As a young parent more than 60 years ago, I bought into the Santa Lie — not so much to control my kids’ behavior (we fortunately had reasonably well-behaved children and Dr. Spock frowned on blackmail). I did it, I think, because my parents did it and everyone I knew did it. Only I wanted to do it better. I am a secular humanist and it did not occur to me then to consider the irony of not believing in a omnipotent, omniscient god and leading my children on to believe in the Santa lie that you describe so well.

I would say to my little boy, “No, I’d rather not buy you that toy when Santa might bring it. Why spend the money now.” (Or words to that effect.) A year or so later when the inevitable “Is Santa real?” question came up, I admitted the “harmless” lie. We were Santa. He cried and cried.

I held him in my arms and told him not to worry, that he would still receive gifts. “That’s not what I am crying about,” he said when he stopped sobbing. “I feel so bad because I thought you were so stingy — letting Santa bring all the stuff so you wouldn’t have to buy anything. I’m so sorry.”

That is my Christmas story, Dan, thanks for reminding me.