Aspies: Would you teach your children about Santa Claus?

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I am curious about this; since Aspie's are supposedly more logical, would an Aspie parent who celebrates Christmas teach their child to believe in Santa Claus?

I would - If I ever have children, I almost chose the I won't have children option, but 18's probably too young to decide that.

I would tell my children about Santa Claus, just like I'd read them fairy tales and act like they're real.
Do children ever really believe that stuff? I'm not sure.
But I do know that it's fun and it adds a magic to their lives.

I would want them to know about as many things as possible. Whether or not they choose to believe them is their own decision;
I would teach them about different religions and atheism, and never force them into either.

(as an atheist who was raised into christianity, I think that's kind of a horrible thing to do; until the age of 10 I just repeated what people told me about god, since they treated his existance like a fact, and only slowly began to realize that I didn't believe any of it. But telling a child there is no god wouldn't be any better, really.
Atheists claim atheism is not a religion, doesn't cause wars, isn't self-righteous; but I'm not sure I can agree with that anymore, there's agressive extremists on both sides. Religious statement end.)

I'm as logical as they come but, sure, I'd teach 'em. Knowledge is power and the more they know the more they'll grow.

I'm not even a believer of the Bible but I'd also teach it. I've read it, as well as Martyrs Mirror, and would use those texts to supplement their history lessons.

Parents don't need to "teach their children about Santa Claus". Unless you live in total isolation your child is going to encounter Santa Claus, from October onwards - on television, in print media, online, in nursery and school, in the shops, in the street, in unsolicited comments from strangers..... There is no escape from Santa Claus!

I am a Christian and I participated in the whole Santa thing as little as possible. I told my son about St Nicholas and the historical origins of Santa which is now simply part and parcel of the whole commercialisation and consumerism associated with Christmas in our society. I was very relieved when my son, at the age of about 7, realised himself that Santa wasn't real. I then had to impress upon him that for most people it's a fun thing to believe in, and so he wasn't to tell younger children that Santa wasn't real.

One time, at a church Christmas Fayre, he decided to use some of the spending money I'd given him to visit Santa's Grotto, so he could tell Santa that it was all a fraud! He held forth at Santa for a while - I kept well back, but glanced in a couple of times. I couldn't see the expression on Santa's face because of his beard, but the elf's jaw was almost on the floor by the time my son had finished. He accepted the gift though!

My son is 8 and still believes in Santa, I know I didn't by the time I was 6 so I have no idea what to do about it, he's big into imagination play and has issues with reality vs fiction

I never taught anything one way or another, but there's no escaping images of Santa Claus in this culture.

When my daughter was small, I worked one year for a photography studio that took Santa photos with kids in several area daycare facilities and I got tapped to play Santa, while the kids sat on my lap. Since her mother was the photographer taking the pictures, she went with us and got her photo made with me in the outfit, too. When she asked me a couple of years later if Santa Claus was a real person, I told her the gods' honest truth: "I am Santa Claus. You have the pictures to prove it"

She thought I was just teasing her, but I never lied.

I definitely would. It is one of the fun things kids look forward to.

The crass commercialization of the holiest day in the liturgical and Christian calendars is one reason I get so down in the dumps this time of year. I am so sick and tired of the "gimme gimme gimme" attitude of this time of year it's not funny. Besides, don't people know that 1. Jesus is the reason for the season, and 2. It is much better to give than receive. It burns me to no end to see the Christmas decorations going up at all the shopping malls, yet mall management refuses to let the Salvation Army set up inside their properties, let alone set up anywhere on their properties.

I guess the other reason I get so bummed out is the treatment my brothers and I got from our grandparents when we were younger. Mom and Dad were the black sheep of their respective families. Many are the times my brothers and I got the shaft. My cousins got all the good toys. The only thing my brothers and I ever got were white socks. The only time either side of the family had any use for us is when there was dirty work to be done.

Considering that I raise my younger brothers. One of them has extreme attachments. If I ever had kids, then absolutely not. I know if they were on the autism spectrum they may become attached to the idea of Santa Claus. I'll make them aware of Santa Claus and give them a choice whether or not they believe. But I rather come straight out he doesn't really exist.

That and Christmas and I don't get a long. I celeberate the Solistice, not Christmas. Christians steal a lot holidays and think they get to dictate how others spend the holidays.

I think if I were a parent, in the service of sparing any child of mine the disillusionment of discovering there is no such thing as santa claus, I would explain it all to him in the first place, thusly-

"honey, let's go outside, walk down the street with me, ok? [walking up to a stop sign] ok honey, you see this stop sign? tell me what it means, won't you? yes, you are right, it is there to tell people they have to stop, look both ways before crossing the street. it is a SYMBOL for that. a SYMBOL is a thing that means something bigger or greater. the stop sign means something more complicated and SANTA CLAUS is ALSO a symbol, for something bigger and greater! you know how at holidaytime, people are nicer and things are happy and pretty and there's all this pretty paper and decorations and colorful lights and gifts of the season and pretty music and such? well, santa claus is a big fat SYMBOL of all that goodness. so YES! the symbol santa claus exists! santa (and all the big fat white-bearded people dressed in red) is a REAL symbol for all the happiness and goodness you see in this and every holiday season."

granted, this does not compare to what beautiful prose that newsman Francis Pharcellus Church wrote to Virginia O'Hanlon in 1897 when she wrote the New York Sun with the question, "Is there a Santa Claus?" - but it is far more concise and tailored to the mind of a typical child.

^^^
well at least for part of the season, people are temporarily in an altered state of consciousness for the better. a crumb off of a loaf is better than nothing at all.

I'm forced to. I also plan to be honest if he ever asks about it.

I think Santa Claus is a neat idea. I don't think of it as a fantasy, but as a test.

I'll tell my kid that Santa Claus is real, but leave huge holes in my explanation. When my kid starts asking critical questions about Santa Claus, I'll encourage them to ask more and more questions until they figure out for themselves that the idea of Santa Claus doesn't make sense. If this happens at a young age, I'll tell my kid to not go blabbing it around to their friends, because every child has to "pass the test for themselves".

I would not tell them about Santa Claus.
I got told about Santa Claus, and went on a quest to capture him on 2 separate Christmas Eve's, the last one which resulted in physical injuries to one person.