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There are many great reasons not to have Santa Claus visit for Christmas, and I shared five in my previous post here. Here are five more reasons to skip the fat guy in the red suit:

6. Less Stress

I knew someone who was asking for cheap scooter recommendations one week before Christmas because her child decided he wanted one and she feared it would make it onto his list for Santa.

Now maybe she could just explain to him that Santa can't bring everything or that maybe he had asked a little too late in the year, but by not doing Santa Claus, you can just avoid this whole issue as your child knows the presents come from you and you don't have to make something they request "magically" appear. When the presents come from you, it's easier for them to understand that they asked too late or maybe tell them they can exchange a present after Christmas.

Not doing Santa also takes away other stresses like hiding presents, making sure your kids don't see you sneak them under the tree, making cookies, and setting out milk for Santa, etc. They say the truth will set you free and Santa is no exception!

7. You Don't Have To Make Stuff Up

Like all lies, once you get caught, it gets harder and harder to dig yourself out. The same goes for Santa. Kids will start asking "What about the houses that don't have chimneys?" or "How do Santa's reindeer fly?" etc. Since we don't lie to our child, she has fewer questions as she knows it is just for pretend or it's just part of the story, so it doesn't have to make sense.

This ties into Christmas being less stressful as you don't have to worry about finding an answer to all of their questions or risk feeling annoyed by all their questions. Maybe if you have really good patience, this is something you can handle, but even without Santa, our daughter asked a ton of questions around the age of four, and sometimes it did get frustrating. I was not going to add Santa to the mix.

8. No Elf on The Shelf or Santa Cam

Another great reason to not do Santa is you don't have to worry about the stupid elf. This also contributes to a less stressful holiday as you don't have to worry about forgetting to move the elf or come up with silly things to do with it. Some crazy things I saw involved making a mess, so you avoid the stress of cleaning that up too!

The elf has a toxic side as some use it to scare their kids into being "good." This also ruins the true meaning of a gift. I believe gifts are given out of love, not as a reward or bribe for "being nice." I expand more on why Santa's naughty and nice list is a toxic concept in this post.

Even worse is the growing popularity of the Santa Cam. I can see the elf being fun, as long as you aren't using it to bully your children, but the Santa Cam is purely used to threaten kids into being some arbitrary version of "good."

9. Temptation to Bully is Removed

I remember my parents threatening us when we were kids that Santa would not come if we did something that made them mad. Even though they were always empty threats and we would still get presents, it still made me feel awful, like I didn't deserve the presents. I also never got what I really wanted, so it made me think that was Santa's "punishment." Christmas was not as joyous for me as it was for others.

Now with the Elf on The Shelf and Santa Cam, it has become even easier for parents to fall down the bullying rabbit hole:

"Santa is watching!"
"If you don't do as I say, Santa won't come!"
"You'll get a lump of coal for Christmas!"
"Naughty kids don't get presents!"

I willingly admit that there are times around the holidays when I wanted to tell my own child that she would not get any presents from Santa if she kept acting a certain way (because that's what my parents did to me), but since we do not act as if Santa is real (she knows he is just make-believe), I had no scapegoat. There was no way I was going to tell my child we would not get her any presents, that would be even worse! Remember: A true gift is given out of love, not with stipulations (at that point it becomes a reward).

It was a great reminder in those moments I felt like losing it that I was the adult and I needed to calm myself, not rely on empty threats or some magical being. My child is allowed to have feelings and it is my job as a parent to help her process those feelings. She is not naughty or nice. She is a human being still learning how to express herself and her emotions.

10. Gratitude

With Santa Claus, gifts have become expected and guaranteed. Kids don't really think much about the gifts they get from Santa and are less likely to remember them. The most special gifts I have received (and remembered) growing up came from people I knew and loved. Santa is quickly forgotten and very few kids say "thank you," because well he's not present for the gift opening.

By not doing Santa, the gifts all come from you. Your child will see how much effort you put into getting them presents. As a result, they will be more thankful and more likely to remember the gift. Our daughter is four, but she still can recall which of her favorite toys she got from a relative and which toy she got from us. She gets a lot so she can't remember all, but sometimes she will ask me who gave her a certain toy, so clearly she's making a connection between a gift and a person. I believe knowing the person behind the gift makes it more special. After all, receiving gifts is one of the five love languages.