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‘Santa is creepy so I told my four-year-old that he isn’t real’ says UK mother

A mother has revealed how she told her son that Santa Claus is not real, because she thinks he is “a strange old man” and “creepy”.

Charlie Hayes, 22, from Folkestone, decided to come clean to his four-year-old son Jasper when he began to have doubts about Santa.

The mother’s reasoning included wanting to get credit for the gifts herself, not wanting her son to think Santa is “classy,” and not wanting to deal with the “anguish” that he might one day find out the truth.

She explained: “He was really sweet until we were out in public and when adults or other children would ask him what he had asked Santa for Christmas, he would bluntly reply with ‘Santa is dead’.

Charlie Hayes, 22, from Folkestone, has revealed how he told his son that Santa Claus is not real, because he thinks he is “a strange old man” and “creepy”.

The cunning young man has always been unsure of the story, according to this mother.

She said: ‘Jasper has always been a good critical thinker, so he never bought into the Santa thing.

“He would always point out that a man dressed as Santa in a mall or at parties was just people in costumes, so arguing against his logical thinking made no sense to me.”

“He’s a very smart kid who I’ve always been very open, honest and objective with, so he wasn’t surprised or upset when he got to the age of understanding that Santa is just a story.”

Charlie insisted that Jasper ‘has always been a good critical thinker’, so he ‘never really believed in the Santa thing’

Charlie’s partner and Jasper’s father, 22-year-old Sam Pritchard, is okay with being honest with his son about Santa Claus and how kids really get gifts.

Sam explained: ‘We’re both totally on board on this. We sing from the same song sheet about Santa being creepy. We prefer to be honest with Jasper.’

Despite good intentions, Charlie’s honesty backfired when Jasper interpreted the Santa story his way.

Charlie said: “When an ad featuring Santa Claus came up, Jasper asked me why people dress up as Santa Claus and I explained the story of Saint Nicholas who lived 100 years ago.

She said that they still have a ‘great Christmas’ and Jasper loves to open his presents before everyone sits down for a roast dinner prepared by Sam.

‘But Jasper then came to the conclusion that Saint Nick got too old and died and that’s why he can’t give gifts to children anymore.

‘A nice old lady on the bus laughed awkwardly when she said it and the children looked confused.

‘Luckily none of the mothers at school have scolded me yet!’

Meanwhile, Charlie insists that his family’s Christmas is just as magical as anyone else’s.

“We still have all the regular Christmas traditions, we build the gifts under the tree during the month of December,” he said.

The mother-of-one has been shocked by the aggression she has faced from other parents as she shares her unique take on the Santa debate, with some calling her “selfish and horrible” online.

Despite good intentions, Charlie’s honesty backfired when Jasper interpreted the Santa story his way.

We get up very early on Christmas day and open our presents together and play. The same things just without the Santa stuff.

‘Jasper is looking forward to the presents, I look forward to seeing his joy in opening them and we are both looking forward to Dad’s roast dinner.

“I think if other parents want to play Santa then that’s great for them, but I wish people were more open-minded to the idea that Christmas can be so much fun without Santa and that I’m not cruel or spoiling. Christmas magic for him.

‘I don’t like the idea of breaking her heart one day with a silly lie when she finds out the truth, or making her think that children who receive better gifts are favored by this strange old man.

He shared a video on TikTok explaining why his family ‘doesn’t’ Santa, which racked up 83,000 likes and 680,000 views.

“I won’t tell him that it’s okay for someone to come into our house or that Santa watches over him all year long and once a year he gets to sit on some random old man’s lap. I think it’s a little weird when you look at it like that.

I couldn’t even begin to express how proud I am of my son, his intellect, his logic, his emotional intelligence for his age. He’s the smartest four-year-old I’ve ever met and he still has a lot of fun in a home that nurtures his mind and allows him to be a know-it-all.

‘If you were to ask her if Christmas was her favorite, she would reply with the most excited ‘YES!’ Santa Claus or no Santa Claus, he’s happy with some new sets of hot wheels, hot chocolate and familiar hugs.’

But the mother-of-one has been shocked by the bullying she’s faced from other parents when she shares her unique take on the Santa debate, with some calling her “selfish and horrible” online.

The mother’s reasoning included wanting to get credit for the gifts herself, not wanting her son to think that Santa is ‘classy’.

He shared a video on TikTok explaining why his family ‘doesn’t’ Santa, which racked up 83,000 likes and 680,000 views.

His thoughts proved controversial with viewers, with some agreeing and others criticizing Charlie.

One person commented, “I would hate for someone to ruin my son’s magic just because he chose not to.”

Another said: ‘Too bad, though, it’s supposed to be a magical time for kids…’

The TikTok video went viral after the mother-of-one took to the social media platform to express her views.

“The issue is when they ruin it for children who do believe,” someone pointed out.

One commenter wrote: ‘You shouldn’t let me ruin it for all the other kids. Selfish and horrible behavior.

“Okay, but you should tell him that he can’t tell other people and that they need to figure out that it’s not fair to upset another person,” one person said.

“That’s sad,” another user added.

After Charlie shared a TikTok video about her decision not to tell her son about Santa, social media users criticized the young mother.