Nursery World - Editor's view (52)

The tricky issue of what to tell young children about Father Christmas is hotly debated in this week's Special Report, 'The real thing?' (pages 10-11). Child psychologists and childcare experts remain divided on whether the Santa Claus myth adds up to telling children lies or plays an essential part in developing their imaginations. The argument that the Father Christmas story abides in the tradition of fantasy and fairy tales only holds so much water, however. In using fairy tales as a rich source of creative stimulus, we do not tell children that the witch in Hansel and Gretel or the troll in Three Billy Goats Gruff are real - that would be deemed too frightening for them to handle, as well as untrue. We allow them the slight thrill of fear, but reassure them that it's just a story. It is only Santa Claus who is positioned as a real being.

The argument that the Father Christmas story abides in the tradition of fantasy and fairy tales only holds so much water, however. In using fairy tales as a rich source of creative stimulus, we do not tell children that the witch in Hansel and Gretel or the troll in Three Billy Goats Gruff are real - that would be deemed too frightening for them to handle, as well as untrue. We allow them the slight thrill of fear, but reassure them that it's just a story. It is only Santa Claus who is positioned as a real being.

Children will believe in Father Christmas for as long as they want to, even if he is portrayed more as a make-believe figure. But adults should not try to insist on perpetuating the myth with unwilling children, or, indeed, to threaten them with the non-arrival of presents if they refuse to acknowledge his existence.

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