Twelfth Night: how long do you have to maintain the children's enthusiasm? 2026

Twelfth Night is a night of hope, of not sleeping waiting for gifts the next day. Added to that illusion is the magic of the Three Wise Men and the protagonism of the little ones in the house (and their deep innocence regarding this topic).

Verónica Rodríguez Orellana, director and therapist of Coaching Club, explains, "The reasons why this tradition lasts over time can be found in the aura of happiness, hope and imagination that it provokes, essentially in children; in the importance of believing in some firm conviction and in keeping the illusion alive, no matter how artificial it may be. As our grandmothers said, let children preserve their innocence, there will be time for them to lose it."

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Seeing things from the parents' role, the doubt always comes to mind as to how long we have to keep that illusion alive, for fear that the children will not take it too well.

"Be that as it may, it is very positive to stimulate faith, in its most human sense and not in the theological one, in addition to certain qualitative and moral values in children. To resolve the previous dilemma, we must take into account that not everything is marketing and commercial bombardment in the theater of this Christmas illusion, but that the gift is associated with behavior, with acquired merits. It will be all the more wonderful the better the recipient has behaved, there even being the possibility of not receiving anything if his behavior throughout the year left much to be desired," explains Rodríguez Orellana.

Beyond what you may think, fantasy is a very important element if we talk about children's development. He is the protagonist of his future personality. Daydreaming will last into adolescence and adulthood. Remember: he who is left without memories in childhood will not be as creative when he grows up.

Nowadays, new technologies have made children increasingly aware of the reality that surrounds Three Kings Night, however, this does not have to mean that everything falls apart as soon as they suspect something. They will always try to turn the tables and try to make themselves see that it cannot be.

The moment they start asking us too many questions, it is better to tell the truth. It is very important to know how to reach when we believe that the credibility and trust that our child may have in us may be in danger. Otherwise, we could disqualify your own perceptions and deductions.

Of course, it must be clear that we always have to accompany the child in the process of realizing that everything is fiction and make him see that if we have maintained the “lie” it has been, in large part, to keep his illusion intact.

Furthermore, although we have all felt disappointed when we discovered it as children, we once again trust in the illusion of this night to transmit it from generation to generation.