When honesty is discouraged: Understanding parental lies around Santa Claus

In general, parents consider honesty central to moral development, yet they lie to children about extraordinary and everyday phenomena. One clear example is how parents lie to their children about the mythical, fictional being of Santa Claus. Many parents, Christian and not, say not only that Santa exists, but he engages in personal interactions. Despite this widespread deception, parents’ beliefs about the moral socialization around these lies is understudied. In two samples (N = 206; N = 498), we ask parents how they interact with their children about Santa Claus, regardless of whether or not they deceive. We find Santa lies are rated as acceptable, told frequently, and part of a pattern: parents who lie more about Santa also tell more instrumental and prosocial lies, and encourage more lying in their children. We also find a distinction between acting as if Santa is real and the frequency of Santa Claus lies, raising questions about this publicly celebrated deception.