Web reads: What should you tell your kids about Santa Claus?

Is Santa real? What to tell children about Santa Claus: Anthropologist Margaret Mead had ungodly notions about some things, but she spent some time considering Santa Claus and came up with a useful suggestion. You can find her ideas at the website Brain Pickings.

Family drama. Just in time for holiday cheer, The New Yorker draws attention to several articles focusing on rotten bonds between parents and children. In one of The New Yorker’s recommended articles, “The Babies in the Freezer,” British journalist Nabeelah Jaffer tries to explain why some mothers kill their newborns. It’s a mental illness, she says, offering a sympathetic portrayal of women with “pregnancy denial.” She suggests these women need treatment rather than punishment.

Jingle bells. If you like secular Christmas songs, here’s news about the data-driven reasoning behind the 15 songs receiving the most play in November and December and how the most popular holiday songs on Spotify differ from those on the radio.

Night, night. Unhappily, not all parents have the opportunity to tuck their children into bed. Many single moms who work the night shift depend on “extreme daycare,” centers that stay open 24/7 almost every day of the year. In centers like these, children get tucked into bed.