Is it morally wrong to tell children that Santa exists? Regardless of how much joy and excitement kids get from believing the Santa myth, it is an outright lie, so how can it be regarded as morally right? Should we always take the moral high ground and tell the truth where children are concerned, or should we make exceptions? When they find out the truth, aren't we teaching children that no one, not even their parents, can be trusted?

Morality has a lot to do with the promotion of joy and excitement. I am inclined to think that parents or carers who tell their children the truth about Santa from the start are, in a small way, acting immorally. They are likely to gain little or nothing from that knowledge, and, as Mark points out, as long as the parents are in general trustworthy, the child's trust in their parents is likely to be undamaged. Grim-faced rationalism is to be rejected, especially at Christmas time!