Kristen Bell does not mince words, even with her 6-year-old daughter. The actress revealed that she and her husband, Dax Shepard, have told their daughter Lincoln the truth about Santa Claus, trusting her to keep the holiday spirit alive anyway. Bell felt that in this case, it would be better in the long run.
Bell spoke about her favorite holiday traditions in a new interview in Woman’s Day, saying it is all about family. However, to her that also means trusting her daughter with the truth, and not treating her like a baby.
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“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?’”
Lincoln is the elder of Bell’s two daughters. She said that she eased her 6-year-old into the truth, calling the idea of Santa Claus “an imaginary game we play because it’s really, really fun.”
Perhaps most impressively, Lincoln is still keeping the secret from her younger sister, Delta, who is just 4 years old. However, Bell said she will not wait longer than necessary to tell Delta the truth either.
“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.
Even if this particular secret is not intact, Bell assured her interviewer that the Christmas spirit is still very much alive in their household. She described their slow, thoughtful method for opening gifts to make it more meaningful.
“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. 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.”
As for the logistical side of things, Bell said that she does not let herself get “stressed about the holidays” where she can help it.
“It’s tempting to think that everything has to be perfect. 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,” she said.
Bell has plenty of things to worry about besides putting on a perfect holiday presentation at home. She is currently starring in the emotional final season of The Good Place, which has its midseason break starting this week. Meanwhile, she is also reprising her role as Anna in Frozen 2, which hits theaters on Friday.
The Good Place midseason finale airs on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
