A vicar’s lecture at a junior school in Hampshire, in southeast England, ended with pupils in tears and angry parents accusing him of “ruining Christmas,” reports the Times.
Reverend Dr Paul Chamberlain visited the Lee-on-the-Solent junior school to speak to a religious education class about the birth of Jesus. He veered off topic, though, telling the year 6 students that Father Christmas isn’t real and their parents purchased the gifts “from Santa.” Then Chamberlain told the students that the sweet treats left out for Santa were in fact eaten by their parents. “I heard a lot of gasps because they were shocked about it,” a 10-year-old pupil told The Times, “so I don’t think everyone knew.” The news quickly spread around the school, reaching even younger children. “Lots of children started crying in class,” one parent told The Times.
Chamberlain “apologised unreservedly to the school, to the parents and to the children,” according to a spokesperson for the Diocese of Portsmouth. The school and the diocese are working together to address the issue, with the headteacher writing to all parents to explain the situation and to communicate Chamberlain’s apology.
[See more: All I want for Christmas is snow: Santa’s ‘hometown’ hit by climate change]
The email to parents explained that teachers had informed the children that “all stories and legends around Christmas” are legitimate, and that “your own family beliefs are what are important and just as valid as Christian Christmas story.” Teachers made badges for children proclaiming “Lee-on-the-Solent believes” in an effort to bring back the magic of the season.
A complaint was also lodged against Chamberlain, with one mother calling his comments “absolutely disgusting” and saying that it’s been “difficult, really difficult” to manage the impact on her 7-year-old daughter.
A small study conducted in Texas and reported by Sky News found the average age children stop believing in Santa Claus is eight. They say “there is some evidence that children who are older when they discover the truth tend to be more likely to feel only negative emotions upon discovering it.”
While most children in the 48-person study found out the truth from someone else, some reported becoming sceptical as a result of simple logical thinking. The study suggests taking a measured approach to informing children, revealing it slowly around the age they are likely to learn anyway. An accompanying study of 383 adults found that the circumstances most likely to result in only negative emotions mimicked the incident in Lee-on-the-Solent: being older and learning the truth abruptly.
