How I am going to tell my son that Father Christmas does not exist?  

I'm surprised that he doesn't already know Santa is a fantasy. Most kids know and give the secret away in school. I was heart broken to find out in school that Santa was not real. I felt my parents had lied to me. I raised my daughter to know that Santa was really a spirit of giving and he lived in everyone that gave presents to her. I didn't want her to believe that someone really existed that drove a sleigh with reindeer. It is just too sad when you see their heart sink. My daughter knew that the character in Macy's and other stores were just men being paid to impersonate Santa, but the Spirit of Christmas is in everyone... so in affect, Mom and Dad are Santa. I think you need to just tell the truth and not worry about how to frame it or make it sound the best. Just be straight and let him know the Spirit of Christmas (Santa) is in everyone who loves giving.

I suggest you come clean. Tell the kid that you fooled him and give him a good reason too. He might get angry with you for wrecking his pet beliefs, but better he know the truth than realize the truth after many, many years. I understand this is a big problem in the West. Here in India, kids know Santa is a myth.;) Just fancy dress!!

Cheers and happy mylotting

Can't you get someone to call him, your son is going to find out soon enough on his own that he does not exist, why ruin the magic for him now.

He has waited so long let him have this one last christmas with father christmas, after the holidays are over well before next christmas perhaps in the summer when he is not even thinking about christmas you can tell him the tale of the real father christmas and how he lived many years ago and let him know gently about the truth. Perhaps you can read him a book about the subject or something like that,

but if is was my son I would not destroy his dream this christmas at all.

let him believe one more year and then explain to him on another season dont ruin his Christmas right in the middle of it! then you can tell him it is not important that santa exists it is that he can live on in the good feelings and the spirit of the season

I wouldn't tell him, just let him be innocent as a little child, they grow up too fast these days, one of these days he'll figure it out on his own. Up until last year my nephew still believed in him, and he was 11, but now he says he knows Santa isn't real, that its really his mom that gives the presents..lol. I don't know how he figured it out, nobody told him anything, he just did.

Hi ya ronaldinu

I nearly included a link to my discussion about the very same thing but you have already responded to my discussion so I am now responding to yours! I actually don't see any harm in them beleiving in father christmas/santa claus for as long as they wish to. I think my son will tell me himself when he no longer believes in him or doesn't want to believe anymore. I was shocked today when my friend told me that she has always told her kids there is no Father Christmas but they still get a stocking. Then she told me how upset she was when her parents told her that he didn't exist and she doesn't want her kids to go through the same thing as she did! Ahhhh

Why do you need to tell him? Most children find out on their own. Actually this is the second discussion I've seen with this exact same question and honestly until I saw the first one, it never even occurred to me to tell my children.

Hi ronaldinu, Why do you have to tell him at all this year? He is only 8 years old and can have a couple of more years to believe in Santa Claus or Father Christmas as you say. You can figure out something to tell him about Santa Claus not calling this year, or maybe you could arrange for someone to call him. I think that children should remain children and enjoy these beliefs for as long as possible. Blessings.

He will figure it out on his own so don't. My son was ten, I thought, when he figured it out, as we kept up the story for a long time. My daughter was younger so I told her not to tell her brother. It turns out he knew but did not tell us. It is harmless and it gives them happy memories.

He may already know and is playing along with the adults. My son told me, years later, that he knew sooner but it was fun to pretend and so he kept it up.

I was four when my brother told me and it sort of took some of the fun out of it.

With my kids, we baked cookies for Santa, wrote letters, and just had a big thing going but they also knew what Christmas was really about.

Many people, who do not believe in Christ, still do Christmas as it has become a holiday about giving, sharing and helping others. So, even if it is not all about Christ, for some, many good things happen around the world at Christmastime.

Hi ronaldinu,



Don't tell him, he is till young and sometimes I wish I still believe in Santa, don't shatter his belive, as it is all too often kids are growing up to fast and not believing in anything, so let him be, he will grow out of it soon enough.


Tamara