Is it acceptable for parents to lie about the existence of Santa Claus? Options

[Joanne]

Last year in my Academic Reading & Writing class, we had a debate about whether it is acceptable or appropriate for parents to lie to their children about the existence of Santa Claus. I found it really interesting... so why not bring the debate here?

We were each given a 1897 New York Sun article as 'background information' Okay, so she gave this to us because she found it interesting and it's related to the topic. = ='':

Dear Editor: I am 8 years old.

Some of my little friends say, there is no Santa Claus.

Papa says "If you see it in the Sun it's so."

Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would they prove? Nobody sees Sanata Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.

No Santa Claus! Thank God, he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

So... yes or no?

[superstitious]

I tend to approach these things with an air of "fantasy." Like Brandon, I fear that too many children get caught up in the materialistic attribute of Christmas and that just isn't what the season is about. Having said that, I hate the idea that there is a "season" when everyone should be nice and loving towards each other. We should be like that year round, not just a few months of the year or have it emphasized a few months of the year.

With Iz, I don't talk much about Santa Clause. He's brought it up a few times but either it "sank in" late because of his autism or he just tends to look at things from a very literal point of view. Either way, I do not push the idea of Santa Clause with him nor do I think he's missing out on anything by not having that type of sentimentality.

So is it acceptable for parents to lie about the existence of Santa Claus? It is not within my rights to question what other parents do with their children, as long as they do not harm them (and even then, there are limits).

My question would be is it harmful for parents to instill upon them the validity of Santa Clause as being a real being that brings them presents everywhere? That truly depends. I do not think that it is harmful as long as these things remain playful and that a sense of reality is also impressed upon them. I would also like to see children imbued with the concept that kindness is a year round thing and that presents, in their material forms isn't the equivalent of personal gain - it's what we do and how we act towards each other that's truly important.