Kiss & Zutell: The Truth About Santa Claus

Dear Kiss & Zutell—

My grandchildren—eight and nine—are constantly questioning the existence of Santa. They're smart kids and have their doubts. I hate not being honest with them, but I keep my mouth closed because my daughter-in-law asked me to. I know it's not my place, but I don't know why she must keep this fantasy alive. What do you think? I don't want the kids to one day think I lied to them.

Realistic Granny

Dear RG—

I think you know the answer already. As you said, it's not your place. If your son and daughter- in-law want your grandkids to believe in a little bit of magic for as long as possible, let them!  Don't be such a Scrooge!

I recently read that Justin Bieber's mom told her son almost as soon as he could crawl that there was no such thing as Santa Claus. He explained that she didn't want to lie to him. Her rationale was that when he learned there was no such thing as Santa, he would question the existence of God. She then told him to keep the secret from the other kids in his class. He did and said he was fine with her decision. But I wonder if he felt alone when the other kids were excitedly preparing for Santa's visit and dreaming of dancing sugar plums.

Maybe if he believed in Santa for those few wonderful years of childhood, he wouldn't sing so many sad, sad songs about lost love. Maybe he'd sing about getting the girl every time, all the time, instead of losing her to the guy who probably believed in Santa!!!

Okay. Maybe I'm being crazy. My daughters are six and twelve. My oldest is astonished that she's the only one in her class who believes in Santa. I'm sure I'm living in my own fantasy snow globe. She's a smart kid and a great actress...but still there's something genuine about the way she looks at me when she says this.  Part of me wants to say, "are you kidding me?" But I keep quiet.

I don't question her belief in Santa because once my children stop believing, I might have to stop believing too.