First of all, thanks to every one who voted in my very first blog poll! I'll leave the results up in my sidebar for a while. A majority of my readers don't use/need an alarm clock. From the comments on this post, it seems that most of us have kiddos who wake us up!
On to a new poll - so if you're reading this in a feed reader, please click on over so you can vote!
The topic is Santa - what do you do with Santa at your house? Hubby and I have had many discussions and have come to the consensus that we will tell Ladybug the story of the real Saint Nicholas instead of current day myth of Santa Claus. We know that we receive a lot of weird looks and questioning comments when others realize that we won't be sneaking around and pretending that we are Santa, delivering toys in the middle of Christmas eve night.
Several reasons are behind this decision. First, we want to keep the birth of Jesus Christ as the central reason to celebrate Christmas. Not a magical, elderly elf who sneaks around the world giving toys to only good girls and boys. I realize that many people celebrate Christmas in many different ways. For our family, it's all about Jesus.
Second, we feel that pretending about Santa (and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy for that matter) is teaching Ladybug that it's okay to lie. Children's belief in Santa comes from the adults in their lives. Children generally trust their parents, and some children feel betrayed by their parents when they realize that Santa isn't real.
And third, we would rather tell Ladybug the real inspiring story of Saint Nicholas. Giving to others who have less than we do is an important part of being a Christian (see Matthew 25:34-46).
This week, we received validation of our choice not to have Santa be a part of our family Christmas. In passing conversation, our priest mentioned that they have not had Santa be a part of their family Christmas either. They have three boys (we serve at an Episcopal church, where priests are allowed to marry and have families), and they have always shared with them about Saint Nicholas and kept Jesus at the center of their celebration.
Hubby and I were firm in our decision, but it's nice to know that other families feel the same as we do about Santa. (But please know that we are not critical of other parents who help their children believe in Santa Claus. Every family is different!)
So, what say you? How do you handle the topic of Santa in your house? Please vote in the poll in the sidebar, and feel free to leave your thoughts or comments here.
We made the same decision that you guys did when my son was born. And for the same reasons, with an addition.
ReplyDeleteNot only do I not want my children to think lying is okay, but I don't ever want them to question whether something that Mommy and Daddy said is true. I don't want them to doubt their faith in Christ because they have to learn to doubt their previous faith in Santa etc.
It will be a struggle for you, though. The whole world, every adult your child meets during the holidays, will try to tell your child about Santa. My son even said something this year about Santa Claus filling up the stockings on Christmas morning, and I've told him time and again that Santa is not real. It's just that other people keep telling him it is. Very frustrating!!!
Here's a link to an article Rick Osborn, a Christian author, wrote, concerning this issue..
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/5k73mu
It follows your line of thinking, but incorporates the "wink, wink" fun of Santa....not the "he's real" but the spirit of St. Nick...
Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas too. But, we also do the whole Santa Claus thing. We talk about the reason we get/give gifts is to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. I can see your side of the topic too. But Rich and I both grew up believing in Santa and neither one of us ever thought our parents were lying to us- they were just letting us believe in the magic of childhood, which will be over all too soon.
ReplyDeleteI thought we were doing what you've decided to do for the most part... We never talked about him bringing gifts, but we did have our pictures taken with him. We do a lot of talking about the nativity & about giving to others. Now that David is 4, this is really the first year he's gotten into Santa. For the first time, he actually talked to Santa & told him what he wanted. Now, my husband informs me that we're doing Santa.
ReplyDelete