “Santa would like to take care of his health, but he’s just too busy watching children doing well in school and at home.”

Tintin Bersola-Babao, TV host, and mom to Anya, 8, and Nio, 4, says: “Funny that Anya has never asked me this. But if she does, perhaps I would say, ‘Maybe he didn’t have time to exercise because he was too busy delivering gifts to kids like you!’ or ‘Santa’s belly fat helps keep him warm in the North Pole.’”

Kid query # 2: “Why does Santa have to sneak in at night? Doesn’t he want to meet me?”
Dr. Perez advises you to say: “Well, that’s the exciting part. He wants to give you a surprise and watch you open your gift to see if you are happy with it. Maybe there will come a time when you can meet him face to face.” (And that’s the time when you can spill the truth about Santa—i.e., you!)

G Töngi-Walters, actress, mom to Sakura, 8, and Kenobi, 6, says: “I’d tell them, ‘There are other children whom Santa needs to deliver gifts to, so he has no time to socialize.’ My kids have a direct line to Santa via their ‘Elf on the Shelf’ so they can relay messages to him directly.”

Kid query # 3: “Why are there so many Santa copycats? How do I know which is the real one?”
Dr. Perez advises you to say: “Santa copycats are there to multiply the fun. It’s difficult to say who the real Santa is if they are all wearing costumes, but the real Santa Claus is the one who has a good heart.”

Jodi Sta. Maria, actress, would tell her son, Thirdy, 7: “Better if you ask them yourself, ‘Are you the real Santa Claus?’”

[previous|page|next]

IF YOU’VE ALWAYS KEPT THINGS REAL AT HOME…

Kid query # 1: “Everyone in my class believes in Santa. If they ask me if I believe, what should I tell them? I don’t want to spoil their fun.”
Dr. Perez advises you to say: “’It’s your choice. You may believe that Santa exists.’ The child’s age matters. Preschool kids are at the height of imagination and creativity, so it’s okay to believe in Santa, and it’s also okay not to. You can also tell him your own experiences about Santa when you were a kid.”

Jodi Sta. Maria would tell her son: “Tell your classmates the truth. Tell them what you think. If you think Santa isn’t real, then tell them. People have their own beliefs. Be honest [with yours].”

Kid query # 2: “Why didn’t you tell me the story of Santa Claus even if it’s just a fantasy? I would have loved it for sure.”
Dr. Perez advises you to say: “It’s never too late to tell you the story about Santa, and we can read it over and over again as often as you like.”

Jodi Sta. Maria would tell her son: “‘That’s because even I am not familiar with the story of Santa.’ I don’t want to pretend to know tapos mali-mali yung ikukuwento ko. ‘We can read about his story now.’”


IF YOU’RE PLANNING TO COME CLEAN…

Kid query # 1: “Why did you tell me all of that if it wasn’t true? That’s lying!”
Dr. Perez advises you to say:  “I decided to tell you just now because I didn’t want to spoil your fun. Santa comes along during Christmastime when everyone feels good and happy. Having Santa around, even just as décor at the mall, adds color to Christmas.”

Manilyn Reynes, singer-actress, mom to Kyle, 17, Kirk, 11, and Kael, 2, says:  “Sit down with your kid. Have a little picnic and tell him, ‘When I was young, I always believed that Santa Claus looked after me to check if I’d been good. Are you a good boy?’ After your child answers, say, ‘But do you know who he really is? Have you actually seen him?’ Your child will think about it and start to realize the truth. ’Wag mo siyang biglain. Idaan mo sa kuwento from your own childhood: ‘I peeped into the living room and saw my daddy by the tree…’ Do it through storytelling; kung seryoso ka, ’di siya makikinig sa ’yo.”

Kid query # 2: “You were sneaking? You told me not to do that!”
Dr. Perez advises you to say: “It’s my way of giving you surprises and seeing you smile. It makes Mom smile, too.”

Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, actress and parenting advocate, mom of five, says: “That happened to us. Our kids were too smart and they found out too soon. [My husband] Anthony tried to set it up to look as if Santa had been in the house. He put Santa footprints all over, but he forgot to hide the pair of shoes that he used so the kids discovered that it was just him. We’ve done it for fun, but we’ve always maintained that the focus should be on Christ. When we got caught, we just started to laugh. It was a good time for us to tell the kids, ‘Hey, let’s have fun with this,’ but we always go back to the focus of Christmas: Jesus.”

Image from costumeplayercatalog.com