The birbsite has just informed me that Santa in "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is in fact the narrator's father in a santa suit and not Actual Santa and I can't handle this.

@Annalee But if all the kids were supposed to be in bed (as the narrator clearly was supposed to be) why would Daddy have to disguise himself as Santa? I think it's more likely that Mommy is actually married to a man who is secretly the Actual Santa.

@ann_leckie @Annalee I always assumed the family was relatively poor and Daddy was coming home from his second job as Department Store Santa.

@q_aurelius @Annalee ah that makes more sense than my initial bewildered assumption that Daddy had dressed up as Santa so that he could put the presents under the tree while the kids were still (presumably) in bed. Or WHAT IF...

@ann_leckie @Annalee @q_aurelius
Parent dressing as Santa for the sole purpose of moving presents around is a Christmas trope. He knows the kid is waiting up and wants to make them believe a little longer

@DialMforMara @q_aurelius @Annalee Well, sure, it's a well-worn trope. But it doesn't make actual, real life sense. (Also I am suppressing a rant about how fucked up it is to be so invested in your kids believing this that you'd go to such lengths to continue to deceive them).

@ann_leckie @Annalee @q_aurelius
My favorite Santa-ing method is the story I read about how, when your kid gets old enough to doubt, take them out to lunch and tell them Santa is a title that anyone can earn by giving kind anonymous gifts, and then give your kid am opportunity to become a Santa.

It's a very Jewish sentiment actually. Anonymous giving is the highest form of tzedakah.

@DialMforMara @q_aurelius @Annalee If you're goign to do Santa Is Real, that's the best way to do it, IMO.

@Annalee @q_aurelius @DialMforMara I seriously have to bite my tongue at some of the anxiety over the prospect of kids Finding Out. Families do what works for them, right? But, I mean, I like this way much better.

@DialMforMara @q_aurelius @Annalee In our house, it was "St Nicholas was a real person who Santa Claus is based on/a version of. Santa is Real is a game some families play." The kids got presents from Cthulhu instead. Which reminds me I need to get candy for the Christmas Squid.

@ann_leckie @Annalee @q_aurelius @DialMforMara Yeah, we never did Santa here; presents were from people. Stockings were from unidentified people. Certainly doesn't seem to have decreased the specialness of the occasion.

@gannet @DialMforMara @q_aurelius @Annalee @ann_leckie Santa had my mom's highly distinctive handwriting so even when I was oblivious as rocks I figured out the "secret" pretty quick. And yeah, didn't seem to add to the "magic" for my younger sibling who couldn't read.

@xiombarg @Annalee @q_aurelius @DialMforMara @gannet To be entirely honest I don't understand what "magic" it's supposed to add. Or, more specifically I have a rather cynical view of what its appeal is, but that's me, and like I said, families do what works for them & don't need to care about my opinion of it.