My Hong Kong | Yes, Santa Claus is still coming to town despite the Covid-19 travel restrictions
- After such a tough year for children, with school disrupted and friends they can’t see, which parent wants to tell them Covid-19 will keep Santa Claus away?
- Still, kids are smart enough to deserve not being lied to about some things. Use this year’s adversity to teach them about hard truths in an age-appropriate way
A child asked me recently if Santa Claus would still be visiting his home this year because of Covid-19 and travel restrictions worldwide. It is a simple, yet difficult and delicate question, which I think most adults would dread to have to tackle.
We all know the truth about Santa Claus, but most of us choose to lie to children to keep the magic alive. Sometimes parents go to great lengths to protect their child’s belief in Santa.
I know of some parents who would even fake footsteps in the middle of the night to convince their kids that Santa is placing presents under the tree.
Some parents told me they leave a note signed “S.C.” next to an empty plate of mince pies or cookies, along with a half-drunk glass of milk with some red and white fabric left on the glass.
We did that in our home for only a few years and somehow my daughter seemed to figure out there was no real Santa Claus at quite a young age. But she pretended she still believed in Santa and played along with the Santa’s mince pie and milk trick, perhaps for my sake.
