What to Know
Being the Elf-on-the-Shelf mover, magic maker, and secret Santa of the house can be exhausting. It’s understandable why some moms, or parents in general, try to go an alternative route in the beliefs that they bestow upon their kids. But when a mom on X (formerly Twitter) shared in a video that she chooses to not allow her kids to believe in Santa, you’d think the Grinch came to life and took over her body.
The comments from other users, accusing her of being too “lazy” or of even hating her kids shows how hard some people will go for Santa. The mom, whose name is Shannen, says in her video that Santa stands for consumerism and that, in most religions, Santa isn’t even a focal point of Christmas after presents are over. That’s not wrong. But the idea of never bringing the magic of Santa into the magic of the holidays is a little too much for others to handle.
People accused the mom of being too “lazy” to promote the belief of Santa.
We’re not doing Santa in our house 👇
— Shannen Michaela (@ShannenPill) December 4, 2025
It sets up a foundational and delicate relationship upon lies.
The Santa narrative also feeds a consumerism-driven value system, where a child’s “worthiness” gets tied to performance for the year.
Mary’s free birth, Yule or the mushroom… pic.twitter.com/Vrd2Vb6IBU
Shannen explains in her video that she doesn’t want to lie to her child in telling him about Santa. She says she doesn’t want to “build the relationship on dishonesty.” Alright, let’s just calm down for a sec here. I will admit, I considered that angle when my first kid was born and we began to actually talk about Santa.
But then I realized the whimsy of it all is too amazing to pass up. Should everyone do it my way? Obviously not. But Shannen might have been thinking a little too deeply with that first point.
She then says in her video, “There is enough magic in Christmas itself.” She’s not wrong there. If Santa was not part of the mix, families would still have plenty of fun during the holidays. Just look at older kids who no longer believe in the iconic big guy.
Shannen wrote in her X post with the video, “It sets up a foundational and delicate relationship upon lies. The Santa narrative also feeds a consumerism-driven value system, where a child’s ‘worthiness’ gets tied to performance for the year.”
I still haven’t figured out how to create a delicate balance of worshipping Santa and not buying too many gifts. However, I probably wouldn’t go as hard as some of the other X users did in response to Shannen’s post.
“Just say you hate your kids,” one person responded to the X post.
Another wrote, “Just admit that you are too lazy to make Santa real.”
Someone else said that Shannen is surely getting coal this year, while others added pictures of gifs of the Grinch.
Then someone else came out with, “Lmfao! Posting your Santa superiority complex is the exact performative behavior you claim to be against.” Oof.
And as for the idea of guilt over lying to your child, according to another naysayer under Shannen’s X post, “That lie [is] one of the best and favorite childhood memories I have. I loved believing in Santa.”
