Deconstructing Santa in 2025
Tuesday, December 23, 2025.
Belief in Santa Claus used to be a childhood rite of passage.
Now it’s a cultural negotiation.
In 2025, no one simply believes in Santa anymore.
They manage Santa.
They contextualize him.
They annotate him.
They quietly debate him in group texts at 11:47 p.m. on December 23rd.
Santa hasn’t disappeared.
He’s been demoted—from metaphysical truth to symbolic operating system.
What Santa Used to Be
Santa once functioned as a clean narrative device.
There was mystery.
There was secrecy.
There was a benevolent authority figure who saw everything, judged lightly, and rewarded effort with tangible goods.
He was capitalism with a conscience.
Surveillance with snacks.
Children believed because the story was contained.
Adults cooperated because the payoff was wonder.
No disclaimers required.
What Changed
Children now live in an information environment, not a mythic one.
They know about:
Algorithms.
Deepfakes.
Influencers.
Brand partnerships.
Amazon fulfillment timelines.
You cannot tell a child that a man flies through the sky delivering toys when they have already watched a same-day drone delivery video and asked why Santa hasn’t optimized his route.
Santa now competes with logistics.
That’s not a fair fight.
Belief Has Become Performative
In 2025, belief in Santa is less about truth and more about tone.
Parents don’t ask, “Do you believe?”
They ask, “How long can we sustain this without lying in a way that feels morally radioactive?”
So Santa becomes:
A story we play.
A tradition.
A seasonal character.
A fun secret no one examines too closely.
In other words, a soft fiction everyone agrees not to interrogate too loudly.
This is not belief.
This is collective improvisation.
Children Aren’t Fooled—They’re Participating
Modern children often suspect Santa long before adults think they do.
They don’t confront the issue because confrontation ends the game.
Belief persists not because children are naïve, but because they are socially intelligent.
They understand that Santa is less about presents and more about:
Atmosphere.
Adult delight.
Family rhythm.
The temporary suspension of adult seriousness.
They are protecting you.
That part is new.
Santa as Relational Technology
Santa now functions as a relational tool, not a truth claim.
He creates:
A shared narrative.
A brief window of coordinated kindness.
A reason for adults to soften their edges.
A permission slip for wonder without explanation.
This makes Santa closer to theater than theology.
That isn’t a downgrade.
It’s an adaptation.
The Real Belief Problem Isn’t Santa
Adults worry that Santa teaches children to believe in things that aren’t real.
That ship sailed somewhere between crypto and wellness influencers.
The actual risk isn’t that children will believe in Santa for too long.
It’s that adults will abandon enchantment too early—and replace it with nothing but explanations.
Children don’t need lies.
They need spaces where everything isn’t optimized, disclosed, monetized, or defended.
Santa still offers that. Briefly.
What Belief Looks Like Now
In 2025, belief in Santa isn’t about factual accuracy.
It’s about whether a family can hold a shared illusion without anxiety, shame, or power struggles.
It’s about whether joy can exist without justification.
It’s about whether adults can tolerate magic without immediately dismantling it.
Some families can.
Some cannot.
That difference has nothing to do with intelligence—and everything to do with nervous systems.
Final Thought
Santa Claus survives not because children are gullible, but because adults are exhausted.
Exhausted by realism.
Exhausted by vigilance.
Exhausted by having to explain everything all the time.
Santa is no longer a belief.
He’s a temporary ceasefire.
And in 2025, that’s still worth something.
Be well. Stay kind. And Godspeed this Christmas.