Children are mad for Santa. So don't be surprised if you find yourself in the unenviable position of having to explain his absence to a teary-eyed little one.

To make it easier for both of you, we’ve put together some strategies to help you manage the truth.

1. Suggest that Santa can’t afford Christmas this year due to exorbitant retail prices.
2. Tell them Santa has found enlightenment and renounced material possessions.
3. Try and convince them that Santa doesn’t exist.
4. Make up something complicated about global warming and the North Pole.
5. Deny all knowledge of "Santa” and “Christmas".
6. Tell them the eBay community have heroically kidnapped Santa to spread the message about a better, more affordable way to buy Christmas presents.
7. Explain the implications of the international reindeer strike.
8. Remind them that Christmas is only held every two years.
9. Create a diversion - tell them you’re not their real parents. Or that the dog isn’t really living in the country these days.
10. Assure them that Santa’s kidnap is just a marketing gimmick and that Santa will be out in time for Christmas, business as usual.