Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard's 'controversial' parenting decision

Dax Shepherd has opened up to US publication Us Weekly about he and his wife Kristen Bell's decision to tell their kids, 5 and 3, that Santa doesn't exist.

"This is going to be very controversial," the 43-year-old told the magazine.

"I have a fundamental rule that I will never lie to them, which is challenging at times. Our 5-year-old starting asking questions like, 'Well this doesn't make sense, and that doesn't make sense'. I'm like, 'You know what? This is just a fun thing we pretend while it's Christmas."

The celebrity couple have two daughters together, Lincoln, 5, and Delta, 3.

But just because they know the truth, Shepard insists it doesn't stop them from getting into the festive spirit.

"They love watching movies about Santa, they love talking about Santa," the Parenthood actor said. "They don't think he exists but they're super happy so everything's fine."

A more important Christmas tradition in the Shepard-Bell household is generosity. “We encourage them to give something of theirs to whatever friend comes over,” Shepard said.

“We’re trying to show that an object can give you some joy when you get it, but then seeing how it can make someone else happy is sometimes even more fun then the thing was itself.”

This isn't the first time the couple have spoken about their decision to dispel the Santa story. 

"We have to tell our kid that one night a year, breaking and entering is OK and that a dude in a jumpsuit is going to come down the chimney and is going to rifle through our stuff but it's OK because he's going to leave us gifts?" Bell said to America's TODAY Show in 2017.

"That's a crazy story to tell your child."