Part of the magic of Christmas comes from children believing in Santa, and many parents work hard to preserve that joy for as long as they can. That’s why most people agree it’s not anyone else’s place to tell a child that Santa isn’t real, especially without a parent’s knowledge.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to a Texas mother, who shared a disturbing experience involving her 7-year-old’s Christmas gift. According to her, someone hid a card inside her child’s toy so that when it was unwrapped, the message was immediately visible.
The card wasn’t kind or playful. Instead, it read, “Hey kids, Santa is fake, Jesus is real.” The mother said the message left her feeling “disgusted,” especially because it targeted a young child and took away a moment that was meant to be joyful and innocent.
The front of the card wasn’t the only part that upset the Texas mother. The message on the back was just as disturbing. It read, “SANTA IS FAKE. The world has lied to you. There are no flying reindeer or elves making toys at the North Pole. The gifts you get at Christmas are from your parents.”
The card then shifted into a religious message about Jesus, followed by a section directly addressed to parents. That portion read, “Note to parents: Stop lying to your children about Santa at Christmas and tell them the truth about Jesus Christ.”
For the mother, that crossed an undeniable line. Decisions about faith and childhood traditions, she said, are things parents should handle themselves, not strangers inserting messages into children’s toys.
As she flipped the card back and forth in the video, she directly addressed whoever placed it there. “If you are out here doing this, trying to spread the ‘love of Christ,’ this is a really crappy way to do it,” she said. “This is not your place to do this to other kids.”
She made it clear the card didn’t just leave her hurt, but angry. In the caption, she added, “I’m so disheartened that this was shoved in my 7-year-old’s toy. Shame on you.”
Unfortunately, she said there was no way she could have prevented it. The card had been hidden inside the toy, making it impossible to see unless it was opened. Like any parent, she wrapped the gift without knowing what was inside.
Given the circumstances, many agreed she had every right to be upset.
People Reacting to the Card the Texas Mom Found
A lot of people were just as upset as the Texas mom about what was written on the card. This made some Christians apologize to her, including one who wrote, “As a Christian…. I am so sorry!!!! You can allow your children the magic of Santa and still teach them about Jesus…. All year long.” Unfortunately, there were also several comments that weren’t exactly nice toward whoever put the card there. “Ain’t no hate like Christian love,” one person wrote. Another person said, “Christmas isn’t about Jesus anyway. He was born in the spring.” Someone else added, “These are little kids, not all little kids are religious. They are trying to push a religon on to a KID. No matter what a person believes in, a grown ADULT should not be putting this on little kids gifts.”
Others shared how they would have reacted if something like this had happened to their family. One person wrote, “I would be so angry if someone put this in my kids’ gifts. As a believer, this is horrible.”
While many comments supported the Texas mother, a smaller number of people said they didn’t see an issue with the card. “Good for them! People need to keep speaking up!” one person commented. Another added, “I mean, I don’t see anything on that card that isn’t true.”
Still, the majority of responses condemned the act. One commenter wrote, “As a Christian, this is awful and I am SO sorry this happened. This is completely over the line and is NOT what Christ wants. Also, St. Nicholas was a real person.”
Many agreed that, regardless of personal beliefs, inserting a message like that into a child’s gift crossed a boundary. Hopefully, the incident didn’t end up ruining the child’s Christmas.
