Is Santa Claus Coming to Town? Why Children of the 21st Century Need Santa More Than Ever
When you think back to childhood Christmases, what image comes to mind? Sending letters up to the north pole? Staying up late with the hopes of hearing the clippity clop of reindeer hooves on the roof? Visions of sugarplums dancing in your head? Regardless of your answer, it likely all leads back to the big guy in the red suit — Santa Claus. Since the third century, children worldwide have grown up with Santa as the face and figure of Christmas. However, each year more and more parents are becoming concerned with the potential consequences on children that may result from the Santa narrative, and decide to forgo the “Santa Magic” in favor of the truth. When making this decision, it’s important to understand the benefits of believing in Santa and his magic, but additionally what Santa means to children of the 21st century. Santa may be more important in present day than we realize.
Some parents opt not to engage with the Santa narrative for many different reasons, however the most frequent come from concerns regarding the psychological impact of lying to children and how that can deteriorate the trust between a parent and a child. However, in the case of Santa and many other holiday-related figures, there is a fine line between lying and embracing imagination. When NPR met with Rosemarie Truglio, a childhood development specialist to speak on this concept of a child’s world of imagination, they reflected on their conversation stating “It’s actually healthy, she [Rosemary Truglio] says, to engage with kids in this world of make-believe. ‘How did you feel when you were a child?’ she says. ‘It is that warm spot in your heart that we remember and we want to convey to our children (Truglio).’”
Imagination is crucial in child development, as it helps boost kids’ social, emotional, creative, physical, linguistic, and cognitive development, all of which are crucial skills children will take into adulthood. For young children who celebrate Christmas, Santa is one of the first times for them to explore imagination; without that opportunity, it can hurt their overall development. When telling the truth about Santa to a young child may interfere with their imagination and personal development, the answer to this decision feels clear.
The importance of imagination has been true of children from all generations dating back, however, what differentiates 21st-century children from the rest? While childhood has improved in many ways with up-and-coming technology and social growth, 21st-century children are also living through a very dark world. School shootings are on the rise, systemic inequalities prove prevalent in today’s social issues, and to top it all off, the third year of our pandemic drags kids away socially in the years that development matters most. As young children continue to develop socially and emotionally, opportunities like school, play dates, and activities can help them greatly and give them the place to explore imagination and creativity more thoroughly. Obviously, Covid put an end to all of these activities for a significant amount of time and went right through many kids’ prime years of development. Because of this substantial loss for young children, it’s necessary to find other opportunities to allow them to explore their imagination, and Santa gives children just that.
Outside of Covid, the current events of violence and political uprisings are exposing kids to heavy material much earlier in life, forcing them to mature at a much faster pace. In a time so dark, it feels important to preserve any sense of childhood and innocence possible, and the story of Santa Claus does just that.
In no way am I arguing for parents to never tell their children the truth. It’s only up to around age seven when a child’s world is filled with imagination and fostering that holds importance to their development. After that point, children’s perceptions of reality will change and many will start to question if Santa is even real or not. So while I believe parents should continue to foster the Santa Narrative throughout their child’s young years, there will become a point where the truth is inevitable. When that point comes, I do encourage parents to be the ones to tell their children about Santa, as a healthy conversation with a parent on the subject can allow for the truth while still fostering the magic of Christmas, which is something that can get lost when a child finds out on their own.
I will never forget the day my parents sat me down and told me the truth. I was a curious 4th grader beginning to hear rumors that Santa wasn’t real. While I was deeply disappointed in my peers for not believing, my parents saw this as an opportunity to tell me the truth. That night, my dad sat me down in my bed and broke the news. He never once said that Santa wasn’t real; rather, he said Santa was more of a feeling… a very real feeling. While I was undeniably heartbroken by the news, there was something about the idea of “the magic of Santa’s feeling” that left me comforted by this news. I was told the truth in a way that helped me understand the magic of Christmas in a new and more mature manner, rather than just finding out on my own I had been lied to my whole life. I believe that if my parents had continued to let me believe until the truth really did come out at school, it may have fractured the relationship between me and my family that many parents fear. Instead, I see the magic of Christmas in a brand new light and understand that hope, faith, and love are as real as any person can be.
In times like today, it is absolutely vital to keep imagination and hope alive in children. For kids that celebrate Christmas, the Santa narrative can bring both the imagination and hope children need. However, when the time comes for children to know the truth, I urge parents to be honest and delicate with their children. No, there isn’t a jolly old man in a red suit delivering toys to all the good girls and boys, but yes, the magic of Santa is very much real.
Works Cited:
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“Childhood Development: The Impact of COVID-19 on a Generation of Children.” Loyola Medicine, 23 Aug. 2022, www.loyolamedicine.org/about-us/blog/covid-19-impact-on-child-development#:~:text=Delays%20in%20Early%20Development,-As%20young%20children&text=These%20interactions%20help%20children%20learn,born%20in%20the%20previous%20decade. Accessed 17 Jan. 2023.
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Our Gingerbread Man Adventure: How Christmas Magic Encouraged 21st Century Skills. Inquiring Minds: Mrs. Myers’ Kindergarden, mrsmyerskindergarten.blogspot.com/2015/12/our-gingerbread-man-adventure-how.html.
Turner, Cory, and Anya Kamenetz. “Is It OK To Lie About Santa And The Tooth Fairy?” NPR, 28 Nov. 2019, www.npr.org/2019/04/24/716698873/is-it-ok-to-lie-about-santa-and-the-tooth-fairy. Accessed 17 Jan. 2023.
Woolley, Jacqueline. “Is Believing in Santa Bad or Good for Kids?” UT News, 6 Jan. 2020, news.utexas.edu/2020/01/06/is-believing-in-santa-bad-or-good-for-kids/. Accessed 17 Jan. 2023.
