I was hoping by now they both would have figured out that Santa couldn't be real.  Then again, minion #2 is holding out for a pet chupacabra or bigfoot, so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised.  What it boils down to though is this.  We don't lie to the minions.  I've had to explain everything from incest (thanks NatGeo Mummy specials) to complex medical procedures and expectations of pain levels, but we don't lie.  So why do we pick things like this to be untruthful about?  

I've thought long and hard about this, and I think the answer is simple.  There is some magic that revolves around this time of year no matter what religion you follow.  Even if you follow one of the religions that doesn't celebrate the holiday or are atheist, chances are your spirit of giving or being with family is greater, and that's it's own type of magic.  Who wants to end that?  Yeah, I really don't either.

What we will be doing is telling them in a way that involves them being part of the Christmas magic.  I hope that in years to come, it also helps us come together more as a family as it has this year and makes it less about giving things to someone just because it's what's you've always done at this time of year.