Christmas giving makes a merry mess
IDON’T recall how old I was, but I remember the exact moment I was told the truth about Christmas (spoiler alert: this article also reveals the truth about Christmas). I was pretty young, sitting in the backseat of the family car. We were on our way to a Christmas lunch when my sister matter-of-factly spilt the beans that Santa wasn’t real.
I checked with Dad, who’s honest to a fault, and he confirmed. And that was that. I remember feeling … not that surprised. More like, “oh yeah, that makes sense”, and I haven’t put a lot of thought into it since.
But now, for the first time in my adult life, I’m faced with a Christmas conundrum. We have a three-monthold and an almost two-year-old, so it seems Santa Claus is coming back to town, and my husband and I urgently need to lift our Christmas game.
We got away with it last year, but it’s definitely time to consider our Santa plan, or at the very least, put up a tree.
But this is the conundrum; as parents responsible for giving the gifts, what do you do?
Are the presents from Santa or are they from Mum and Dad?
You wouldn’t think this is a complicated question but I saw a Facebook post on the topic and it attracted some surprisingly spirited debate. There were those who fully embrace the magic of a Christmas and give Santa all the glory. He selects, wraps and, of course, delivers the goods straight under the tree.
Others parents want all the credit for the big-ticket items and Santa simply drops by with the stocking fillers. Some families follow a festive riddle – where Santa delivers something the child wants, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.
But the overwhelming response to this post was very thoughtful and in line with the Christmas spirit. It seems most parents deliberately keep Santa’s present small and conservative, so other children don’t feel left out if their parents can’t afford elaborate gifts. Why should one kid in the street get an iPad while his neighbour gets socks and a book? Were they extra nice? Not so naughty?
While it’s a lovely idea, it’s still flawed. Unless we, as parents, unanimously agree to keep Santa on a budget, there will always be the haves and the have nots, and a lot of questions about why Santa likes the kid down the road better.
It’s a cracker of a question because no matter what you do, some children are likely to feel let down. Including your own children, if you deliberately keep festivities frugal.
I honestly don’t recall this being too much of an issue for me as a child. Have times changed or are we overthinking this?
Perhaps it’s an early lesson in resilience. Life isn’t fair and neither is Santa. Not an ideal Christmas message, but I’m not sure how else you’d explain this to a five-year-old!
Family budgets are tight, especially this year, maybe Santa makes for a good scapegoat? Blame him for the prudent presents, when the cousins show off their new PlayStation and trampoline.
I’m grateful I still have a couple Christmases ahead of me to overthink this merry mess. Forget an iPad, my toddler will be over the moon with a mango under the tree. My threemonth-old is probably only getting milk for Christmas.
I will put up a tree though. Get my festive training wheels on because we’re in for at least eight years of this charade (apparently that’s the average age kids stop believing in Santa).
By then though, Santa will probably be taking orders online, delivering by drone and doing meet and greets via Facetime.
In my childhood, that would’ve sounded even more unbelievable than the story we continue to tell now.