"In my house, Christmas Day looks very normal. My boys will wake me up at the crack of dawn then tumble downstairs, falling over each other, to find presents under the tree. As the tearing of wrapping paper cross-fades into screams of excitement, for a moment, everything feels exactly as it should. Except for one subtle difference: my children have never believed in Santa. This isn't the result of an I don't want to lie to my children ideology or some Scroogist attempt to be different."
"Behind the fairy lights and goodwill of Christmas lurk financial demands that many families cannot meet. According to a YouGov poll for debt charity Step Change earlier this month, about one in three adults with children will struggle to afford Christmas this year. For many, the festive season brings anxiety, overdrafts and guilt rather than joy. This is not an accidental or unfortunate side-effect of Christmas. It is what I call the Santa debt trap,"
Christmas mornings can appear normal while children open presents, yet some parents deliberately avoid encouraging belief in Santa because of fear. Financial pressures around Christmas create a 'Santa debt trap' that turns gift-giving into a moral economy judging parents by their purchasing ability. A YouGov poll for Step Change reports about one in three adults with children will struggle to afford Christmas. For many families, the festive season brings anxiety, overdrafts and guilt rather than joy. Care leavers face heightened dread about losing security, and the lack of a safety net intensifies the cruelty of consumer-driven holiday expectations.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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