Keeping holiday magic alive gets harder as kids grow older and start asking sharper questions. Some parents, though, say they’ve found an extra bit of help: a tool that can create convincing “evidence” that Santa stopped by.
To boost the festive spirit, many are turning to Snapchat’s Imagine Lens to generate videos that appear to show Santa Claus eating the milk and cookies, checking wish lists and leaving presents at home. Parents can create clips of Santa near the tree, stopping in to make sure everything is on track — then share the results with their kids.
“We celebrate Christmas, but my husband and I always leaned toward being honest with our kids about Santa,” says Charmaine Walker, who recently started using the Imagine Lens at home. “When my oldest daughter Nola went to school telling her classmates that ‘Santa isn’t real,’ I realized I might have taken that magic away too soon.”
“Using Snapchat’s Imagine Lens brought that joy back into our home,” Walker adds. “Watching my kids believe Santa had ‘stopped by’ reminded me how special childhood magic really is.”
How it works
Parents say it’s simple to use. In the app, they search “Imagine” and select the Imagine Lens. From there, they can choose prompts such as “show Santa sitting here” or “show Santa coming out of the fireplace.” After tapping, the tool generates a realistic image of Santa placed into their actual surroundings — creating the kind of moment that can keep the season feeling magical.
“Using Snap’s Imagine Lens with kids (9 and 3) was such a fun and playful way to bring the Christmas spirit to life,” says Althea T. “They are so into their elves and this really took it to a whole new level.”
Althea adds that the experience didn’t just entertain her kids in the moment — it became something she expects they’ll look back on. “I am now getting asked regularly if Santa visited the night prior! I know the videos that we took of our kids interacting with this will be ones we cherish for years to come,” she says.
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Wesly H. agrees, saying the results felt so real that his kids tried to track down the gifts Santa appeared to place under the tree. “I am always looking for ways to bring the holiday magic for my kids. Being able to show them Santa in our house was priceless,” he says. “They spent 10 minutes searching for the gift he was putting under the tree in the image.”
“I know this will be a core memory for them,” Wesly adds, “and definitely a new tradition for our family.”
