My toddler now knows about Santa - and that's a problem

“Do you think Father Christmas has his Christmas tree up yet?”; “Will Father Christmas still come if it’s rainy?”; “What do you think Father Christmas will get for Christmas?”

- CHLOE HAMILTON

It’s a lot to think about, especially as I haven’t, yet, got my story straight.

Perhaps my partner and I should have figured out our narrative, our interpretation of The Big Festive Lie, ahead of time – held a meeting in July, perhaps, to finesse the finer details – but we didn’t. And so we’re making it up on the fly. “Yes, I think he probably has a tree up all year round”; “Of course he’ll come if it rains, don’t worry”; “I don’t know, darling, maybe an air fryer?”

The pressure is immense. The story we tell him about Father Christmas this year will bury itself deep into his subconscious, form some of his earliest memories, and perhaps even influence the story he tells his own children, should he have them. And I’m meant to take on this responsibility alongside making sure he brushes his teeth, eats his vegetables, and doesn’t watch too much TV? That feels unreasonable.

This is the first year the lie has loomed so large. Last year, my son had just turned two, and although he enjoyed the festive lights, the homemade mince pies, and the fact everyone was at home with him, I didn’t get the sense he really