Hello Chasers,
Those of us that have kids (particularly young ones old enough to believe in Santa and the magic of Christmas) or will be surrounded by them via family or friends at Christmas time will at some point in time be confronted by the real BIGGY when it comes to answering their questions – about Santa and whether he’s real!
I know in our house growing up it was taboo to even go there as I had four younger siblings being the third eldest in a household of seven kids.
But there will come a time when the deep dark secret about the reality of Santa must come out. For some parents, that will be soon – as Christmas looms and some annoying kid at school has already told them that Santa doesn’t exist.
How do you tell your kids without them totally freaking out and yelling at you about being a big, fat liar?
One clever Mum has posted a great idea on Facebook that has been lapped up by other parents on social media.
When Charity Hutchinson, herself a Mum of two young boys who were close to discovering the truth, saw something in a friend’s Facebook feed, it sparked an idea. She decided to share the plan with others on how to handle the question, is Santa real?
“This is by far the best idea I’ve seen about telling your kids about Santa,” she wrote.
“In our family, we have a special way of transitioning the kids from receiving from Santa, to becoming a Santa. This way, the Santa construct is not a lie that gets discovered, but an unfolding series of good deeds and Christmas spirit.
When they are 6 or 7, whenever you see that dawning suspicion that Santa may not be a material being, that means the child is ready.
I take them out ‘for coffee’ at the local wherever. We get a booth, order our drinks, and the following pronouncement is made:
“You sure have grown an awful lot this year. Not only are you taller, but I can see that your heart has grown, too. (Point out 2-3 examples of empathetic behaviour, consideration of people’s feelings, good deeds etc, the kid has done in the past year). In fact, your heart has grown so much that I think you are ready to become a Santa Claus.
You probably have noticed that most of the Santa’s you see are people dressed up like him. Some of your friends might have even told you that there is no Santa. A lot of children think that, because they aren’t ready to BE a Santa yet, but YOU ARE.
Tell me the best things about Santa. What does Santa get for all of his trouble? (lead the kid from ‘cookies’ to the good feeling of having done something for someone else). Well, now YOU are ready to do your first job as a Santa!”
Make sure you maintain the proper conspiratorial tone.
We then have the child choose someone they know – a neighbour, usually. The child’s mission is to secretly, deviously, find out something that the person needs, and then provide it, wrap it, deliver it – and never reveal to the target where it came from.
Being a Santa isn’t about getting credit, you see. It’s unselfish giving.
My oldest chose the ‘witch lady’ on the corner. She really was horrible – had a fence around the house and would never let the kids go in and get a stray ball or Frisbee. She’d yell at them to play quieter, etc – a real pill. He noticed when we drove to school that she came out every morning to get her paper in bare feet, so he decided she needed slippers. So, then he had to go spy and decide how big her feet were. He hid in the bushes one Saturday, and decided she was a medium. We went to Kmart and bought warm slippers. He wrapped them up, and tagged it, ‘merry Christmas from Santa’.
After dinner one evening, he slipped down to her house, and slid the package under her driveway gate. The next morning, we watched her waddle out to get the paper, pick up the present, and go inside. My son was all excited and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. The next morning, as we drove off, there she was, out getting her paper – wearing the slippers. He was ecstatic. I had to remind him that NO ONE could ever know what he did, or he wouldn’t be a Santa.
Over the years, he chose a good number of targets, always coming up with a unique present just for them. One year, he polished up his bike, put a new seat on it, and gave it to one of our friend’s daughters. These people were and are very poor. We did ask the dad if it was ok. The look on her face, when she saw the bike on the patio with a big bow on it, was almost as good as the look on my son’s face.
When it came time for son #2 to join the ranks, my oldest came along, and helped with the induction speech. They are both excellent gifters, by the way, and never felt that they had been lied to – because they were let in on the Secret of Being a Santa.”
How awesome is this idea? I love the idea about teaching kids about giving and sharing with others at a young age too!
So, whilst this post isn’t business related, you can still apply the principles of being a “Secret Santa” to someone in need, a charity looking to make a difference (especially at this time of the year) or a lonely elderly person in need of some company or cheering up.
How could you use this idea in your family and small business?
Have a great day!
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