How My ex ruined Christmas when he told my 5-year-old the truth about Santa

When Jennifer’s daughter was just five years old, the magic of Christmas—and her childhood—was ripped away from her.

“My ex told my daughter at five that there was no Santa,” the mom, from New South Wales, Australia tells Kidspot.

“I was mortified as I was hoping she would enjoy the magic of Santa for a few years beyond that… I was so sad for her sake.”

“Elf on the Shelf moved around our house for years”

For Jennifer, Christmas was always a very special time and as her daughter grew up, they began to share her love of the season.

“A few weeks before Christmas each year we would head into the city to see all the Christmas lights and decorations. Elf on the Shelf moved around our house for years, so we had that tradition.”

They would always pose for photos with Santa, make gingerbread houses, decorate the tree and blast Christmas music. Carols by Candlelight and a variety of Christmas movies were always playing on the TV.

“I went all out with gifts as she was my only child, so she’d wake to a huge stack.”

“She was only just starting to get the excitement of Santa coming”

But Jennifer and her ex shared very different views on parenting, and this extended into how they approached Christmas.

She thought her daughter was “absolutely too young” to learn Santa isn’t real, especially as she was only just getting into the spirit of Christmas.

“At five, she was only just starting to get the excitement of Santa coming and waking to gifts the following morning if Santa had visited,” she says.

The mom was also worried about her daughter spoiling the fun for other children.

“I would be honest”

Jennifer didn’t know exactly when she would have preferred to tell her daughter, instead, she would have just gauged her maturity.

“If she asked when she was older, I’d still say that he exists if you believe, but if she insisted he was not real, I would be honest,” she explains.

“I think a child should have the chance to enjoy the innocence of being a child and the magic of Christmas without it being influenced by anyone.”

“I’d still talk about Santa coming and leaving him food”

Despite the festive rug being well and truly pulled out, Jennifer continued to “keep Christmas alive” by playing Santa in her household.

“I’d still talk about Santa coming and leaving him food.”

She even traveled with her daughter to experience Christmas celebrations around the world.

“One year we went to Vietnam, while another year we actually went to the Arctic Circle to visit Santa and experience a Scandinavian Christmas.”

In recent years, however, Christmases have looked a little different.

Devastatingly, Jennifer hasn’t seen her daughter for five years due to parental alienation.

*Jennifer’s name and state have been changed for privacy reasons