If you’ve dreaded the moment your little tyke begins to ask uncomfortable questions (no, not about that, about Santa), relax. A new study reported in Live Science says kids are quite capable of dealing with the shattering of their Santa fantasy.

At some point in time, your little preschooler will grow up, and begin asking questions about Santa. How exactly does he manage to circle the world in one night, delivering goodies to good boys and girls everywhere? How does a reindeer manage to fly…and non stop? All right, so what exactly is the deal here?

As a parent, you might think it’s best to not build up the Santa story too much, so as to prepare your child for not so big a disappointment when he figures out that no one is shimmying down the chimney on Christmas eve. Now, experts say there’s no harm in letting kids believe in a Santa. After all, a lot of kiddie play centers on imagination. Make believe friends, role playing – these are all ways through which preschoolers hone their creative skills. The Santa fantasy is just an extension of this, and nothing that you should be getting paranoid about.

And in any case, kids are more resilient to hurt and disappointment than we think they are. In other words, the chances that your child will be permanently scarred, and hold a grudge against you for the rest of his life for deceiving him are minuscule at best.

But, a word of caution for parents who are really worried about deceiving the kids: don’t elaborate on the fantasy and feed it. If your child takes the lead in embellishing his Santa fantasy, join in. There’s absolutely no harm. But, skip on the empty glasses of milk on the mantel.

So, what do you do when the inevitable questions begin tumbling out?

Chances are if he’s asking questions he’s already figured most of it out himself. After all, he sees a Santa at every mall he visits, and he’s probably sat on the lap of more than one Santa listing out all the ways he’s been a good boy lately. He’s already beginning to clue himself in to the truth of the matter. So his very first experience with innocence lost may not be as traumatic as you think.

When can you expect the fantasy to end? Studies show that it’s around the age of 7.

So, how are you planning on dealing with the inevitable questions? Is it something that worries you at all?