The truth about Santa at our house is... that he doesn't come. Sometimes I become concerned that this makes me appear to be a scrooge or a Grinch or some other grumpy anti-Santa, grown up character with no imagination or sense of the magical (think the step-dad in The Santa Claus). And because part of my reason for this is religious-- as in, the holiday is really about Jesus and not about Santa-- I recognize that some people will perceive me to be some sort of religious fanatic.
This has been a matter of discussion with us for the past several years. And when it comes down to it, the question is, "Is it that important to celebrate Santa Claus?" At our house, we have five incredible (female) Santa Claus's who deserve recognition for the presents they send. These being one great-grandma, two grandmas, and two great-aunts. And then you ask, "Do our kids REALLY need MORE presents just so we can say that Santa Claus comes?" Because at some point it becomes ridiculous. Plus, we aren't big fans of lying to our children, although we don't judge other people as it's a culturally acceptable and somewhat beautiful lie that many other people participate in.
I have felt a little silly about this and am curious to see our children's opinions when they're in school and become more able to compare and process this decision. However, I take some comfort in reading other people commentary, mostly on Facebook. Like, today when I saw somebody say (about "the elf on the shelf), "I hardly know what to do with Santa Claus. I couldn't possibly do that." Or the other day when somebody else said they don't really do Santa at their house. And then my friend from Transylvania mentioned that Santa Claus and Christmas are two different things in Hungary-- St. Nick comes on St. Nick's day (Dec. 6) rather than on Christmas. And, specifically in Transylvania, Jesus brings the gifts on Christmas. So I admit, I take some comfort in not being alone. I know that my children can be healthy, well-adjusted adults without me taking part in the Santa Claus deal. And I like to think it doesn't make me a bad person.
But I know some people will think that we're silly. I'm thankful that when I told my parents (though they did do Santa Claus), they took our attitude in stride and didn't take it as an offense against their parenting decisions. Now, I'm happy to play along with Santa with other people's kids. And I'm perfectly content if you choose to bring up Santa with my kid-- we did the Polar Express and loved it-- it was like a magical journey into a book! But I thought I might as well admit that we aren't active Santa-participants. But we are big fans of Jesus--whether that makes us fanatics or not.
1 comment:
Cool Keegan! There is no Santa at our house either. I thought I was just going to ignore the subject this year until Knightley started confusing Santa and Jesus. So even at just barely 3 I sat down and had to say several times "Santa is not real and not why we celebrate Christmas. Christ is real and the reason for everything." Power to us non Santa people :)
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