Fear Of Santa Claus And The Three Kings – Parenthood

At Christmas time, it has become customary to take the famous souvenir photo of our child with the characters who for years sow illusion and joy in millions of children around the world. However, it is not always smiles that remain engraved on these pictures. Crying can be present for fear of Santa Claus and the Three Kings.

If the child is young, we must understand that novelty can scare him. Even more if he does not know the people around him and if they dress differently from those around him. The bright colors of their costumes, as well as the masked or made-up faces, can cause our children a form of uneasiness.

We must keep in mind that these times are customs imposed by adults all over the world. Therefore, the acceptance by our children depends, in large part, on how the parents introduced them to these characters. If we do not convey a sense of security to our children, fear of the simplest things will become daily.

In this article, we offer you several ideas for your children to be happy during these holidays and leave aside the fear they may feel in front of these iconic characters.

How to overcome the fear of Santa Claus and the Three Kings?

All human beings experience fear. As the experiences accumulate, the fear will be overcome or appear on other occasions. Children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years are easily afraid of the new and the unknown.

The best thing to do is to understand and respect this fear that our children may feel in front of Santa Claus. As parents, we should avoid putting our children in awkward positions. Likewise, forcing them to be around someone if they don’t feel like it is not a good idea.

Even less should we force them to give a kiss or any other display of affection. Because it could cause in them a reaction contrary to the expected joy at that time.

Each child has their own way of reacting and developing. This is why all do not behave in the same way in front of Santa Claus and the Three Kings. In addition, it is normal that some children are afraid of these characters and many elements of everyday life. Like loud noises, for example, animals, unfamiliar people, or darkness, among others.

Talking about Santa Claus and the Three Kings with the children

One way to familiarize children with the unknown is to talk to them about it. In this specific case, we can share the happy experiences we had during childhood, and complement them with readings from Christmas stories.

Watching funny Christmas movies that convey messages of peace and togetherness also helps little ones identify characters and get used to their looks. It therefore helps them to overcome their fears.

So, it is important to explain to them the purpose of Santa Claus and the Three Kings. So that they understand that there is no reason to be afraid.

Thanks to this, we can prepare the children for a possible meeting in which they will not be afraid of Santa Claus. On the contrary, their perception of these characters will change positively. And, instead of fear, emotion and joy will manifest when they see them.

Fun activities

As a complement to the readings or videos on Christmas characters, we can carry out different activities with Santa Claus or the Three Kings as protagonists. When the children are between 18 months and 3 years old, we can spend afternoons full of fun activities with them. Like for example painting, or drawing with models of these characters so that they gradually familiarize themselves with them and can identify them later.

On the other hand, the clothes of these characters may seem strange to a child. A good option to make sure they don’t feel rejection is to play dress up. Which aside from being fun will help them prepare for when they see someone wearing these colorful and shiny costumes.

The fear of Santa Claus and the Three Kings and anything else simple, everyday is an emotion that most children cannot control.

Finally, parents should be with them to teach them how they can overcome their fears. By always emphasizing the importance of remaining positive about the ability to deal with the individual’s fears. Punishment should never be used.