Amergin, I believe God is real. Real like the neighbor's dog is real, not "real" like Oz or Neverland or King Arthur. If you don't, then that's what you should say to your kids when they ask. Maybe it's because I believe God is real, in a way Santa Claus is not, that I take such exception to presenting the Santa Myth as real.

McGrath, I disagree. Kids learn to distinguish between fiction and nonfiction at a very early age. "real" and "pretend" are an important part of the 1st grade vocabulary, and for the 1st grader, they are airtight and mutually exclusive. It's this idea of "real but real in a different sense" thing that's an adult concept, the "yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus" answer that is philosophical rather than simple and down-to-earth.

Alex