Children seem to grow up so fast these days… and at this Christmas time of year a casualty of this is their belief in Santa. Sometimes it can be their own natural suspicions creeping up on them, or it can be the result of a conversation with a school friend - so here’s what to do when your inquisitive child starts asking some tricky questions!
Is your child starting to ask difficult questions about whether Santa exists? Here's a definitive guide to answering those questions, and some top tips to keep the magic alive this Christmas!
Some typical questions you might face:
Q: How can Father Christmas visit every house in the world all on one night? And how can he know who’s been nice and who’s been naughty?
A: Santa uses special cosmic short-cuts provided through wormhole technology - he carefully plans where he’s going before Christmas Eve so that he knows his route off by heart, and he travels at such high speeds that he can travel on special space-time continuum pathways that only he can use. It’s all very complicated, and something that even grown up scientists have never truly understood. He also uses the International Date Line and follows the earth’s rotation which helps him to gain many extra hours of time as he travels. This two things combined make it possible for him to travel around the world leaving presents all on one night. As far as knowing who’s been naughty or nice, Santa uses various techniques throughout the year such as helicopters and low flying planes, Santa helpers in shops, teachers, and CCTV in grottos. Crucially, he also just
knows...
Q: How can Father Christmas get into our house because we don’t have a chimney? How can Santa fit through our chimney?
A: Santa knows that lots of houses these days don’t have chimneys which is why he’s learnt lots of other ways to get in. Sometimes he uses a magic key, other times he sprinkles himself with his special magic dust -
you can find Santa’s full explanation right on this blog by clicking here.
Q: I’ve seen reindeer in real life and they don’t fly!
A: No, well, that’s because the reindeer you’ve seen are either normal reindeer or it isn’t Christmas Eve. Not all reindeer can fly, and besides, even Santa’s reindeer don’t fly every day of the year you know, that would be crazy!
Q: How does Santa fit everything into his sleigh?
A: Santa Claus is a very intelligent man with a vast knowledge who has spent many, many years perfecting this. Quite simply, in the same way that he manages to travel around the world all on one night, he uses science - or to be precise, nanotechnology (which is nothing to do with your nan). He has developed a way of reversing the irreversible thermo-dynamic properties of presents - essentially, this means that all the presents are shrunk to a microscopic size and they don’t take on their full proper size until he takes them out of his sack. I know this may sound confusing, and that's because its meant to be - Santa keeps all the details a close secret.
Q: How can Santa eat and drink all the food that’s left out for him?
A: Well, firstly because he’s quite fat and likes his food, secondly because he uses a lot of energy on Christmas Eve and so burns it off meaning he gets very hungry, thirdly because his Christmas Eve night is longer than yours (see Question 1 above), and fourthly because he has the reindeer and elves to help him (they like eating too).
Q: Why doesn’t Santa leave presents for grown ups? Why don’t teenagers and grown ups believe in him?
A: Sometimes of course he does leave presents for grown ups, but not always. Santa’s main priority is to leave special presents for children (if they’ve been good of course). Some grown ups (and older children and teenagers) might say they don’t believe in Santa, but no matter how hard they try his spirit still lives in them. That excited magical feeling that everyone gets on Christmas Eve, the little fluttery excited feeling in their tummy, is what’s left over from when they were your age. Santa doesn’t mind if you stop believing, he knows that it’s a sign you’re growing up and that’s just how it should be.
Q: I’ve seen lots of Santa’s in the shops and I know they’re not real…
A: No, they’re not (always) the real Santa - but, they are his official fully authorised helpers. He uses them to help him and if you meet one and he asks you what you’d like for Christmas he will always pass what you say back to the real Santa.
Q: The presents you get from Santa you can buy in the shops, so I know he hasn’t made them…
A: Well, that’s an easy one - there are simply so many children in the world nowadays that Santa’s workshop simply doesn’t have the time to make everything from scratch. That means he has to ask some shops to sometimes help him, and he also knows that sometimes children ask for something very specific that he can’t make - so that’s where the shops step in to help, and that’s why you might find things that he’s given you are also in shops.
With a bit of luck those answers will help you out of most situations - now, read on for some easy practical tips and tricks you can start planning and thinking about!
A few rules you need to remember to help Santa this year…
- Remember that Santa has special handwriting and uses different wrapping paper.
- Santa is a messy eater - mainly because he has to eat and dash in a hurry! So there’ll always be a few crumbs left behind from the snack you leave out for him.
- Hiding presents before the big day is vital (as is hiding your online browsing history if you’re using the family laptop)!
- Santa can sometimes forget to wipe his feet - a few muddy or snowy (flour/icing sugar) footprints on the carpet proves that he was really here.
- Equally, sometimes Santa brings his little elf helpers with him on Christmas Eve and they can be a bit cheeeky and messy. Don’t be surprised if they leave a little bit of glitter sprinkled around the room here and there, or move things about! If you find a cushion in the fruit bowl, a banana on the Christmas tree, or a picture turned upside down, it’s sure to be those pesky Elves! Maybe mention to your child in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas Eve that you’ve heard that can happen...
- The reindeer don’t have to eat carrots - they also like raisins, oats, breakfast cereal (any kind), most other vegetables, or even just a bowl of water. The reindeer may (or may not) come into your house, but if they are left outside Santa will take whatever you leave out to them so that they can have some food and/or drink. Sometimes you’ll find hoof prints and traces of magic dust on your front path or in the back garden, along with a few spills or leftovers from their food.
- Track Santa on Christmas Eve - now, this is a good one! The North American Aerospace Defence Command are a proper military organisation who protect the air space over North America. For many years they’ve picked up Santa on his travels around the world on their special tracking equipment. You can find out where he is all day long on Christmas Eve, so log on to www.noradsanta.org during the day and you can follow his travels and watch him getting closer and closer.
- Children all over the world write to Father Christmas every year, but only a very few special children get an answer. If your child has been extra good this year and you think they’d love to hear from Santa, why not reserve a Santa Letter or Telegram? The PhotoFairytales personalised Letters & Telegrams are packed with information and detail that will make your child know for sure that Santa is real - how else could he know so much about them?! Definitive proof when you need it:
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| PhotoFairytales personalised Santa Letters & Telegrams help keep the magic alive - each one is individually prepared and signed in ink by Santa himself. They're packed with detail and are superb quality. Visit the PhotoFairytales site for full details. Limited number available! |
One final piece of advice: just because their friends don’t think Santa exists anymore doesn’t mean your children have to stop believing too. But it’s OK for them to pretend he doesn’t exist when they’re in front of their friends - because when they’re at home with you they know they can still talk about him because you still believe he’s real.
Banish your child’s scepticism this Christmas, help them keep the magic of Santa alive just a little bit longer! And if you’d like even more great advice,
read Santa’s own top tips that he kindly wrote for everyone on this very blog - just click here to read.
Ho, ho, ho,
Sarah x
