How Long Should the Magic Last?

How do you feel about removing the magic and mystery of Christmas from children lives?

Controversial biologist Richard Dawkins who warned an audience at the Cheltenham Science Festival about the dangers of make-believe, feels that fairy tales and believing in Father Christmas could cause children harm.

Do you agree with him? Would you explode the myth? Or do you, like us, delight in the magic of the Christmas season and allow age and experience to change children’s minds as and when they are ready.

The length of time that the mysticism of Christmas and St. Nicholas remains gets shorter and shorter and now chidren who are still at primary school are questioning their peers and parents about their validity.

Speaking at the festival, the 73 year old acknowledged that the appeal of fairytales lay in their magic but believes they may be causing more harm than we think and also questioned whether we should let children believe in the myth of Father Christmas at all.

Mr Dawkins continued “‘Is it a good thing to go along with the fantasy of childhood?,’ he said. ‘Or should we be fostering a spirit of scepticism?.’

What do you think of Richard Dawkins statement? Will it change the way you teach your children about Christmas and the magic of Santa and his reindeer or do you still believe in the magic of Christmas?

Get in touch below, we’d love to hear your thoughts on this controversial subject.