How to prevent children from discovering that Santa Claus does not exist?

A half-consumed glass of milk, clementine peelings and shortbread crumbs on the table: for a long time, this food trio was the irrefutable proof of the visit of Santa Claus, on the night of December 24 to 25. But this recipe is no longer enough to convince young children. Between recomposed siblings, offbeat New Year’s Eve and multiple distributions of gifts, not to mention gossip in the playground or leaks on parents’ mobile phones, some adults redouble their imaginations to keep their offspring under the illusion of Christmas.

Since their first son discovered, in first grade, the true origin of gifts “on the family WhatsApp”Samuel Moulin and his companion are determined to rock the second child (4 and a half years old) in “Christmas universe for as long as possible”. “One evening, our first boy was playing on my smartphone and said to me: ‘Grandma is going to buy me the Spiderman robot circuit, I saw it on your phone.’ He was 6 years old. I was mad at myself”, explains the Parisian dad, who understood the lesson. Since, “With my sisters and my parents, we only deal with gift stories orally and when the children are at school. No question that I will be trapped again ”. He imposed a similar system on his in-laws: “We send each other emails, and it works very well. »

“For me, it’s important that children live this magical period as long as possible. Everything is so depressing the rest of the time” – Samuel Moulin, 2 children

In December, the television in the dining room remains off, toy catalogs are not allowed in the mailbox, and he goes to the drive-thru to pick up the week’s groceries. “It prevents children from falling on Santas who are there to amuse the gallery. We try to keep our children in a bubble until December 24th. Eventually, even the eldest is tempted to believe it again,” amuses Samuel Moulin who, on the night of the 24th, goes to bed the last to put the presents under the tree, and wakes “from 8 a.m. the whole house in fanfare”. “For me, it’s important that children live this magical period as long as possible. Everything is so depressing the rest of the time. »

Well thought out organization

Escape from spoiler in the middle of Advent: the process is not simple and involves thinking about a scenario in order to prepare the clues. With four children born of two unions, including a youngest of 4 years old, Florence Divay is a specialist in the field. Every year in December, this forty-year-old living in Laval (Mayenne) savors “the magic of the end of the year celebrations” and like to do “Believe in Santa’s passing”. The two adults (20 and 18 years old) have been the accomplices of this well thought-out organization for many years. “They had no interest in telling the truth, she said laughing. I am a Christmas believer. » A real family contract that Sacha, 9, has just joined. “He understood the truth this year at school, it was difficult for him… But now he is happy to continue to make his little sister believe. »

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