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The Spirit of Christmas
If your older children start telling the younger that Santa doesn't exist, talk to them. It might be that your older children have outgrown the belief in Santa, but you should explain to them the history behind Santa Clause. Talk to them about Saint Nicholas who existed once and was a kind man that gave at Christmas to those who were less fortunate. Explain to the children that Christmas is the season of giving, and remind them that Santa Clause always gives freely from his heart. Also do not let your younger children see or hear you talk about Santa Clause as though he doesn't exist. Children learn from their parents and if you make it clear that you believe he exists, then they will believe in Santa Clause.
Together with your children set out cookies and milk for Santa Clause. Children enjoy putting out milk and cookies as well as making cookies with Mom or Dad. Making cookies for Santa Clause is half of the fun for children. Tell your children to leave out not only milk and cookies for Santa but also some carrots for the reindeers. This gives your children something fun to look forward to. You can even bake some cookies with your children to get them into the Christmas spirit.
Make sure there is at least one gift from Santa Clause. Also make sure you use a wrapping paper different from the other gifts. If you miss this, your children, even really young children, are likely to start believing that Santa Clause does not exist. Tell them that only nice children can get a toy from Santa Clause. So getting a gift from Santa Clause gives children something to look forward to in Christmas.
A Secret Phone Call from Santa Clause
On Christmas Eve, send the children to bed early. Tell them that Santa Clause can not come if they are still awake. If your children ask if Santa Clause is really going to come, go ahead and tell them yes. To make it more persuasive, you can make a secret call named "a phone call from Santa Clause" to your children. Tell them that Santa Clause will call them at twelve o'clock before they go to bed. Then, when the clock strikes twelve, use your computer and some voice changing software to call them - of course don't let your children know - and talk to them in the voice of Santa Clause from some movie about Santa Clause that your children ever watched. On the phone, tell them that they must be nice and go to bed early; also promise if they do so, they will see their gifts in the morning.
You can find some helpful voice changing software programs from the Internet or you can try a program I am using named Voice Changer Software Diamond (http://www.audio4fun.com/voice-over.htm). Use the program to change your voice and combine it with some VOIP program such as Google Talk (http://mp3-player.audio4fun.com/tutorials/voice-changer-tutorial28.htm), AIM (http://mp3-player.audio4fun.com/tutorials/voice-changer-tutorial32.htm) or MSN (http://mp3-player.audio4fun.com/tutorials/voice-changer-tutorial27.htm) to make the phone call. Although they can not meet Santa Clause, the call and the gifts they receive will make them believe that Santa Clause really exists. So sometime, to children, believing does not require seeing.
There is no harm in letting your children believe in Santa. After all, Santa Clause is a representation of the spirit of giving away. Christmas is the season to give, so it is not a bad thing to let your children believe in Santa Clause.
Be Happy and Merry Christmas!
E.M.
