Can Lying About Santa Now Hurt Your Child Later?

Lying to kids about Santa Claus is as much a part of Christmas as eggnog and yuletide. Parents have been doing it for hundreds of years, not to mention going to great, often, ridiculous lengths to keep the ruse alive. It’s tradition, and it’s fun, and the thought of a large bearded man sliding down the chimney to steal cookies has brought great happiness to kids the world over. Not only that, but Santa has the impressive power of keeping kids on the straight and narrow for months leading up to the holidays. What parent could oppose that?

Which is why most parents, it’s safe to assume, see little harm in perpetuating the Santa myth. What’s a little white lie once a year ⏤ accompanied by an extensive amount of inconvenience ⏤ in the name of your kid’s happiness and good behavior? But childhood glee aside, as a parent you can’t help but wonder whether years of lying to your children about Santa could screw them up in the head? Or, at the least, cause some minor psychological issues?