How do I explain the different Santa's every year?

Who is to say that there are no magical being like fairies and Santa in the universe? How is it any different from believing in other things, like God or Zeus or Thor? The world is full of unexplained wonders and magic.

I get the feeling you didn't have a very magical childhood, which is truly a shame. ..

Anyways, you are not answering my question, which is the point of posting under it. I asked for ideas for stories to tell my niece that would explain Santa's different appearances. If you would like to talk about whether or not it's best to convince a child that Santa does not exist, go elsewhere. That's not what this forum is about.

You can start a thread but you can't control which direction it goes. It doesn't work like that.

I did not post this using the "Start a Discussion" tab. I posted this under the "Ask a Question" tab. That is why there's a "Select Answer" button, because that's what the posts are supposed to be; answers to my question. I click the button when I have found the best answer.

Introduce the kid to the concept of surrogates. Example: you are not the kid's biological parent, but as a surrogate, you do your best to fill the role of substitute parent.

Some kids grow up on a different level, some play with Barbie Dolls others prefer drawing, or even trucks, I think it's "ok" to be a Princess and live in a dream of fairy tale until you work it out, kids being kids is awesome. But, I also think it's "ok" to have a different mind set if it's your mindset and not agree with the idea or notion..

There underlies a thought as well of "little girls" believing in Santa if we were to google I am sure we'd find quite a few head lines where Santa disappeared with someone's child..

I wonder if it's fearless and/or fear that adds to the thought pattern.

I'd ask my Mum questions too and she'd make me believe, he's lost weight, he died his hair I don't know can't remember but if a child notices he's different every year? Pick a friend to play Santa at someone's house that remains Santa until they work out actually it's "Uncle" Is my suggestion.

What I said still stands. It doesn't say at the top of the page that we can't write whatever we like - even if it's a question. You don't have to select Chai's 'answer' but she can write whatever she likes. I might choose, for example, to correct the punctuation in your question rather than answer it.

http://m.wikihow.com/Deal-With-the-%22Is-Santa-Claus-Real%22-Question

http://moms.popsugar.com/Telling-Kids-Truth-About-Santa-27332439


This is one of the best explanations...

http://wcrz.com/how-to-explain-santa-to-children/

The burden of proof is on the person saying these things exist, as in evidence.

Saying something is an unexplained wonder or magic is pretty lazy.

I don't think there's any good reason to perpetuate a myth when the child is questioning it.
I'd say she is expressing that she's not so sure she believes anymore, and it's time to explain things to her.

You say she asking questions, but it's you that still wants her to believe. So, is this really about you, or her?

What else are you going to try to get her believe in the future, regardless of her questioning?

If she's questioning, give her the respect due to her, and give her straight answers.

I always used the "real pretend" response to these Santa questions.

The Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa, and now the Elf on the Shelf.

I wonder how the Christian parent expect their children to believe in the concept of Jesus when they also hang on so dearly to these fantasy figures?

What's a kid to believe?

Elf on the Shelf?

What's that?

What do you mean by "real pretend"?

Apparently whatever adults want them to believe.

Re the christian comment, I guess they rationalize believing in both Jesus and Santa the same way they believe the NT supercedes the OT. Except for the select parts of the OT they want to believe, but not the parts they don't want to, because for instance, they like bacon.

You've an interesting concept of the truth, eh Sturg? I like the way you handled it.

Thanks Roger.

If there were proof, it wouldn't be called "believing."

She's not saying she doesn't believe anymore, she's saying the ones at the mall are fakes and that the only "real" one is the one she met by the White House.

*sigh* I truly pity you, who did not get to experience the feeling of believing in magic as a child.

The truth is, there ARE unexplained wonders and magic in the universe. Think about it; everything comes from something, right? So how did the universe come to be?

Did it appear spontaneously from nothing one day? Or did it simply always exist? Either way, it defies all logic.

And that is magic.

Do you know what the definition of the word "Reply" is? It's "to say, write, or do something as an answer." In other words, when you clicked the "reply" button to my question, you were supposed to write an answer to it.

There's no law saying you can't blatantly ignore my question and, instead of writing an answer to it after clicking "reply," you can talk about your toes. Similarly, I can call the fire station right now and talk to them about how my day went.

However, that is not what you're supposed to do.

At that point, you're just a troll making posts that are not giving me an to my question, which is the whole goal of all this.

It's not time yet. I asked her the following:
"What do you think about all this?"

And this is what she said:

She said that the ones in the mall are fake. She said there's only one real one and that she met him by the White House. He stays there around Christmas and she "knows" he's the real one because she saw his workshop and his elves and his giant magical tree that had millions of pretty lights. She said that the ones in the mall are there to fool the younger kids since the real Santa is too busy to be in all of those malls.

However, there's a flaw in her belief. Next year, when we take her to see her favorite, or "real" Santa, he is sure to look different, since they get a different person to play him every year, right? That brings me to the question; How do I explain the different Santa's every year?

this is what i got told

there are lots of deputies, and they move around each year. the santa she was with last year is somewhere else this year.

I did 'reply' to your post on the first page. It just annoys me that you feel you have a right to decide how the board is supposed to work. Chai's been here a lot longer than either of us and I'm sure has a pretty good idea how the board does work.
Merry Christmas to you and your niece. I'm not really a troll - more of a bunyip probably.

Well, in a nutshell, there is your answer.

You tell her those other ones are all fake, and the one by the White House is real.