Thursday, December 24, 2009
Santa
I've heard all sorts of arguments for and against Santa Claus.
People that don't teach their kids about him give reasons such as not wanting to lie to their children and not wanting them to grow up thinking Christmas is about commercialism and material possessions.
Those that teach their children to believe say they want their kids to believe in the magic of the season and that Santa teaches us about the spirit of giving.
There's no right answer. To each his own.
I once had a babysitter that told my mom she didn't want to lie to her kids about Santa Claus, so she told them that Jesus brings the presents.
Huh?
My dad once complained to my mom that Santa was getting the credit for giving the presents he had earned the money to buy. My mom laughed at him for being jealous of a fictional character.
I said yesterday that we are a Santa family. I was 9 when I finally talked to my mom about my realization that she was the one lovingly wrapping gifts in special Santa paper, instead of some tiny little elf living on the top of the world. I asked her about it, told her I knew the truth, and went on my merry way. Christmas wasn't ruined for me. I wasn't traumatized about it.
One day I believed in Santa. The next day, I didn't.
For years I've wondered why kids seem to react so differently to the truth. I think it's all about how parents handle it.
I have known people that go to great lengths to keep their children believing long after the natural process of growing up has told them it doesn't make sense. I knew someone that sneaked into her son's room dressed in a Santa suit, just so he could get a glimpse. I've known people that have obtained bells and climbed on the roof and gone to all sorts of tricks to convince 9- and 10-year olds that Santa really does exist.
Personally, I think that's unnecessary. My mom didn't do any of that. She had the special wrapping paper and we left out milk and cookies (and a carrot for Rudolph) that were usually gone in the morning. We visited Santa and told him what three things we wanted for Christmas. We read "The Night Before Christmas" every Christmas Eve AFTER my mom told us the Nativity Story.
But when we started to get wise to the realities of the holiday, my mom let it be. All she told me was that I better not tell my younger brother. And I didn't. Believing in Santa was fun and harmless and I wanted him to experience that as long as he wanted.
There's no right answer for anyone. Every family is different. I turned out just fine and I love Christmas more for the giving than for the receiving nowadays. It's true. I wouldn't care if I didn't get a single present for Christmas.
(No, Marc, you don't need to take that gift back to the store!)
I'm sure there's nothing wrong with not believing in Santa either.
I will say, though, that I've noticed a deeper cynicism and a greater wish for Christmas to hurry up and pass among those that never believed. I don't know why it is. And I have no scientific evidence that it's true. I just see it with my friends.
And if that's the case, I'd rather lie to my kids for 6 or 7 Christmases than let them spend a lifetime wishing the season would hurry up and end.
However you celebrate, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!
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"You know what they say. If you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me."
~Clairee Belcher, Steel Magnolias