In the popular Christmas song ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town’, children are told that Father Christmas ‘knows when you’ve been bad or good’, and are urged to ‘be good for goodness’ sake’.
But scientists are rewriting the rulebook, as they claim that the prospect of Santa Claus leaving no presents doesn’t actually make children better-behaved.
In their study, the team investigated the behaviour of more than 500 children over three Christmases to find out who was naughty and nice.
While believing in Santa didn’t make children act nicer, engaging in family activities such as singing carols and putting up decorations did.
Lead author Rohan Kapitany, a psychologist at Durham University, thinks parents should prioritise more ‘costly’ Christmas rituals – those that require more effort – with their children to get them to behave in the days ahead.
‘It seems that the more costly rituals likely have a bigger influence on [child] behaviour,’ Professor Kapitany told MailOnline.
‘Wearing a Christmas jumper is one thing but it’s relatively easy to do, but going on an excursion in the dark and cold to listen to carols in a strange new building while holding candles is another thing entirely.
‘The more unusual from every day life, the bigger the influence.’
The the prospect of Santa leaving no presents doesn’t actually make children behave better during the festive period (file photo)
Overall, the results are something of a surprise, because singing carols and going to church services may be traditionally perceived as boring for youngsters (file photo)
The researchers – from the universities of Oxford, Durham, Edinburgh and Leeds – wanted to see which festive factors, including the belief in Santa Claus, influenced the moral behaviour of children.
The team recruited 533 children between the age of four and nine years, who were tracked over three Christmases – 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Experts asked parents to report on their child’s behaviour at two timepoints – up-to six weeks prior to Christmas and for the week preceding Christmas Day.
Behaviour was assed using six measures – including ‘generosity’ (sharing with others and inviting others to play), ‘respect’ (respecting authority and rules) and ‘aid’ (helping others with tasks and household chores).
There was also ‘comfort’ (comforting those in distress), ‘eruptiveness’ (being aggressive towards others) and ‘selfishness’ (taking things not owned by them, lying and throwing tantrums).
Parents were also asked about their kids’ level of belief in Santa and how much they engaged in festive activities, such as putting up a tree, singing carols, listening to Christmas music, eating Christmas food like mince pies, attending Christmas church services and watching Christmas films.
Overall, the researchers found no link between a belief in Santa and good behaviour, although good behaviour did increase as December 25 approached – but only if families engaged in the ‘costly’ rituals such as decorations and carols.
Parents reported various good and bad behaviours from their children in the lead-up to Christmas Day, including sharing, helping and throwing tantrums (file photo)
Generally speaking, parents think the Christmas period is very important, but that their child’s belief in Santa is only moderately important. The magic is in the time of year, so to speak, not in the claim over the supernatural big man
‘Though the effect is small it is reliably observed, and is primarily attributable to participation in yuletide rituals,’ the team say in their pre-print study.
Positive rituals promoting good behaviour include putting up decorations, singing Christmas songs and eating festive foods.
Compared with the Santa myth, these activities are better at naturally channeling the joy of Christmas and in turn make children behave.
They offer a distraction a normal routine that bring out positive behaviours in a way that believing in Santa does not.
However, the team add: ‘It should be noted that the behavior of children is neither simple nor coherent.
‘When positive behaviors increase, so do negative behaviors.’
According to their own beliefs, parents generally think the Christmas period is very important, but that their child’s belief in Santa is only moderately important.
‘The magic is in the time of year, so to speak, not in the claim over the supernatural big man,’ added Professor Kapitany.
Many parents use the threat of Santa not leaving any presents at Christmas as a tactic to get children be nice rather than naughty
Overall, the results are something of a surprise, because singing carols and going to church services may be traditionally perceived as boring for youngsters.
Also, for children Santa Claus is ‘akin to a god’ and children ‘are his devotees’, according to the researchers.
‘For many children, Santa is real, and a useful, perhaps indistinguishable, approximation of a God,’ they conclude.
‘While the topic of a child’s belief in Santa Claus may appear superficially trivial, the implications for our understanding of moral development are potentially far reaching.’
The study also has implications for parents deciding whether or not to tell their children about the Santa myth.
Dr Joseph Millum, a senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of St Andrews, thinks parents shouldn’t tell their children that Santa exists because it ‘breaches trust’, calling the jolly gift giver ‘a ‘preposterous lie’.
But the academic calls the myth ‘manipulative’, adding that ‘deception is wrong because it breaches trust’.
However, Tom Whyman, lecturer in philosophy at the University of Liverpool, has argued in return that ‘kids need Santa’.
Meet St Nicholas: The original Santa Claus
St Nicholas was Bishop of Myrna in what is now Turkey in the 4th century.
He was known for his secret gift giving, such as putting coins into the shoes of people who left them out for him. This practice is still celebrated on his national feast day, December 6.
The bishop was popularized in 6th century Europe as Father Christmas, who secretly gave gifts to young children.
Santa Claus is based on St. Nicholas of Myra, who, according to Christian tradition, was a bishop in that small Roman town during the 4th century AD. This image shows a 13th-century depiction of Saint Nicholas from Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt
Young Dutch arrivals to the US called Saint Nicholas ‘Sinterklaas’, which later became Santa Claus.
In modern depictions, he’s shown as a portly old bearded man dressed in red and white.
It’s an urban myth that Coca‑Cola created the legend of Santa Claus, as is the rumour that Coca‑Cola made Santa red.
Before Coca‑Cola was invented in 1886, Santa had appeared in many illustrations and books wearing a scarlet coat.
