Here's why you SHOULD tell your kids Santa Claus exists, according to a philosopher
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In the days leading up to December 25, it's a question that many parents will repeatedly hear – is Father Christmas real?. Last week an academic waded in on the matter with the controversial claim that the jolly gift giver is a 'preposterous lie'. But now another expert insists parents should tell kids that Santa exists because it makes Christmas better and encourages a dose of 'healthy suspicion'.
![[Santa Claus is based on St. Nicholas of Myra, who, according to Christian tradition, was a bishop in that small Roman town during the 4th century AD. This image shows a 13th-century depiction of Saint Nicholas from Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai, Egypt]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/09/10/92777543-14173115-This_image_shows_a_13th_century_depiction_of_Saint_Nicholas_from-a-34_1733741664138.jpg)
In an article for the Conversation, Tom Whyman, lecturer in philosophy at the University of Liverpool, argues that 'kids need Santa'. 'Without that sweet embellishment, there would be no ritual of writing to him, of leaving out sherry and mince pies, of waiting desperately to see if “he’s been” on Christmas morning,' he says.
![[Last year, Jake Moore, tech expert and security advisor at ESET, said his daughter Googled the big question 'is Father Christmas real?' and was dismayed by the results]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/09/10/78550291-14173115-Jake_Moore_tech_expert_and_security_advisor_at_ESET_said_his_11_-a-33_1733739373632.jpg)
'Without the Santa myth, what would Christmas for the average child even be?. 'An arbitrary date when they are finally allowed to play with presents their parents maybe bought months in advance – what would be the point?'. Dr Whyman also questions the implications of being 'fully honest' with a child from a young age.
![[Santa's sleigh could potentially fly if it had a few major modifications, including a pair of wings similar to those on a commercial aeroplane and an engine with the equivalent thrust to that produced by NASA's Saturn V rocket or 150 Boeing 747-400 airliners]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/09/11/65764695-14173115-Santa_s_sleigh_could_potentially_fly_if_it_had_a_few_major_modif-a-38_1733742317435.jpg)
It's a question most of us have asked early in our lives - is Father Christmas real? A philosopher has waded in on the matter with the claim that the jolly gift giver is a 'preposterous lie'. 'If I felt compelled to tell my children everything, I would pull no punches in relating the wretched state of the world, of existence, of my still-deepening resignation that nothing positive can be done about it,' Dr Whyman says.
