Re Santa: when I was raising kids I did teach them to question authority. So when one of them questioned the mall Santa about his reality, the Santa asked him a few questions: How do you feel when you give a gift? How do you feel when you receive a gift? My kid answered something like "good, good." So Santa said something like 'don't think of me as Santa, think of me as a symbol of what's good about giving and receiving.' (This is an abbreviated story, but the real story brings me near tears.)
Re Santa: when I was raising kids I did teach them to question authority. So when one of them questioned the mall Santa about his reality, the Santa asked him a few questions: How do you feel when you give a gift? How do you feel when you receive a gift? My kid answered something like "good, good." So Santa said something like 'don't think of me as Santa, think of me as a symbol of what's good about giving and receiving.' (This is an abbreviated story, but the real story brings me near tears.)