My son asked if Santa goes everywhere, even Africa...HELP!

[nicole_marie]

When my son was 2 years old, we still had not decided what to tell him about Santa.  My extended family took care of that by having Santa show up LIVE one Christmas.  We had no idea it was coming.

So we let him believe by default.  But today he asked me...

"Does Santa go everywhere, even Africa?"  "Does he brings gifts to the children in Africa?"

and I want to CRY.

How should I handle this.  The Santa lie is enough...I don't want to tell him that Santa brings gifts to the children in Africa...when they don't even have clean water in many parts.

Any ideas on how to handle this?

[Mama2Bug]

How old is your son now? If he's old enough to keep the information to himself amongst his peers- and he won't be TOO crushed- you might be able to gently tell him the truth.

For what it's worth, we chose not to do Santa at all, for exactly those reasons. My DD is nearly six and has never had a problem with not doing Santa.

[CarrieMF]

We do Santa.  when my kids asked questions like this I responded with "what do you think?".  99% of the time that answered the question without me having to answer the question iykwim. 

the actual logistics of this is in Africa yeah there are many places that don't have enough clean water & such however there are places like that everywhere.  There are people who wouldn't celebrate Christmas at all or in different ways & there ARE people in Africa who Santa would bring gift to so if you were to say yes you aren't really lying.    Kids aren't thinking if Santa comes to them how come they don't have clean water.  If you are doing Santa with your own kid(s) and ever watch Norad Santa does go to Africa.

[HappyHappyMommy]

Originally Posted by nicole_marie 
I don't want to tell him that Santa brings gifts to the children in Africa...when they don't even have clean water in many parts.

As someone who have spent time in several countries in Africa and has a deep love of Africa, I would gently like to point out that while children in parts of Africa (and other parts of the world) don't have access to clean water, in my experience, most of those children do have playthings. They aren't necessarily toys as would typically be imagined in the US, but I'm always amazed to see how throughout the world, children and adults find and create playthings from what is around them. It's a reminder that joy is something common across cultural, geographic, and economic differences! That said, clean water is a passionate activist area of my mine and it is a dream of mine that someday everyone will have easy, free access to safe and clean water.

Back to your initial question, I can't advise from personal experience, I really like CarrieMF's suggestion of asking "what do you think?" I also think that it's a wonderful opportunity to start or continue a dialogue with your son about the variety of holidays and traditions and beliefs around the world, including Africa.

[nicole_marie]

He's 5.5 years old now.  We went through the international adoption process to adopt from Ethiopia, which is why he has a special interest in Africa.  ...and when he says Africa, he doesn't mean the industrialized parts of Africa, he means the poverty stricken areas.   ...and I know that he doesn't mean "do those kids have playthings".  He means, 'do Santa and his Reindeer fly to all of those children and put a beautifully wrapped gift under their tree too?'  He means, 'do the elves make toys for those kids too, like in the movie Polar Express?'

We homeschool and he has a great trust in me.  He wants the truth...the whole truth...and nothing but the truth.  I don't want to undermine his question and avoid the question (like a politician).  I'm trying to find a way to keep the magic for him, while keeping it honest, you know?  I'm not all about being PC.  We celebrate this holiday through kindness and by default of our enormous extended families, but we are not necessarily Christians.

[happysmileylady]

How about something along the lines of not everyone celebrates Christmas and Santa respects everyone's beliefs and only goes to those who celebrate Christmas?

[lach]

I would explain that not everyone celebrates Christmas, and so, no, plenty of people in the world do not believe in Santa or get presents from him.  

However, every religion has its own celebrations and festivals, just like Christianity does.  Even many Christian cultures don't get presents from Santa on December 25th: for example, for some kids St. Nicholas comes on December 6th and fills shoes, not stockings.  

And then you can take it as an opportunity to learn a bit more about those festivals: kids are usually fascinated by how other people live.  Check your library for books about kid-oriented celebrations around the world. 

And, obviously, it's also a good opportunity to teach him to be respectful about other people's beliefs, just as they should be respectful of his.

[cappuccinosmom]

People do celebrate Christmas in Ethiopia, as I'm sure you know.  They might not have clean water and they might not have Santa (dh was born and raised in rural Ethiopia, and Santa was a completely foreign concept to him), but they find ways to make it special and memorable.

This would be a great opportunity for him to start learning about different Christmas customs around the world, and especially the country he was born into.  And a gentle way to introduce to him the idea that "Santa" is a pleasant game that people play at Christmas time, and a symbol of generosity and giving that people associate with the holiday.

[lach]

Here is some information about Christmas in Ethiopia: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/christmas-traditions-around-the-world-ga4.htm  The site seems really interesting, and you and your son could probably have some fun going through it!

So, no, Santa doesn't visit children in Ethiopa (for the most part, at least).  They do, however, have their own traditions and games that Children participate in at Christmas.  Here is a website about holidays and festivals in Ethiopia: http://www.selamta.net/Festivals.htm  As your son will be able to see, even though the US and Ethiopia don't always celebrate the same things, both countries have very interesting traditions.  One country's holidays aren't better or worse than the other, they're just different.