YES...Santa comes to our house every Christmas.
I don't know when folks started getting all bent out of shape about Santa, but I don't get it. Don't get me wrong, I fully support your right not to do Santa with your kids...but I just don't get it.
"It's lying to your children." Well...yeah. It might be. But so is telling them that their shots won't hurt THAT much. Or that their crummy little crayon drawings are beautiful. Face it...there are times when we soften the truth to protect their feelings. That's lying too.
"It's diminishing the true meaning of Christmas." Um..no. Saint Nicholas was a real person. He gave to the poor. My personal thoughts are this: if Santa coming one night out of the year causes a person to question their Christian faith, then you have bigger problems. If you are raising your children in a Christian home and model your lives as such EVERY day of the year, then there should be no problem. I wonder if anyone has ever done a study to see if a child has ever grown up to be an atheist because Santa delivered their Christmas presents. No really....I'd like to know.
"It's putting all the focus on gift giving." Like you aren't going to give your child any gifts at Christmas? What's the difference if Santa brings them or you get the credit? They are still getting gifts. And there is nothing wrong with enjoying gift getting as well as gift giving. We do it on their birthdays, don't we?
Personally, I have never met anyone who resents their parents for allowing them to believe in Santa Claus. I've also never met anyone who rejects Christ because of Santa.
I do know plenty of people who have amazing moments of joy when they remember how magical it all seemed as a child. I spoke to a friend last night who told me how her father would wake her up at 5:00 on Christmas morning running into her room yelling "Hurry! You're going to miss him! GET UP! QUICK!" And they would run outside looking....
I thought that was a precious memory.
And I don't think Jesus holds it against them one bit.
I don't see the problem either and while I have no problem with those who choose to teach their children he does not exist, I do have a problem with those parents (and their kids) being determined to tell my child he doesn't exist. I teach that as long as you believe in the spirit of Santa he is real - as we (the parents) are the living embodiment of what St. Nick stood for and accomplished.
ReplyDeleteI've never met a single person who has ever said, I don't believe in God because my parents said that Santa was real and he wasn't so God isn't real either. And if I ever did meet that person I'd bet you they have a lot more deeper issues and conflicts than that at the root of their troubles!