Ben Godfrey

Christmas is the time of year when most people celebrate the birth of Christ and give gifts to each other. The best part of Christmas as far as children are concerned usually refers to the receiving of gifts. In general, the majority of these gifts come from ones parents, but are usually tagged, “from Santa.”

Is this a good thing? Is it considered lying when parents tell their children that Santa Clause is real and that the elves are packing their presents in a big red bag on a sleigh pulled by reindeer? Could this be harmful for their psyche?

A “white lie” is a lie that is supposed to be harmless and most likely is. Parents lie to their children about subjects that do not apply to them all the time. In general it’s probably a good thing. Children don’t need to know everything about the adult world.

What about the Christmas lie? Children benefit from the story and the belief in Santa Clause because it makes Christmas much more entertaining then it would be if presents all came from ones parents.

The anticipation of the coming of Christmas and of presents under the tree makes the holiday season a delight to children. The Christmas lie is about having a fun family celebration. It provides entertainment for both the parents and the children.

So, what is the big deal? The big deal is that a lot of parents teach their kids that lying is unacceptable and that even “white lies” are not good. So when the children’s friends tell them their parents are elaborate liars, it gives the children an excuse to return the favor.

Then again, if the parents explain the lie to their children themselves it will more then likely be received as something positive. The children will grow up and do the same thing to their children and it will continue to be a fun tradition that will make the Christmas holiday a package of good memories.

The “white lie” of Christmas is simply not a big deal. Children benefit from it in that Christmas is more fun because of it. Although the children might be annoyed because of the lie it will be because Santa is not real, not because their parents lied to them. In other words, this white lie is not harmful to the psyche of children.