Ew. What a jerk. I bet he's proud of himself for delivering such a poignant message, and forgets that there's more than one message his setup is sending out.
I believed in Santa for a very long time. In fact I have to say I still do, in a way. The legend, depending on how it's told, can have fantastic positive power and that to me is very important. Honestly, deep down inside most kids know Santa isn't real. If you ask them straight out, they'll tell you they know he doesn't exist. But they should be free to keep on imagining the world as if he did exist, as if all fairies and magical creatures of our storybooks were true, and not chastised for allowing these to mix with their reality. They're kids, for heaven's sakes. If I remember anything from being a child, I can assure you I wasn't delusional. I knew what was real and what was not. But I didn't stop convincing myself the unreal was true- I believe it's called having an imagination and playing. I want to smack people who think telling kids Santa is real will damage them, somehow, as if not allowing them a pleasant fantasy will do no harm at all.
Maybe my Catholic upbringing which from a very young age forced me to reconcile Bible stories with history lessons predisposed me towards being able to fully believe in something which I know not to be true.
I know that doesn't make any sense, that's the beauty of it. I also believe every word of LOTR, even though I know it's a book of fiction that came out of Tolkien's head. But it's true. It's not a lie. A lie is something not worth our time, and LOTR doesn't fit that category. Neither does Santa.
Anyone know what I mean?