Santa Clause Is Not Real

Who is Santa Claus? He is a man of mystery, a fat man in a red suit who sneaks into homes not to steal but to give, and he is a household name for American families all across the country. He is a common story told at Christmas time, from parents to children, passed down from generation to generation. Why is this storytelling such a common practice? Does it have any effect on the children when they realize that Santa is not real, or does Santa stand for such a fundamental concept of American culture that it represents something much more than just presents and stockings on a holiday morning? American parents’ enforcement of the myth of Santa Claus is harmful to children because it creates a scenario where children learn to distrust their parents; however, the love and caring that is central to the myth is also helpful in growing familial trust.
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If children gain the ability to doubt Santa, and doubt what their parents said about him, one would believe that they would start doubting other ‘truths’ their parents have preached. In Mertens’ article she notes a connection between Santa and the trash man because children never see either of them: the trash man comes when they’re in school, and Santa comes when they’re in bed. Mertens says that there is proof of both of their existences, though, and children can put this evidence together by the time they’re five, and justify their belief in both of these figures. In contrast to Santa, however, trash men continue to make logical sense, because their service is practical, even to children. Other ‘truths’ may be less self-evident, such as what one considers ‘good’ or ‘bad’; would the destruction of their belief in Santa Claus cause them to doubt the values instilled in them? To these children, does Santa represent a point of mistrust in their parents, or is there something