Section 1: My son is 5. We
think he believes in Santa, but he might be figuring it out. We've decided to let him decide for himself; if he asks, we will ask him what he thinks about it. Why do we pretend? I'm not sure, but I won't be upset when he figures it out for himself. We also "lie" about the Tooth Fairy.
On the flip side, we've noticed that he's been pretty stressed lately. He's had a couple of "pee in pants" accidents this week, which are often an indicator of stress. At dinner last night, we could see the worry again, so we started to talk about it, and he was
really concerned that he hasn't been good enough. So, my wife "called" Santa's voicemail to leave a message to put our son on the "good" list.
2. I think it is time that there become two distinct holidays. The first will be Xmas, a secular winter party with all the presents and pretty things, still on December 25th. The second will be Christ's Birthday, a somber reflection celebrated in church,
sometime in the month of March.
I am ex-Catholic, but as a choral singer I strongly prefer the sacred Christmas music.