Santa as a Conspiracy Theory

Adam and I wrestled with the Santa concept and what to tell Alexandra. I wasn't told that Santa exists. Coming from a very religious house, Jesus was the only reason for the season and that was that. We got presents and all, but they were from mom and dad and there were no cookies for Santa, letters, blah blah blah. Overall, I don't feel this detracted from my childhood at all. Adam's family, on the other hand, was all about Santa. So, we had to sit down and decide what we wanted to do for our family. After much negotiation we decided that Santa will come, he will fill stockings only (we're trying to avoid the whole materialistic Santa angle), and we'll do the whole Santa myth. Alexandra is already on board. It's really quite amazing how quickly they pick up on a storyline.

It seems like we weren't the only ones trying to figure out what to do with Santa. A dialogue was posted on our local neighborhood listserv about what to tell kids about Santa. Lots of interfaith families (particularly Jewish/Christian) struggle with it as well, and the perspectives vary greatly. But one mom's post was my favorite. It reads:

My son (at age 10 or 11) logically explained,
"Santa Claus MUST be real. Otherwise, it would mean that there was
some GIANT conspiracy, and EVERYONE got together and agreed to lie to
all their children that there is a Santa Claus. And sing songs on
the radio about him, and decorate all the stores, and play movies on
TV, and put up a tree in your house. It's just not possible that
EVERYONE would be lying."

"What, and you become a grownup, they pull you aside, and say 'Oh,
also, Santa doesn't really exist, but don't tell the kids! Keep
playing along and pretend he's real!' It just doesn't make any sense
that a lie that big, that massive, could possibly be pulled off. So
there must really be a Santa Claus."

You're absolutely right, I told him.

This is killed me. Santa as a conspiracy! From the mouths of babes come words of wisdom, no doubt.

Merry Christmas everyone! May your night be filled with family, love, and a smidge of conspiracy!