https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 14 May 2026 05:24:04 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790786 Fri, 08 Dec 2017 05:16:56 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2790786@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daycare has a Christmas tree in the lobby. They brought in a Santa for holiday photos and host a Breakfast with Santa event at IHOP on the weekend. We don’t see any harm in participating in those activities. We point out Santa the way we point out Elmo in a book. LO is 19 months. I don’t think anyone has mentioned to LO yet that Santa brings gifts, even if they did he wouldn’t understand what that means right now. For us, Santa will be a symbol of Christmas, but not a gift-giver. All that to say, if other daycares in the area are like mine then kids learn about Santa from infancy! Our DCP is not religious based. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790669 Thu, 07 Dec 2017 13:07:31 +0000 MrsADS 2790669@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Update: I talked to DS's head teacher today. She said the teachers are definitely NOT talking about Santa, being good, etc. They are doing some "holiday" stuff but it's like snowmen, sharing with others, time with family, etc. etc. However, she said a lot of the kids in his room have older siblings and apparently the Santa talk has been nonstop. So she thinks that DS has picked it up from the other kids. I feel better that he's not getting it from the school. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790642 Thu, 07 Dec 2017 12:13:02 +0000 gingerbebe 2790642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@wrkbrk: I have not seen anything at school - crafts or decorations or anything in the classrooms - that has Santa on it. They've done snow, gingerbread men, ornaments for a tree, wreaths, etc. No Santa crafts, no Santa stickers (they get to pick a sticker when they leave like a doctor's office).</p> <p>That said, they ARE having someone dress up like Santa for photos in the reception hall after the Christmas pageant if kids want to take photos and parents are being asked to donate "Cookies for Santa" for refreshments for the pageant. And one of the songs DS1 is singing at the pageant is "Up on the Housetop" which refers to Santa. </p> <p>We send our kids to a preschool that's based in a church, but it is not overtly religious - they embrace "Judeo-Christian values" and say a blessing before each meal or snack, but that's the extent of it. They don't get like a Christian Christmas story with Mary and Joseph and the baby in a manger. However, they are definitely a school that celebrates CHRISTMAS with the trees and all that. I haven't seen anything celebrating other holidays like Diwali or Kwanzaa or Hanukkah.</p> <p>As I said before, we ARE religious and don't like Santa as a myth, so I would be pretty annoyed if the TEACHERS were teaching something about Santa. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790521 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 20:50:06 +0000 wrkbrk 2790521@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsADS: Please do let me know! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790520 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 20:49:52 +0000 wrkbrk 2790520@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PawPrints: Me too!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790519 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 20:48:54 +0000 PawPrints 2790519@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@wrkbrk: Our daycare is church-based so not super surprising they'd talk about Santa, but now I'm curious if it's common for regular daycares to talk about it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790518 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 20:48:38 +0000 MrsADS 2790518@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@wrkbrk I'm going to call tomorrow and I'll come back and post what I find out. Maybe he's just picked it up from other kids, but I think it's not really appropriate for the teachers to be talking all about Santa.</p> <p>Edit: he's pretty verbal for his age and it also wouldn't surprise me if he's repeating what other kids are saying. Hard to know. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790516 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 20:45:49 +0000 wrkbrk 2790516@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PawPrints: Agreed. I personally would be more comfortable explaining from day one that this is a playtime tradition we all go along with for fun.....it feels weird to me to perpetuate the fiction. But all of my friends do it!! It’s definitely the minority. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790515 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 20:44:23 +0000 wrkbrk 2790515@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsADS: You’re like the fourth person to say they learned it at school. For real!? Like do I need to ask about this? I had absolutely no expectation or idea that this would be a school topic! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790500 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 19:35:22 +0000 MrsADS 2790500@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son is 2y3m and we haven't talked about Santa at all really, except if he sees a decoration and says "who's that?" We will say "Santa." Apparently he is hearing about Santa at daycare though, because he's started to say "Santa brings presents to Gigi's house" (grandma) and about being a "good boy". I really don't like it if he's getting it at daycare , because I don't feel like it's appropriate for them to be introducing that to kids since every family does things differently. I am going to call the teacher tomorrow. It may just be other kids in his classroom talking about it, though - he's a sponge and repeats everything he hears.</p> <p>We are going to "do" Santa but like other said, I am not wanting to talk about it all the time or really emphasize it. Not planning to do Santa pics, etc unless he asks for it. </p> <p>I have been very troubled by what he's saying from school if it's true that the teachers are talking it up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790487 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 18:58:54 +0000 petitenoisette 2790487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our daughter learned who Santa was on her own at some point the last year, probably from daycare. We do not talk him up at all. We just have introduced the traditions we want to do, so we had gifts from Santa at xmas last year and stockings but she was too young to remember. Now at almost 3 she knows who Santa is but as far as I know she doesn’t know what he does. I actually asked her that question the other day and she said “Santa is my friend.” :heart: </p> <p>She will be excited on xmas to find out her friend brought her a couple of gifts but we are still trying to keep it low key and we will NOT do the Santa is watching stuff, etc. and I do not want her to develop crazy expectations for what Santa brings her (I know there’s only so much I can control there as she gets older but for now it’s working to not talk it up). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790476 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 18:44:01 +0000 PawPrints 2790476@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As for the actual Santa-at-Christmas stuff, we'll tell her that everything in her stocking is from Santa, and we'll give her one gift that is "from Santa" (a balance bike). All her other gifts will be from a specific person. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790474 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 18:42:55 +0000 PawPrints 2790474@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a 2.5 year old and are in the same boat of this being her first year to really get what's going on, but kind of having the opposite experience - she came home from daycare talking about "I want Santa to come to my house and bring presents!" and pointing to the Santa ornament on the tree and saying that's Santa, he's coming to my house, etc. </p> <p>This is awkward for us since we have always planned to tell DD that Santa is a fun game of pretend that we all play together, so we can let her enjoy the magic and the fun without ever lying to her. But at this point in her life I think she doesn't really draw a firm line between pretend vs. reality. She's just like, yeah okay whatever anyway where does Santa LIVE? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790451 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 16:30:42 +0000 Adira 2790451@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't remember how we originally introduced the idea... probably just said Santa was coming to bring presents and wasn't that exciting?? They don't really get it until they are a little older. But when Xander was 2.5, we started making cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve and I started wrapping Santa's gifts in special paper. Now at 4.5, he's really into Santa and super excited about Santa coming! Logan is only 3 and probably don't totally get it yet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790445 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 15:53:53 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 2790445@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m pretty casual about it. I tell DD that Santa is coming on Christmas Eve and we label one of her gifts as “from Santa.” I also take her to get her picture with Santa. That’s about it. I don’t think she’ll get it until next year. She’s about 6 weeks older than your DS. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790439 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 15:27:54 +0000 wrkbrk 2790439@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: YES! I said the same thing this morning! You want me to tell our sweet child who believes every word we say that a stranger came down our chimney on Christmas Eve? IDK about all of it. Haha. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790436 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 15:24:51 +0000 gingerbebe 2790436@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@wrkbrk: Yeah, I am also really big on NOT forcing my kids to hug or interact with Santa (or the Easter Bunny or Mickey or police officer or whoever). We will ask if they want to say hello (and usually DS1 gets as far as waving from a safe distance away), but that's it. I will never ever force my kids to take the screaming photo with Santa - I just think about how terrifying that is for them. And I'm typically a suck it up, buttercup kinda mom. And honestly, the reason we're not big on Santa (other than we ARE religious) is that the story is insane to me and DH. There's an old dude who essentially breaks into your house, eats your food, leaves you presents, is watching you constantly and judging what you do, and you're supposed to go sit on his lap at the mall and take pictures with him. </p> <p>We've decided when the kids are older we will share with them the story of St. Nicholas, who was a real person and how he was very kind to other children and brought them gifts and relate to the season of giving. And yes, we're super unpopular in our family because of it and yes we are going to teach our kids to try and respect that other kids think Santa is magic and real, but yeah, the whole thing is weird to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790432 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 15:19:20 +0000 wrkbrk 2790432@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Honestly, I’m ambivalent too. DW is insisting its part of the magic of the season..... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790420 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 15:04:25 +0000 looch 2790420@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't actively introduce Santa, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do and eventually, when my son was in daycare, he was introduced to Santa (he was 3 that year) and we just went with it.<br /> My kid was terrified of life sized characters, so we never did a picture with Santa because I knew it wouldn't go well, but thanks to his friends, he learned that you send Santa a list of things and you might get one of them at your house. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790415 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 14:45:17 +0000 bubblegum 2790415@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@wrkbrk: Lol it is hilarious when he does it! Maybe a short one! I'm sure they have a 15-20 minute movie out there somewhere! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790411 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 14:24:50 +0000 macintosh 2790411@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS is 2.5. He "met" Santa last year and hated it. This year we've introduced several new shows/movies and he's sooo into it. He loooves the lights, trees, festive hats, music, Rudolph, everything. He is so freakin' excited. We just talk it up a lot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790407 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 14:10:20 +0000 gingerbebe 2790407@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS1 is almost 39 months and he has no idea WTF Santa is. Granted, we're not really going to do Santa at our house, but when he sees a Santa, he just yells "CHRISTMAS!" At 3, he understands a tree, a gingerbread man/house, and lights. That's about it. </p> <p>You may want to start with books and then just pointing Santa out in public in decorations or the mall Santa or whatever, and teach him to say hi or bye to Santa when you leave some place so that he gets Santa is a person. You can also treat Santa like you teach animals - "what sound does Santa make? HO HO HO!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790404 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 14:01:32 +0000 wrkbrk 2790404@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bubblegum: Haha, ho ho ho - that's cute! I WISH I could get him to sit still for a Christmas movie - they are my absolute favorite! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790401 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 13:58:24 +0000 bubblegum 2790401@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Christmas movies, music and that jazz. DS is 3 and doesn't fully get it but loves walking around saying Ho, Ho, Ho!!! lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790397 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 13:56:07 +0000 wrkbrk 2790397@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@helloperidot: Yes! Actually we are going on the Polar Express this year so he will "see" Santa there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790396 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 13:55:25 +0000 wrkbrk 2790396@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kiddosc: Ahh good idea! I will try to pick up a book today! We do have a tree - and we are not putting gifts under it until Christmas Eve! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790395 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 13:52:27 +0000 helloperidot 2790395@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, in our family Santa brings gifts to everyone on Christmas morning (mom, dad, dd1, and dd2). All the tags say to whomever, from Santa. We talked it up to DD1 last year (she was 1 going on 2) and she didn't quite "get" it, but this year she's alllllll in. We live in an apartment and they recently did our fireplace inspection, so we told her they were getting the chimney ready for Santa. She thought that was pretty cool. Last year we did a Santa train ride, and this year we are going to see Santa's workshop at the local zoo (you feed reindeer and write Santa a letter and get pictures taken, it's cute). I'm way more over the top about it than my DH-- Christmas is my favorite time of year, whereas DH is just like meh, whatever, oh hey presents. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790391 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 13:49:14 +0000 kiddosc 2790391@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Books are a great way to introduce Santa. I'd read some books, sort of start talking about Santa. Do you have a tree up? Talk about how on Christmas Eve Santa will come and leave presents under the tree. When you see Santa out in stores, or displays around town, talk about it excitedly. Remind him that Santa is going to bring him presents and he's so fun, etc... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790390 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 13:48:55 +0000 littlebug 2790390@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just start talking about Santa. I don't really think we ever formally "introduced" Santa. We just talked about Santa, talked about him bringing gifts, talked about asking Santa for gifts, showed him pictures, etc. He definitely didn't "get" it until last year, when he was almost 4. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-i-or-should-i-introduce-santa-to-a-2-year-old#post-2790387 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 13:44:05 +0000 wrkbrk 2790387@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS turned two on Thanksgiving so this is his third Christmas but the first he might understand what is going on. </p> <p>DW wants to continue the tradition she had growing up of Santa Claus but I was raised Jewish and I have no idea how. Haha.</p> <p>How are you introducing the concept to young toddlers? Labeling some of his gifts "from Santa" won't really mean anything to him, I don't think....Should we wait until next year?</p> <p>PS We are not religious, if that matters. </p>