Q&A | How to Talk to Kids about Santa

Are you wondering how to talk to your kids about Santa? That’s what we are chatting about today.



Actually, I’m introducing something brand new today! Starting in 2020, I’ll be adding a second weekly episode to the Simple Families Podcast. In addition to the regular weekly episode, I’ll be adding a shorter form episode. Today, I’m sharing an example of how exactly this will look.



The new episode will be in two main parts: We’ll start the episode off with a Q&A segment where I answer a question from an audience member. Then, we’ll move on and discuss “Something Simple” that I am loving each week–which may be a concept, a book, a product or anything else.



I invite you to send me your contributions for the show!







Show Notes/List



* Submit ‘Something Simple’ that you are loving* Submit a question for the Q&A Segment* 2019 Simple Families Holiday Gift Guide* 2019 “A Few of My Favorite Things”



Full Episode Transcription



You can listen to this episode of the Simple Families podcast in the player above or in your favorite podcast app. Or you can read the full transcript.



How to Talk to Kids about Santa



Are you wondering how to talk to your kids about Santa? This week’s question from an audience member comes from Amy, who has some questions about how we handle Santa Claus in our house. Here’s what she asked:



“I’m the mother of two young children in Seattle and a big fan of the podcast. I also read your book and loved it. I also love your occasional emails where you list your favorite things and some of those things have become our favorite things too. I write today because I’m wondering how you approach the topic of Santa with your kids. I value your opinion and I’ve found that I agree with your parenting style and advice so I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this. You mentioned that your kids see Santa and get one gift from him each year (correct me if I’m wrong), and that sounds like something I’d be onboard with.My oldest daughter is three and doesn’t know of Santa or anything about him, so I’m unsure of how to approach this topic with her. I don’t mind her believing in Santa but don’t really want to encourage it and I don’t feel comfortable with flat out lying with her either. I’m planning on letting her ask questions as they come, but do I even bring her to sit on Santa’s lap this year? How do I explain this very odd tradition in our culture or even start the conversation?”Amy, Seattle, WA



Amy, thanks for your email and your kind words. I’ll tell you how we do it. Now, of course this is going to be different for every single family. I felt a lot like Amy when we first started talking about Santa Claus. I didn’t feel like I needed to shut down the topic altogether or tell my kids straight out there’s no such thing, but I also didn’t feel entirely comfortable lying to them either. At this point, with my kids being three and six, I do feel like we’ve found a middle ground,