Kristen Bell will always keep things real, including with her kids.
The Frozen 2 actress recently told her six-year-old daughter Lincoln the truth about Santa Claus, and the reasoning behind it is kind of amazing.
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Parents, take note.
Kristen Bell just proved that you should always be honest with your kids, even if it means spilling the beans on Santa Claus.
It all began when “The Frozen 2” star shared how she spends the holidays with her family.
This includes how the family has a new tradition of opening up presents on Christmas morning.
“In terms of other traditions, Dax introduced the idea of opening gifts on Christmas morning from youngest to oldest, which I really like,” she said.
“I’m able to talk my daughters through who gave them each gift,” she explained.
“I try to reiterate that these presents don’t just fall from the sky; they came from a thoughtful individual whom we need to thank.”
She also emphasizes the importance of making the holidays as least stressful as possible.
“It’s tempting to think that everything has to be perfect,” Kristen admitted.
“But if we decide at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve to order takeout instead of cook, I will have a smile on my face.”
Same girl, same .
With this approach, Bell admits that she’s a lot like her “Frozen” character Anna.
“She leads with her heart, has a passion for life, and believes in the people around her more than anything. That’s my take on life too. Plus, she’s a klutz and talks way too fast—just like me.”
Another thing that’s new for the family around Christmas is how Kristen recently told her daughter the truth about Santa Claus.
And the reasoning behind her doing it actually brilliant.
It all started when Lincoln confronted her with the question parents dread most: is Santa Claus real?
“She said, ‘I’m just not buying this whole Santa Claus thing. There’s no way he would be able to make it to every single house. You said there’s billions of people on the planet,’” Bell recalled.
“At that moment, my heart kind of sank,” she explained.
From there, Bell was faced with a diffcult choice.
She could lie to her daughter or tell the truth.
In the end, she chose honesty.
Above all else, she wanted to teach her daughter that “when you feel in your gut that something stinks, question it.”
“I pictured her in a more adult situation where she had a sinking feeling in her gut and wanted to ask [a] question,” Bell explained.
“Was I going to pat her on the head and go, ‘Stop thinking about that, I already told you, it’s fine, believe me,’ or would I want to produce the kind of person who goes, ‘I’m sorry, I really do need more information on this?'”
She then told her daughter the truth about Santa in a way that is so damn brilliant.
She didn’t dash her daughter’s dreams in a way that was similar to Buddy the Elf realizing the mall Santa wasn’t real.
Instead, she said that the idea of Santa Claus is “an imaginary game we play because it’s really, really fun.”
If this doesn’t work, though, Bell has another tip for parents: use the book called The Wonderful Truth About Santa Claus .
The book, which takes a modern approach to Saint Nicholas, emphasizes how the jolly old man wanted people to give gifts to one another without needing the credit.
This teaches people that “anyone can be a Santa Claus,” says Bell, while also helping keep the Christmas spirit alive.
Aw, I love that!
Not teating Lincoln like a baby has paid off for the parents.
That’s because Lincoln is keeping the Santa secret from her younger sister, Delta, who is just four.
However, if Delta ever wants to know the truth about Santa just like Lincoln did, the actress admitted she will once again be an open book.
“When she says to me, ‘Is this person a real human being?’ I will have the same conversation with her as I did with Lincoln,” she said.
Way to go, Kristen!
