10 clever ways to keep the Santa magic alive when your kids start asking awkward questions
If your kids are starting to ask questions about Santa and pick holes in Christmas traditions, these enchanting festive ideas will keep non-believers at bay.
Every parent dreads that moment: your child walks through the door after school and quietly asks, “Is Santa real? My friend says he’s not.”
Cue the panic. Do you smile and stick to the story hoping the bare-faced lie won't come back to haunt you down the line? Tell the truth and risk shattering the magic forever more? Or improvise a half-truth you’re then committed to for the next decade? It’s a proper parenting dilemma.
Most of us like to believe this won’t happen until our kids are well into double digits. But research from 2024 says the Santa questioning starts much earlier — around age 8 on average, with some children as young as 4 beginning to doubt Santa's validity thanks to things they’ve seen or overheard online or at school.
And because those magical Christmas years can feel far too short, we’ve pulled together 10 inspired ways to help keep the wonder alive for longer — plus clever comebacks for the trickiest Santa questions kids ask. Let the festive magic continue…
Post your letters to Santa in your usual post box
Your child will have seen you post letters, bills, cards etc in post boxes throughout the year, so they know that they're real and not just pretend for Christmas. Get your kids to write their letters to Santa early on and then be matter of fact about walking or driving to your nearest post box and posting them. Add in a few bits of your own post too to up the believability.
In the UK get children to address and post letters to Santa/Father Christmas, Santa's Grotto, Reindeerland, XM4 5HQ, in the US it's Santa, 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888, and you should get a reply as long as it's not too near the big day. If you don't get a letter back you can always create your own for your children and have them find them on the doormat one day in December. Remember to write in a different swirly font and add some believable details like a Santa stamp or headed Santa paper. You can buy these online, or use a company to write a personalised reply.
Many kids won't realise all adults, including the Royal Mail, are in on the secret and working together to keep the magic alive so won't find any holes in this part of the process!
Use technology to track Santa
While the internet and social media could be to blame for a lot of kids not believing, some technology can actually help keep the magic alive. The US military – who obviously never grew out of their childhood Santa fandom – keep track of where Father Christmas is around the world every Christmas Eve at Norad Santa. The actual tracking doesn't start till December 24th but, in the days leading up, you can find games and Santa songs and Santa facts on the site.
You can also follow the sleigh's progress at Track Santa, which also offers daily updates on 'test flights' and other elf activities in the run up to Christmas. Or you can catch a sighting of Santa's sleigh (aka the International Space Station) as it passes over your house on Christmas Eve.
Seeing apps and websites with believable trackers and showing how Santa's journey is "possible" should convince even the most scientific minded of young kids that Santa could potentially manage the round-the-world-in-24-hours trip.
Get a secret key for Father Christmas
As kids get older, their Santa questions get harder. Just how does Santa get into your house if you don't have a chimney? And, OK, if he comes through the letterbox/electric fire/cat flap, how on earth does he fit through?
Swerve all the awkward explanations by either mocking up or buying a fake key for Santa and hanging it on the back door or explain that Santa has a master key for houses, letting your children know that as Father Christmas gets older and his chimney-climbing joints become less flexible, he likes to use the back door when he can.
Make sure Santa has his own wrapping paper
Santa wouldn't have the same Christmas wrapping paper as you, would he? And this is one of the easiest traps for parents to fall into. So make sure presents from Santa have their own special paper. Little tags with Santa's signature – or Rudolph's hoof print – written in gold or glittery writing will give an extra feeling of authenticity.
Take pictures of Santa in the house
If you have a kid who is really on the cusp of not believing you might need to up the ante and provide some sort of proof of Santa.
If you have a baby monitor that records video or a wildlife camera perhaps tell your child they can set it up wherever Santa is going to leave presents and set it running before they fall asleep.
Once they're out for the count take photos or video footage of Santa leaving gifts. This idea takes a bit more work, but a Santa hat, a big red jacket and black boots, along with a helpful friend or partner should do the trick. It's quite a laugh!
7 brilliant answers to your kids' most awkward Santa questions
Q: How does Santa get into our house if we don't have a chimney?
A: He has a magic master key that works for any house – chimney or not!
Q: Why does Santa use the same wrapping paper as you?
A: Sometimes Santa runs low and asks grown-ups to help. Teamwork makes the magic!
Q: How does Santa visit every child in one night?
A: With a little help from time zones, flying reindeer – and Christmas magic of course.
Q: Why did my friend get more presents from Santa than me?
A: Every family is different, and Santa knows what's right for each one. It's not about how much you get – it's about the love behind it.
Q: Why do some children not get presents from Santa?
A: Not all families celebrate Christmas and that's OK. People have different traditions – what matters most is feeling lvoed.
Q: Why do I see Santa in so many places – are they all real?
A: Most are Santa's helpers, spreading cheer while the real Santa gets everything ready at the North Pole.
Q: How old is Santa?
A: Very, very old – but thanks to North Pole magic (and lots of mince pies) he's still going strong!
Get Father Christmas to accidentally leave something behind
If children think they've got something that's really Santa's, they'll be delighted and have to believe he visited! Perhaps Santa could accidentally leave part of his naughty or nice list behind or even a glove? Follow this with a letter arriving from Santa asking them to keep it safe until next year. This way, your kids will know that Santa thinks about them all year (plus they'll know he's definitely coming back next Christmas).
Make sure whatever you leave behind has never been seen by your kids before and looks genuine!
Create Santa tracks around the house
If you live somewhere snowy then some frosty footsteps in big boots outside the house is an easy way to create magic. If not, perhaps leave a muddy footprint on the fireplace or footprints by the tree. And crumbs on the plate of Santa food, obviously. Give it your best acting performance by seeming annoyed next morning that you have to brush up after Santa!
Make sure your family and friends know how your Christmas traditions work
The quickest way for kids to work out the truth is by hearing contradictions about how Santa or Christmas works from other adults. So if you're really working hard to keep the magic alive make sure your extended family and friends know how Christmas goes in your house and doesn't inadvertently confirm your child's suspicions.
Make older kids part of 'Team Santa'
Once you don't feel comfortable pretending with older kids or it's obvious no amount of Santa letters or footprints are going to make your child believe again, it's time to bring them into the fold. Being part of 'Team Santa' and being given the task of keeping the magic alive for their younger siblings can be just as fun for kids and gives them something focus on rather than their disappointment at the reality of Santa.
Ask kids to create the footprints and post the letters or do any traditions they loved as a younger child and watch them glow with happiness as their siblings lap it all up.
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Authors
Hollie is Senior Digital Journalist at MadeForMums. She writes articles about pregnancy, parenting, child health and getting pregnant. She has written for a number of national lifestyle magazines and websites over the past 12 years including Family History Monthly, You & Your Wedding and Muddy Stilettos. She has two children aged 4 and 8 and hasn't slept since 2017!