'Santa is creepy so I told my four-year-old that he isn't real'

I don’t like Santa Claus so I told my four-year-old the REAL story – but other parents say I’ve ruined the magic of Christmas

Charlie Hayes, 22, from Folkestone, said she was trolled over TikTok about Santa
She said she finds Santa Claus ‘creepy’ and told her four-year-old he isn’t real
The mother wants to get credit for the presents herself, not Father Christmas

A mother has revealed how she told her son that Father Christmas isn’t real – because she thinks he is ‘a strange old man’ and ‘creepy’.

Charlie Hayes, 22, from Folkestone, decided to confess all to four-year-old son Jasper when he started having doubts about Santa.

The mother’s reasoning included wanting to get credit for the gifts herself, not wanting her son to think Santa is ‘classist’, and not wanting to deal with the ‘heartbreak’ of him one day discovering the truth.

She explained ‘It was really sweet until we were out in public and when adults or other children asked him what he had asked for from Santa for Christmas, he’d respond bluntly with ‘Santa’s dead’.

Charlie Hayes, 22, from Folkestone, has revealed how she told her son that Father Christmas isn’t real – because she thinks he is ‘a strange old man’ and ‘creepy’

The shrewd young boy has always been unsure of the tale, according to this mother.

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

‘He would always point out how a man dressed as Santa in a shopping centre or at parties were only people in costumes, so arguing against his logical thinking didn’t make sense to me.’

‘He’s a really smart kid who I’ve always been super open, honest and factual with so he wasn’t shocked or upset when he came to an age to understand that Santa is just a story.’

Charlie insisted that Jasper’s ‘always been a good critical thinker’ so he ‘never really bought into the Santa thing’

Charlie’s partner and Jasper’s father, Sam Pritchard, 22, agrees with being honest with their son about Father Christmas and how children really get presents

Charlie’s partner and Jasper’s father, Sam Pritchard, 22, agrees with being honest with their son about Father Christmas and how children really get presents.

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

Despite good intentions Charlie’s honesty backfired when Jasper interpreted the history of Father Christmas in his own way.

Charlie said: ‘When an advert featuring Santa came on Jasper asked me why people dress up as Santa and I explained the story of Saint Nicholas that lived 100s of years ago.

She said they still have a ‘great Christmas’ and Jasper loves opening his presents before they all sit down to eat a roast dinner cooked 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 children presents himself anymore.

‘A nice old lady on the bus just laughed awkwardly when he said it and kids just looked confused.

‘Thankfully none of the school mothers have told me off yet!’

Meanwhile Charlie insists their family Christmas is every bit as magical as anyone else’s.

‘We still have all the regular Christmas traditions, we build the presents under the tree over the month of December,’ she said,

The mother-of-one has been surprised by the aggression she has faced from other parents when she shares her unique take on the Father Christmas debate, with some calling her ‘selfish and horrid’ online

Despite good intentions Charlie’s honesty backfired when Jasper interpreted the history of Father Christmas in his own way

‘We’re up super early on Christmas Day and we open our gifts together and play. The same things just without the Santa stuff.

‘Jasper looks forward to presents, I look forward to seeing his joy when opening them and we both look forward to Daddy’s roast dinner.

‘I think if other parents want to do Santa, that’s great for them but I wish people would be more open minded to the idea that Christmas can be great fun without Santa and that I’m not cruel or spoiling Christmas magic for him.

‘I don’t like the idea of breaking his heart one day with a silly lie when he finds out the truth, or have him thinking children who get better presents are favoured by this strange old man.

She shared a video on TikTok explaining why their family ‘don’t do’ Santa, which racked up 83,000 likes and 680,000 views

‘I won’t tell him it’s okay for somebody to come into our home or that Santa watches him all year round and once a year he can sit on some random old man’s lap. I think it’s a little bit weird when you look at it like that.

‘I couldn’t even begin to express the pride I have in my son, his intellect, his logic, his emotional intelligence for his age. He’s the most clever four-year-old I’ve ever met and he still has so much fun in a household that nourishes his mind and lets him be a smarty pants.

‘If you asked him if Christmas was his favourite, he would respond with the most excited ‘YES!’ Santa or no Santa, he’s happy with some new hot wheel sets, hot chocolate and family cuddles.’

But the mother-of-one has been surprised by the aggression she has faced from other parents when she shares her unique take on the Father Christmas debate, with some calling her ‘selfish and horrid’ online.

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

She shared a video on TikTok explaining why their family ‘don’t do’ Santa, which racked up 83,000 likes and 680,000 views.

Her thoughts proved controversial with viewers – with some agreeing and others slamming Charlie.

One person commented: ‘I’d hate for someone to ruin the magic for my child just cos they chose not to do it.’

Another said: ‘How wrong though, 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 air her views

‘The issue is when they ruin it for the children who do believe,’ someone pointed out.

A commenter wrote: ‘You should not be allowing him to ruin it for every other child. Selfish horrid behaviour.’

‘Agree but you should tell him he can’t tell other people and it’s for them to find out it’s not fair to upset someone else,’ said one person.

‘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 slammed the young mother