Kids, please don’t read this article on what Trump said about Santa Claus

Hey, kids younger than 8 years old, thanks for reading The New York Times. But this time, please don’t. Maybe go play Minecraft or something instead.

... OK, are they gone now? Cool. Here’s what President Donald Trump said to a child on the phone about Santa Claus on Monday.

“Are you still a believer in Santa? Because at 7 it’s marginal, right?”

Sadly, we do not know how the 7-year-old, named Coleman, responded to the president of the United States’ suggestion that his parents had been lying to him all his life and that he would probably get wise to it soon. The president made the comments from the White House while he and the first lady, Melania Trump, fielded calls from a hotline for children wondering where Santa was.

Trump’s faux pas was roundly mocked on social media, where he was criticised for breaking the covenant in which we have all agreed to deceive our children.

But in case you’re wondering: The president was right. It is, indeed, marginal at 7.

Most children stop believing in Santa somewhere between 5 and 8 years old, according to several studies. That range has been largely consistent for decades; a 1978 study said that 85 percent of 5-year-olds believed, while just 25 percent of 8-year-olds kept the faith.

One 2015 study from Australia found that children are catching on earlier, perhaps because the internet is full of spoilers.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump speak on the phone with children who are calling into the North American Aerospace Defense Command's Santa Tracker, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Dec. 24, 2018. On one of the calls, Trump said to a 7-year-old named Coleman Monday night, ""Are you still a believer in Santa? Because at seven it's marginal, right?" (Al Drago/The New York Times)

It appeared the Trumps were enjoying the occasion, which is part of the annual Santa-tracking program run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD. Trump let out an ear-to-ear smile during his discussion with Coleman, while Melania Trump called it “one of my favorite traditions.”

And Coleman, who was probably going to figure it out eventually anyway, will now have a story to tell for the rest of his life. Merry Christmas to all.

© 2018 New York Times News Service