To those that it's applicable to, how did you handle the "Santa" situation?

I was watching some of the Dio reactions, particularly Rainbow in the dark and remembered going to see Dio live and many other bands, and the arenas were just clouded with cigarette and pot smoke. Enough to burn your eyes and lungs. So I am amazed that Dio could even sing well in a grueling tour schedule in those environs. I know Dickinson has often complained about the smoke. Just an observation, but I’d like to know what Elizabeth thinks about the effects of smoke on voice health.

Angus Young

Was never discussed in our households. Saint Nicholas was a real man. However, the day is always about celebrating our Savior, Jesus Christs birth. When my husband & I were kids, Santa's arrival was extremely exciting! Finding out the truth was no big deal for either of us. Our children (could have cared less about finding out about Santa) & now grandchildren LOVE Santa. We read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve before bed. We watch the movies The Santa Clause & The Polar Express leading up to Christmas Day. I watch White Christmas almost everyday in December. Santa is love & excitement. The anticipation of his arrival is magical to a child. One's imagination soars!

Meems Kaso

You can literally say things like “some people believe that Santa does x, y, z” or that “Santa is said to visit every boy and girl in the world…” and literally say that it is probably a fairy tale, but it’s okay to believe it as a child, and the child will get 99% of the fun with 0% of the disappointment. I heard from mean kids when I was five and that shit scarred me. I wanted to tell our kids the truth, but my wife wanted to tell them Santa was real, so I always just said “Mommy is the expert on Santa.”

Matthew Hill

In my technical training, we discussed how letting your kid know that Santa is not real from their parents is the best course, and earlier on, as it doesn't break the trust they have with you. Additionally, it can give the child a more managerial/leadership driven mindset.

Jason Schneckenberger

Late reply, but this is our approach. Our boys are 4 and 7 and we have used the Santa question to emphasize a mindset of whimsy. We have never claimed that Santa was physically real, per se, and the boys know all their gifts come from friends and family. However, we teach the boys we can collectively build wonderful places in our imaginations and these are also real, but in a different way. We still tell stories of Santa (they love to hear The Night Before Christmas poem at bedtime) and have left cookies out for him. We use this spirit of whimsy to enrich all parts of our life. We can build houses for the miniature elves that live in our flower beds, and tell stories about them. We can imagine the gnomes that re-shelve books in the library, and try to figure out where they hide during the day. We can invent a whimsical life story for our Tooth Fairy (named Guinevere, with a pet toothbrush named Brushy). Despite being a scientist, I think it is a bit of a mistake to conclude that only physical things are 'real'. If families across the world join each other in shared imagination of a delightfully generous man in a red suit, I hesitate to conclude that is less 'real' simply because it doesn't match physical reality.