Should I Tell My Kids the Truth About Santa Claus?

"I think you should sit down before I tell you this. Are you ready? Okay, Santa isn't real...I'm sorry you had to hear that. Don't ruin it for your little brother/sister or you won't get anything this year."

Well that's better than what I got. I should have seen it coming.
"Why would Santa forget a few presents upstairs?" I thought.
"Why does Mom have a bunch of bags in the back room?" I pondered.
Then one day, I was hit with the biggest life of my childhood. My sister, Kristin, was having a tantrum and screamed in my face, "Santa isn't real!" Whoa!
I hope all of us are aware that Santa Claus isn't real. He was just a lie, told by our parents, to get us to behave around Christmas time. The feeling of betrayal is so musty that it still remains after several years. When asked if they will continue the tradition of Santa Claus onto their kids, most youths will respond with a big "No!" You can tell it's a touchy subject. That hate is still so fresh and juicy that you could serve it for Thanksgiving dinner. I can still hear my Mom say, "Erik! Quit it or you'll get coal for Christmas!" Fortunately for me and my siblings, my Mom had an actual love for the holidays. Her cheer seemed genuine and I feel she actually enjoyed being Santa. She would tell my sisters to put out cookies and milk for Santa. "And don't forget carrots for the reindeer," I always chimed in. When we came back the next morning, the cookies were nibbled, the milk half drunk, and the carrots crunched by the molars of an authentic reindeer from the North Pole. Through my eyes, it all seemed so magical. Santa came to my house! I want to see that shimmer in my child's eyes.

It's strange to have such love for a fat stranger that gives you gifts. What's wrong with just loving my Mom for giving me those presents? She did all the work. All the shopping, planning, and decorating. In the end, your kid loves a man in a red suit. All those years of providing him with gifts goes down the drain with 3 words.

Santa isn't real.

The kid will resent you for it. All that love materialized into presents has turned sour, but it doesn't last forever. Kids grow up and eventually become parents. Every new parent is really a kid winging child raising for the first time. If you feel the need to lie to your child in order to keep him/her in line, it's okay. But I hope you have that giddy feeling of being Santa for the first time, nibbling on those carrots.