Parenting: it’s such a hard job. When you don’t know the right things to do to make sure your kids are happy and behaving, it is challenging. So you turn to the one tool you have: LIES, a technique that has been passed down through generations, but maybe shouldn’t be anymore.

Lying to children is a natural response for a parent these days. They lie about the Boogeyman to get them to sleep, they tell them that the Easter Bunny is real and they tell them how a big man in a red suit is coming down the chimney at 12 o’clock at night and watching them to make sure they’re sleeping. Why the heck would you do that to your kid?! I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t sleeping well at night knowing any of this. Sure, my parents got me to behave with this technique, but as I got older, they decided to tell me everything all at once! As a kid, I was traumatized. I remember sitting in my living room after my friend told me Santa wasn’t real and asking my parents if that was true. I was praying to God that my friends were just saying it to mess with me. I hoped my parents were not lying to me about something I loved. But no. My parents straight up lied to my face.

Yes, believing in Santa is fantastic, making kids so happy and full of joy, but I can assure you, you can tell them the truth and still, keep that joy. Don’t bluntly lie to your kids face and tell them Santa is a real man flying in the sky with reindeers. In reality, he was a Bishop named St. Nicolas. He was rich and gave money to a family so the dad didn’t have to sell his three daughters. His story teaches us to be kind and give to those who need help. Don’t fall for the consumerist propaganda crap. If your uncle is in need of a fancy watch to impress someone, get him that watch, but don’t tell your kid that Santa did it. Your kids can handle that Santa is just a character of Christmas. It’s a way to get parents to spend more money on extra presents that have the effect of making your kids feel loved by someone else. Your child deserves to be told the truth, and know that you love them enough to seek out that perfect gift for them. Tell them Santa is not real! He’s a man in history that teaches us to love, be giving, be kind and spend a cold day huddled by the fire with family.

Parents want to be honest with their kids. They want their children to be able to trust them and set an example, teaching them

to never tell a lie. Too bad. I think you should lie to your children, and by that I mean tell your kids Santa is real. It’s just one of many myths told to children: they’re told the story of the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and leprechauns. Why single out Santa? Even if you must eventually crush their trust in you, it’s part of childhood. Lying to your kids about Santa is a national tradition. Watching for his sleigh, baking him cookies, and opening his presents are part of this delightfully deceitful tradition. It’s adorable to see kids so excited about meeting a guy in a red suit at the mall, even if they don’t know it’s just some paid-off old man that loves making kids happy. Believing in Santa makes Christmas special for kids; it adds to the magic of the holiday for both children and parents.

Christmas is a magical time for everyone, but it’s a totally different feeling when the magic of the holiday is more than just the thrill of receiving gifts and the appreciation for the people around you. When you’re a kid, the most magical part of the holidays is really the mystical elves making toys and Rudolf’s nose glowing inexplicably. And of course, there’s the magic behind Santa. I think you should keepthat imagination in kids minds for as many Christmases as possible.

Besides, believing in Santa improves kids’ behavior. They’ll do anything get on his good side and stay off the naughty list (even if they forget all about staying off the naughty list once the holiday passes, at least they’re less of a hassle during the holiday). It also makes them go to bed when they’re high on adrenaline on Christmas Eve, because ‘Santa comes when you’re sleeping.’ Although it can be a tough moment when kids find out he isn’t real, learning that the jolly, bearded man is a lying fake is a rite of passage as children mature. It’s a story, just like the fairy tales that are told to children before they go to bed. The feeling of betrayal and mistrust is heartbreaking for kids, but momentary. Once they get over the shock, they’ll love their parents just as much as before. And once they mature a little, they’ll be grateful for all the Christmas wishes their parents made come true when they were younger.