Santa or No Santa??

[TXMary2]

I am hoping this won't turn into an argument, but I am asking because I am feeling conflicted. I am interested in knowing your reasons for or against "doing Santa" with your kids.

 

My parents did Santa for my brothers and I growing up and I remember being really disappointed to learn it was my parents. I got over it quickly and remember snickering at my little brothers who still believed. With my kids, it is only my little one that still believes (he is almost 6). My oldest believed until I finally had to tell him in 8th grade- yes 8th grade- and I told him because I think he was the only one in his small class of 8th graders who still talked about Santa and I didn't want him to get relentlessly teased. My middle son found out before last Christmas when he was 12. He was MAD to find out and now he is threatening to tell the little one because we are "lying to him." He is teasing, but it has me thinking about it.

 

In our circle of homeschooled friends we are the only ones who do Santa--and I am feeling somewhat guilty or like I am wrong for it!The others don't do it for christian reasons. We are Christians and maybe I am just missing something, but I don't think it is a big deal to have some fun with it. I have heard it explained before that it can challenge children's faith in Christ.

 

Is having a Santa tradition really "lying" or is it just simple fantasy play? What are your thoughts?

[QueenCat]

To me, Santa is part of the spirit of giving. Christmas is about Christ's birth, and all that Christ GAVE to us. My boys are now too old for Santa but I loved it when they believed. We always referred to Santa as the "spirit of Santa". When it was revealed to them, we were "the spirit of Santa". We also did birthday cakes for Jesus, and many other things to remind them of Jesus' birth. To me, it is not relevant as to the exact date Jesus was born but rather that we honor his birth. I love to find the perfect gifts for people, and hope that I will always love the joy of giving.

[Erica in PA]

I am hoping this won't turn into an argument, but I am asking because I am feeling conflicted. I am interested in knowing your reasons for or against "doing Santa" with your kids.

 

My parents did Santa for my brothers and I growing up and I remember being really disappointed to learn it was my parents. I got over it quickly and remember snickering at my little brothers who still believed. With my kids, it is only my little one that still believes (he is almost 6). My oldest believed until I finally had to tell him in 8th grade- yes 8th grade- and I told him because I think he was the only one in his small class of 8th graders who still talked about Santa and I didn't want him to get relentlessly teased. My middle son found out before last Christmas when he was 12. He was MAD to find out and now he is threatening to tell the little one because we are "lying to him." He is teasing, but it has me thinking about it.

 

In our circle of homeschooled friends we are the only ones who do Santa--and I am feeling somewhat guilty or like I am wrong for it!The others don't do it for christian reasons. We are Christians and maybe I am just missing something, but I don't think it is a big deal to have some fun with it. I have heard it explained before that it can challenge children's faith in Christ.

 

Is having a Santa tradition really "lying" or is it just simple fantasy play? What are your thoughts?

 

I think it can be all in fun unless you actually tell a child outright that Santa is real and is giving him presents. Then it's lying, imo. If you're all actually *pretending* together, and you all know that it's pretend, that is different, and fine, imo. But if a child feels angry or betrayed to hear the truth, then in my opinion you've gone too far with it. My own mom went way too far with the Santa story. I was devastated when I learned the truth. I wasn't so much upset that Santa wasn't real, but that my mom had lied to me, for so long. I felt like I couldn't fully believe what she told me after that. This is why I would agree that it could possibly challenge children's faith in spiritual things-- it could undermine their trust in what you tell them is real.

[JillZ]

We have a 2 year old DS and I've been wondering what to do about Santa too. Right now he doesn't really understand much about either Santa or Jesus, so we are just focusing on Jesus right now :). Hopefully by the end of this season he will understand that Christmas is to celebrate Jesus's birthday, and this is the same Jesus that we pray to. I think adding Santa in would be a little confusing for him. But I still find the idea of Santa fun and will probably explain it if he ever asks about it (which I doubt will be this year).

[Chris in VA]

Maybe this will be helpful--Dh wrote his monthly "pastor's column" about St. Nicholas. (just scroll down a bit to find it)

We did not do Santa, but we talked about St. Nick--we never said presents were from him, just that we were giving gifts like he did, and like the Wise Men did for Jesus.

To each his own, but I couldn't do like my sil and brother did--they would pick up the phone and threaten to call Santa if there was misbehavior. I didn't want my kids thinking our gifts were dependent on their being good. I wanted Christmas to be about grace, as the gift of Jesus Christ was all about.

[Ellie]

We did not do Santa. We did everything else--Christmas tree, stockings, gift-giving, all that stuff--but no Santa. I wasn't particularly traumatized by finding out he wasn't "real," nor did my younger brothers, but I met several mature adult people who were *still* angry with their parents over it; I figured there were so many things I could do accidentally to scar my dc that I didn't want to do something on purpose that could do so.:tongue_smilie: We explained to our dc who Santa was, and that some people liked to pretend that he gave the gifts, but that we just liked doing it ourselves (and also that they were never, ever to enlighten children whose parents did Santa).

 

It would not have ocurred to me to equate Santa with Jesus at all. That's just too much of a stretch, IMHO. YMMV.

[Closeacademy]

We do Santa and I still believe. I may be the one putting out the presents but it is in the spirit of Santa's giving. I think these sorts of dreams and beliefs make Christmas a more magical time where we can all hope and dream that things are peaceful, and that people are generous and giving and that magic can happen, dreams can come true and prayers can be answered.

 

I guess I believe more in the magic of Santa and that is what I teach my children to believe in as well. Even if they don't believe that it is actually Santa coming down the chimney they believe that Christmas is a special time where peace happens in families and dreams come true.

 

:001_smile:

[catalinakel]

Well, technically, it's a lie. I felt bad about making something up and convincing my kids of something that is not true only to disappoint them later. I am mostly concerned about it making children question Christ's existence, so I decided not to do it.

 

:iagree:pretty much what she said...it made no sense to me to lie...and I didn't want them to also question the validity of Christ's birth and all....

[LinRTX]

We never did Santa with our kids -- to us it is a lie. But they had all the fun of Christmas without the Santa. The gifts are put under the tree and the stockings filled after they go to bed Christmas Eve. I love seeing their faces Christmas morning and they love being surprised. They do know it is from us though.

 

Linda

[Greta Lea]

Yep...we just all pretended. I told my youngest other people were pretending too, so he wouldn't spill the beans to other kids.

 

I can remember crying and crying all alone in my room when I found out Santa wasn't real. That was NOT a fun Christmas. It hurt my feelings that my parents would lie to me. I really did hurt.

[RegGuheert]

 

Is having a Santa tradition really "lying" or is it just simple fantasy play? What are your thoughts?

We don't do Santa because it is a lie.

[Tree House Academy]

We started out planning NOT to do Santa. Mostly, it was because, when I was a kid and I found out about Santa, I also questioned God. I didn't want to confuse my kids.

 

However, when my older son went to daycare/preschool, he learned about Santa and got so excited that we just couldn't break his heart and not do it. He found out there was no Santa when he was about 7 and he was fine with it. My youngest still believes, so we still do Santa for BOTH kids. I think ds10 will probably try to make sure that ds6 NEVER stops believing because of this! LOL

 

ETA: We don't over-do Santa. We may say things like, "ask Santa for that present" or leave out milk and cookies, but we don't let Santa take over Christmas. We read a lot about Christ during the Christmas Holiday. We tell the nativity story, etc. We mix Santa in, but he is not the focus of our celebration.

Edited December 3, 2009 by Tree House Academy

[Garga]

We don't do Santa. I'm not sure if it really shakes a child's faith in God or not, but when it got down to it, I just couldn't tell my kids about Santa without feeling very uneasy. I don't like to lie and it felt too much like a bald-faced lie.

 

However, my son (7) who fully, completely, and absolutely knows there is no Santa, still loves to put out a plate of cookies and pretend that Santa will eat them. He doesn't care about anything else about Santa, but he loves to put out those cookies and then check to see if they're eaten the next day. He's done this on his own for 3 years--at his prompting. It wasn't my idea! (But it is fun to eat the cookies...)

[swellmomma]

We do santa. I told my older kids last year after xmas was over the truth on it and now they are involved in being santa for the littles. My parents still put presents under the tree addressed to me from santa so even once the truth is out we keep playing it. It is just fun, no big deal in our family.

[babysparkler]

Maybe this will be helpful--Dh wrote his monthly "pastor's column" about St. Nicholas. (just scroll down a bit to find it)

We did not do Santa, but we talked about St. Nick--we never said presents were from him, just that we were giving gifts like he did, and like the Wise Men did for Jesus.

 

 

This is exactly what we do.

[SquirrellyMama]

Is having a Santa tradition really "lying" or is it just simple fantasy play? What are your thoughts?

 

 

I don't tell my kids that Santa is real and bringing them presents because I do think it is lying. My oldest chooses to say she believes anyway and I'm fine with that. We don't do Santa presents but we are fine with Santa cartoons, movies, cookies even pictures with Santa because the kids know he isn't real.

 

I suppose Santa presents as long as the kids know who it is would be fine too. We do the tooth fairy but my kids know exactly who the tooth fairy is.

[sadiegirl]

:iagree: this is us exactly!!

To me, Santa is part of the spirit of giving. Christmas is about Christ's birth, and all that Christ GAVE to us. My boys are now too old for Santa but I loved it when they believed. We always referred to Santa as the "spirit of Santa". When it was revealed to them, we were "the spirit of Santa". We also did birthday cakes for Jesus, and many other things to remind them of Jesus' birth. To me, it is not relevant as to the exact date Jesus was born but rather that we honor his birth. I love to find the perfect gifts for people, and hope that I will always love the joy of giving.

[MissKNG]

We don't do santa claus because it's a lie. :glare:

 

The anagram for santa is SATAN!!

[Nakia]

We did not do Santa, but we talked about St. Nick--we never said presents were from him, just that we were giving gifts like he did, and like the Wise Men did for Jesus.

 

 

This is what we do too! My kids know that Santa Claus is make-believe, just like Cinderella and Mickey Mouse.

[tdeveson]

We've always done Santa with the kids. They love it. When my eldest finally realized there was no Santa, it wasn't particularly traumatic. The last couple of years it was like a little game. "Mom, is there really a Santa?" And I'd smile slyly and say, "What do you think?" By the third year of this she was too old to believe, but she loved the game we played and still speaks fondly of waking up early in the morning to see what Santa had left.

 

Now with my younger one (10) we're going through the same thing. "Mom, is there really a Santa?" And I wink and grin and ask him what he thinks. He's on the fence. We have this year and maybe one or two more with Santa. But even now, as he comes slowly to terms with reality, he still loves it. I see absolutely no signs of anger or a sense of betrayal from either of my children. They both trust me completely. And my daughter, who is looking over my shoulder, is confirming that she loves the fact that I played Santa for her and she will do the same for her children. She feels she would have missed a wonderful, delicious part of her life if I had just handed her a gift Christmas morning, and she's grateful for all the trouble her dad and I went through to buy, hide, wrap and present gifts from Santa. (Her words.)

 

So we do the whole thing. Christmas tree, stockings, decorations, the works. I love the crafting and planning and cooking and baking. The kids get right into it as well.

 

Opening our homes and hearts to Santa each year has enriched the Christmas tradition in our home.

 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

[Guest Barb B]

My 2 older kids figured it out by 8 1/2 or 9. It was not traumatic. My dd said "OH, that explains alot!". We watch the dvd "nicholas the boy who became santa" by CCC. They have watched it enough by the time the are ready to know - it is natural for them to realize there once was a Santa (St. Nicholas) who gave gifts and when he died parents decided to take over and be "Santa" (St. Nick). So, since I am Santa - I don't feel it's a lie. The movie has a great way of bringing this idea home without giving things away to those who still believe.

 

Barb

[Mom In Missouri]

Background. My parents participated in the Santa story with the three of us. It was fun, we all believed and enjoyed it. Until...(hold that thought)

 

We were taught and told that you were never to lie. Ever. There was nothing worse than a liar. "I will never lie to you, or for you.' To the point that my mother would go to all ends to not tell a lie, even if it were only by a technicality. "Sorry, she can't come to the phone, she's in the restroom." And she'd go stand in the restroom so no one would lie for her.

 

Back to the Santa thought. I came home from kindergarten and was sure that the other children were telling a lie regarding Santa. After all, my parents wouldn't lie to me. So I asked my mother, and she hesitated and I can remember saying it "Tell me the truth." And she confirmed it was a lie, only a story for me to believe. My next statement is one that hurt my mother to the core: "You punished me for lying to you, and all this time you've been lying to me." She still says the duplicity is one of her biggest regrets in parenting.

 

That being said, I don't habor that against my parents. But my parents said later as I was an adult that it was one of the things they wouldn't have done looking back with what they knew now.

 

We don't do Santa simply because we couldn't get past the duplicity either. However, we do have Saint Nickolas day and talk about the real person who lived and his life and how the story spiraled into something else for a good purpose, but that its only a story. We hang their stockings, and they get small gifts and house slippers (just our thing) but then the stockings are put away after December 6. Certainly, we have a much larger focus on Christ, but we do that through Advent. We do not participate in the catholic doctrine however we do enjoy the month long excitement and the several days after Christmas to focus on the real reason of our celebration.

 

Our daughters don't understand why others would shorten it or confuse it by adding in Santa, but consider their perspective from what they've been taught.

 

In our opinion (and I say that to note it's our guidance from God on the issue) Christmas is meant to be experienced in the fullest by those who know and love Christ. It's not an observance of good will by gift giving or mythical stories.

[Joy at Home]

We've never done Santa, but explained to dc that others do and it's a fun "pretending". I could never bring myself to lie to my children. I remember in preschool dd was freaked out on St. Patty's Day that the teacher was talking about how a leprachaun snuck into the classroom and rearranged everything while they were outside. Dd was so freaked out.

 

I could never make up something and get my children to believe it, be it Santa, Tooth Fairy, etc. I want them to know I will always be honest with them. As a Christian, in particular, I want them to know that I would never make up "stories", only to have them find out later I was tricking them. It just felt to me like it would really confuse them to be tricked about Santa, Tooth Fairy, leprachauns, but yet I want them to believe unwaveringly in Noah, Moses, etc. It just felt like a contradiction.

 

FWIW, I was never convinced of this by anything but my own feelings. I don't know what the consensus is among Christians, but this has just been my own feelings on the matter.

 

Merry Christmas!

Lisa

[Tracy in Ky]

We've always done Santa (putting the presents out after they go to bed), but we have never told our children that Santa is real. I feel like I would be lying to them. It's always worked just fine. I don't recall either of my children ever believing in Santa; it's just been a fun game or something in our family. They know we put the presents there :)

[TXMary2]

We've always done Santa with the kids. They love it. When my eldest finally realized there was no Santa, it wasn't particularly traumatic. The last couple of years it was like a little game. "Mom, is there really a Santa?" And I'd smile slyly and say, "What do you think?" By the third year of this she was too old to believe, but she loved the game we played and still speaks fondly of waking up early in the morning to see what Santa had left.

 

Now with my younger one (10) we're going through the same thing. "Mom, is there really a Santa?" And I wink and grin and ask him what he thinks. He's on the fence. We have this year and maybe one or two more with Santa. But even now, as he comes slowly to terms with reality, he still loves it. I see absolutely no signs of anger or a sense of betrayal from either of my children. They both trust me completely. And my daughter, who is looking over my shoulder, is confirming that she loves the fact that I played Santa for her and she will do the same for her children. She feels she would have missed a wonderful, delicious part of her life if I had just handed her a gift Christmas morning, and she's grateful for all the trouble her dad and I went through to buy, hide, wrap and present gifts from Santa. (Her words.)

 

So we do the whole thing. Christmas tree, stockings, decorations, the works. I love the crafting and planning and cooking and baking. The kids get right into it as well.

 

Opening our homes and hearts to Santa each year has enriched the Christmas tradition in our home.

 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

 

Thank you everyone. I guess I am guilty of outright lying to my older two, but they'll get over it. I like the idea of saying "the spirit of Santa" and I may start using that wording with my little guy. I don't equate Santa with Jesus at all and never have so I guess I don't need to be concerned about that.

 

I love your post TD-- we love Christmas- we play the music while decorating and baking.

 

We love giving presents and it is the season of giving--I like what one person said about Christ giving to us and I like that correlation. So, I guess I will let go of my guilt instead of questioning myself or gettting upset with others judging the way I do it. :)

[Rosy]

Both DH and I grew up in nominally Christian homes and did Santa. When we first started having kids we were new Christians and pretty black-and-white about everything, so we decided not to. At that time it was a big deal, and I would get annoyed when people would ask my little kids if Santa was coming to bring them presents. It was awkward.

 

We're not nearly as dogmatic anymore about the non-essentials of the faith, but I'm glad we haven't done Santa for the following reasons:

 

1. When we were flat broke and only had $10-20 per kid for presents, it would have strained our budget to have to come up with another gift.

2. They get excited about presents, but also about the birthday party for Jesus that we have first and all of our other Christmas traditions.

3. It has pushed me to come up with traditions that reflect our beliefs and still make Christmas special for them.

 

We also haven't done Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy. I don't think any of it is wrong, just unnecessary and a potential distraction.

[Ravin]

We definitely do Santa/Father Yule.

 

Today DD asked me if Santa was real, and I responded that it depends on what you mean by real. Then I explained that he was the representation of the giving spirit of the season. She knows that the Santa in the store is pretend, and that the Santa in movies is pretend (a TV show is, I think, what prompted the question).

 

I've never taught DD to be literal-minded about anything spiritual or religious. As she grows out of the concrete thinking natural to her age, I don't think she'll be upset at the non-physical-reality of Santa, any more than she is of the Gods or the tomten (house-spirit).

[momtoboys]

I do not like to tell my children something that isn't true (Just a personal opinion, not criticizing anyone else!). . .So. . .they know there is no "Santa", but they can pretend there is if they want to.

 

I also tell them they are NOT allowed to tell other kids there is no Santa (that's mean).

 

I just told the story of St. Nicholas to my son, to give him some background of where the whole Santa story came from.

[Aubrey]

We do Santa. I wish I had time for a really long post, but for now--I don't see Santa as a lie at all. It's a game, it's imagination, it's fun. When I was a kid & a neighbor told me that my dad was Santa, I thought she meant the one true Santa. After he explained, I was in *awe* that he & mom would do so much for us w/out taking *any* credit. It was the most generous thing I'd ever encountered.

 

And then I realized he hadn't *denied* being Santa. And I was pretty sure I knew where he kept his portal to the N Pole. It was awfully fun to tell him that that was what I had thought for *years* once I was in college. Dad didn't laugh that hard very often. And he LOVED being sneaky & keeping secrets, so that misunderstanding was doubly great for him.

 

I think there's a tendency in human nature to take the magic away from childhood, to make rules & laws about everything, & I think that that tendency takes us away from God, not toward Him.

[AuntieM]

Maybe this will be helpful--Dh wrote his monthly "pastor's column" about St. Nicholas. (just scroll down a bit to find it)

We did not do Santa, but we talked about St. Nick--we never said presents were from him, just that we were giving gifts like he did, and like the Wise Men did for Jesus.

To each his own, but I couldn't do like my sil and brother did--they would pick up the phone and threaten to call Santa if there was misbehavior. I didn't want my kids thinking our gifts were dependent on their being good. I wanted Christmas to be about grace, as the gift of Jesus Christ was all about.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

Very nicely put, Chris!

 

We have known folks who start with Santa innocently enough, but then go on to contrive fantastic tales to cover their tracks and keep the kids believing when kids start doubting and asking questions. I wouldn't mind a bit of fun, but to persist beyond a certain point.... just seems deceptive. We just knew we wouldn't want our kids always wondering, "Gee, what else are they making up stories about?"

 

FWIW, we have always let our kids know that some families play the "Santa game" and that it would spoil the family's game if we were the ones to tell that Santa is not real. I have had to interject in more than one conversation, though, when my young ones came dangerously close to spilling the beans!

[Tess in the Burbs]

We don't do Santa. Here's why.

 

First, my son was born on Christmas. We focus on Jesus as the celebration of the season and my son's bday. I don't need a fat man included in the mix.

 

Second, I was devastated to find out my parents lied to me for years and encouraged good behavior based on a story character! Dh and I decided early on no Santa b/c we didn't want to lie about that or an Easter Bunny. We are keeping the Christian holidays focused on the purpose!!!

 

My parents felt like I was saying my life was horrid for having those things. My life wasn't horrid. It's a personal choice to try something different. We went to church but come a holiday they didn't focus on the real reason...why not? Was their faith just fake? Just going b/c it made you look good? So we decided to focus on our beliefs and not the commercialism of the holidays. Dh hates ads to make men buy things for wives for every holiday and Valentine's. He will buy it when he wants to. With no guilt.

 

It was hard at first explaining WHY to family and friends but at this point they just know we don't do it. It doesn't mean I think they are wrong for doing it. For us, it was a choice to focus on the real meanings and not be liars. I don't want my kids learning that little lies are ok. They are not.

 

Good luck with your choice in the matter. It's your choice. I know many good Christians who do Santa and Halloween and the Easter bunny. I think it can be balanced. In my own home it wasn't, so we are trying to just do our faith and not the commercialism.

[ChristusG]

We do Santa. My parents did Santa when I was a kid. I love the magic of Christmas. Honestly I do not even remember the moment when I found out that Santa wasn't real....so it must not have been too traumatic LOL.

 

I know some people say that they do not want their kids to be confused and think that Jesus is not real either, but that never happened to me. Santa didn't effect what I believed about Jesus. And with our family, Jesus is someone we talk to all year long, He is our main focus in daily life, and we revolve our school curriculum around Him. We pray multiple times a day and sing songs about Jesus all year long. Our focus on Jesus is much more than just several weeks per year, as Santa is. I do not believe my kids will be confused about Jesus being real.

[Parrothead]

We do Santa and I still believe. I may be the one putting out the presents but it is in the spirit of Santa's giving. I think these sorts of dreams and beliefs make Christmas a more magical time where we can all hope and dream that things are peaceful, and that people are generous and giving and that magic can happen, dreams can come true and prayers can be answered.

 

I guess I believe more in the magic of Santa and that is what I teach my children to believe in as well. Even if they don't believe that it is actually Santa coming down the chimney they believe that Christmas is a special time where peace happens in families and dreams come true.

 

:001_smile:

I'm right there with you on this.

[BikeBookBread]

We do Santa. My parents did Santa when I was a kid. I love the magic of Christmas. Honestly I do not even remember the moment when I found out that Santa wasn't real....so it must not have been too traumatic LOL.

 

I know some people say that they do not want their kids to be confused and think that Jesus is not real either, but that never happened to me. Santa didn't effect what I believed about Jesus. And with our family, Jesus is someone we talk to all year long, He is our main focus in daily life, and we revolve our school curriculum around Him. We pray multiple times a day and sing songs about Jesus all year long. Our focus on Jesus is much more than just several weeks per year, as Santa is. I do not believe my kids will be confused about Jesus being real.

 

Super good point, ChristusG! I am right with you on this.

 

We think that fun should be a part of Christmas, while keeping the main focus on our deeply-held Christian beliefs. We have never told our girls that Santa was real. We have explained the historic St. Nicolas to them in general terms (we aren't Catholic or Orthodox, so they aren't familiar with the term "Saint" as it is used here as of yet). We still do stockings, leave out cookies on Christmas Eve, and the girls giggle when they see a single bite taken out of the cookie on Christmas morning...it's just pretending and play acting to them...but part of the fun.

 

They know Santa is no more real than storybook Peter Rabbit is real. It's simply fun make-believe. If children can play make-believe with their toys -- dollies that fly, horses that talk -- they should be able to understand that Santa is make-believe, too.

 

I know this is a very hot button topic. Even amongst our friends there is a wide range of beliefs. Some won't listen to any secular Christmas music at all (The Christmas Song, Jingle Bells, etc...) some fully buy into the full-on ho ho ho aspect of the secular holiday. I guess we are somewhere in the middle.

Edited December 3, 2009 by BikeBookBread

[AuntieM]

...and I would get annoyed when people would ask my little kids if Santa was coming to bring them presents. It was awkward.

 

We have furnished ("trained"?!!!) our kids with this response, so they can be prepared when asked that inevitable question:

 

(Big smile)

"No, but I do get presents from my mom and dad who love me very much!"

 

Also, wanted to add for OP, we celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6 and that's when the kids get goodies in their stockings. Maybe that would be a fun way for you to "transition" over to celebrating with a different view of Santa?

 

One more thing, it helps to study the Clement Moore poem "The Night Before Christmas" and the Santa craze that followed. Our copy of that book includes an article explaining how the modern American image of Santa - red suit and all - came to be. It's quite interesting.

[Plucky]

We do Santa. My parents did Santa when I was a kid. I love the magic of Christmas. Honestly I do not even remember the moment when I found out that Santa wasn't real....so it must not have been too traumatic LOL.

 

I know some people say that they do not want their kids to be confused and think that Jesus is not real either, but that never happened to me. Santa didn't effect what I believed about Jesus. And with our family, Jesus is someone we talk to all year long, He is our main focus in daily life, and we revolve our school curriculum around Him. We pray multiple times a day and sing songs about Jesus all year long. Our focus on Jesus is much more than just several weeks per year, as Santa is. I do not believe my kids will be confused about Jesus being real.

 

Yep, plus Jesus wasn't really born on Dec. 25. Is that a lie? We do both Santa and Jesus and it really does work.

[TheCoffeeChick]

Wow, I never knew so many people didn't do Santa! :tongue_smilie:

 

We never have. Just about everyone has given our reasons for not doing so. (Although, I don't think Santa is Satan!! LOL) The biggest reason is the lying - I always tell my kids that I do NOT lie to them and they should treat me with the same respect by not lying to me.

 

 

But ....

 

• We do stockings on Christmas -- they just know they are filled by mom and dad. In fact dh and I both have stockings also. :)
  
• We also watch all the Rudolph, Santa, and other fun Christmas movies out there -- they're cute!
  
• We celebrate St. Nicholas day on the 6th by reading the story of him & putting our our shoes under the tree the night before so we can fill them with chocolate coins and a small toy.
  
• And, like everyone else has mentioned, we tell our kids that some people like to pretend that Santa is real, that it is okay to do so, and to never ruin anyone else's fun. :)
  

My in-laws don't do Santa either, but did when dh was younger. In fact, with their youngest daughter, they let her pick out her own stocking presents. My parents on the other hand think we are weird for not doing Santa and still even ask my kids if they've been good for Santa?!!? We also don't do the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy, but we do baskets for Easter and give money under the pillow for lost teeth.

 

Interesting to read everyone's take on this.

Edited December 3, 2009 by BramFam
I can't spell!

[TheCoffeeChick]

Yep, plus Jesus wasn't really born on Dec. 25. Is that a lie? We do both Santa and Jesus and it really does work.

 

 

I don't think too many people actually think his birthday was on the 25th of December. ;) It's no different than celebrating your own birthday on a different day for convenience, liking moving your party to the weekend so more people can come over. We don't know what day he was born, only that he was born, so the church picked out a day to celebrate it. (They picked this specific day to give the pagans that converted to Christianity a reason to have a celebration as some were still participating in their former pagan celebrations that landed on this day.)

[QueenCat]

To each his own, but I couldn't do like my sil and brother did--they would pick up the phone and threaten to call Santa if there was misbehavior. I didn't want my kids thinking our gifts were dependent on their being good. I wanted Christmas to be about grace, as the gift of Jesus Christ was all about.

 

:iagree: We did Santa but as fun, not a threat. I hate it when I hear people talk like that. Granted, I've also heard parents of young children (4-5 years old) tell their children that Jesus is not happy with their behavior. I found that very inappropriate and scary to a child at that age.

[Punks in Ontario]

but we give gifts, and do the tree, etc.

 

When I had my first child, I was convinced that I wouldn't lie to her, even about such a fun guy as Santa. We read stories about Santa, but she knew that he was pretend like Cinderella.

 

As the years passed, we were more and more convinced that the command to not have any other gods referred to Santa if you define "gods" as anyone taking prominence over God. Consider some of Santa's qualities.

 

Santa / Christ

-giver of good gifts

-all knowing (knows if you've been good or bad)

-lives forever (or so it seems) / lives forever

 

In so many ways, Santa just takes our attention from the real giver of all good things, and I believe cheapens the gifts. Christ's gifts don't get broken or grown out of.

 

My guys don't correct others who do believe in Santa. I will say that my younger boys wish he were real so they could get more presents. Hmmm.

 

This isn't a comprehensive list, but rather off the cuff today.

Edited December 3, 2009 by Punks in Ontario

[Plucky]

My parents never told me that Dec. 25th was not really Jesus' birthday, and they didn't take us to church much, so I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know until I was an adult and I had a serious problem with that. It made me feel like the whole Christmas season was a sham. That is why I am not teaching my kids all that stuff.

 

Don't be embarrassed. I thought it was His birth day, too. I was not raised in a Christian home either. Christmas was such a non-event in my home, that I really enjoy sharing both Jesus and Santa, but to be honest it is more of a family holiday. We love it.

[BigMamaBird]

We do Santa, as in stories, decorations, seeing him in the mall. But even from the start, my kids have been told that Santa is a make believe character, like Mickey Mouse or Tinkerbelle. It's fun to pretend, but he's not real. We explain the real meaning of Christmas and focus on Jesus' birth, but have a little fun with Santa too.

[Ellie]

We've always done Santa (putting the presents out after they go to bed), but we have never told our children that Santa is real. I feel like I would be lying to them. It's always worked just fine. I don't recall either of my children ever believing in Santa; it's just been a fun game or something in our family. They know we put the presents there :)

See, I don't think that putting presents under the tree after the dc are in bed is "doing Santa." It would only be "doing Santa" if you said that Santa put the gifts out.

[Audrey]

:D

I've heard people call him Satan Claus.

 

 

Never heard that one, but I do call my cat Satan Claws... frequently.

[lynn]

We play along with the idea of Santa as much as the kids wanted to. If they wanted to go see a santa and tell him their wishes that was fine. If they watned to stay up and see Santa deliver gifts that was fine. when they asked questions about was he real or not we explained that he is sort of a figure or spirit of Christmas to some so to speak and mom and dad buy their presents. Now I do have some beautiful pewter ornaments of the nativity that I put on our tree each year and tell the Christmas story as in the Bible but all in all Christmas is a family holiday for us and the kids can take what they want from it as they get older.

[Greta]

I was not allowed to celebrate holidays growing up, and I knew from the beginning that Santa wasn't real. I never broke this news to any of my school friends, but I do, very clearly, remember how devastated some of them where when they finally did find out. It did not seem worth it to me -- the joy of believing seemed pale in comparison to their genuine heartbreak when that belief was shattered. Not all of them took it that hard of course, but some kids do, and I didn't want mine to be one.

 

When my dd came along, I decided to explain it to her in terms of a "play pretend" game, and that worked really well. She had fun playing along, but never had to deal with the devastation of finding out it wasn't real. She really got into the game, especially when she was around 4 - 6 years old, and would write Santa letters and everything. But she always knew it was a game. Just like with her toys, like My Little Pony, she would pretend they were real and take very good care of them and play with them, but of course part of her always knew they weren't, and so there was no big drama. It worked out really well, actually, and she was NEVER tempted to break the news to any other kids. She knew to go along with the game.

[whitestavern]

We do Santa. I wish I had time for a really long post, but for now--I don't see Santa as a lie at all. It's a game, it's imagination, it's fun. When I was a kid & a neighbor told me that my dad was Santa, I thought she meant the one true Santa. After he explained, I was in *awe* that he & mom would do so much for us w/out taking *any* credit. It was the most generous thing I'd ever encountered.

 

And then I realized he hadn't *denied* being Santa. And I was pretty sure I knew where he kept his portal to the N Pole. It was awfully fun to tell him that that was what I had thought for *years* once I was in college. Dad didn't laugh that hard very often. And he LOVED being sneaky & keeping secrets, so that misunderstanding was doubly great for him.

 

I think there's a tendency in human nature to take the magic away from childhood, to make rules & laws about everything, & I think that that tendency takes us away from God, not toward Him.

 

I completely agree.

[newlifemom]

I see the Christmas tag elf has been here already. ;)

[Irene Lynn]

We don't do Santa because I don't see any reason why I should. My dd would certainly have viewed it as lying. She is VERY literal and accurate. It would have bothered her to no end. BUT we had no intention of "doing Santa" before she was born. My family never did Santa and I always thought it was silly. I would listen to other kids saying things that made them look foolish as a little kid. (This was just my perspective as a 4-6yo.) I am sure some of them LOVED it, but I am glad my parents never did it. It would not have been a good idea for me. For one thing, Santa would not have brought me gifts as nice as other kids received. That would have hurt, too. It would not have escaped my notice, I am sure.

 

Our son is far more into imagination and make believe and he would be fine with the idea and not upset later, I am pretty sure, but I still don't see any reason we should do it. We have great Christmases without any Santa. We use the day to celebrate Christ's birth and I do teach them that it isn't the actual birthday. We invite single ladies, who are without family, over to our house and have a wonderful time.

 

My main thing is that I just don't see the point. I don't see the point in the Easter Bunny either. It doesn't make any sense and I do like things to make some sense. :) (I understood the point of the Tooth Fairy. It was to get some money, which was a very rare event, and to see if I could stay up long enough and hold still enough to scare the living daylights out of the "Fairy". It finally worked one blessed night. LOL!)

[Impish]

We don't do santa claus because it's a lie. :glare:

 

The anagram for santa is SATAN!!

Yeah, the Church Lady pointed that out years ago. It was a funny skit.

 

We do Santa. We enjoy it. I had Santa growing up, Wolf didn't. It was something that he was thrilled to get to do as a parent. I wasn't devastated when Santa wasn't real. I do remember, though, that it was more exciting thinking he was coming. Knowing it was just Mom didn't keep me awake, shivering with excitement and anticipation.