About Santa Clause

[Forest-Pine]

In reference to your dad’s belief that the “lie” of Santa Claus is tantamount to the “lie” of Christ, I find it interesting that the most popular editorial ever run found the same connection but the opposite proof: that wiping the belief of Santa out of the minds of the young was tantamount to wiping the belief of Christ out of the minds of us all. When a little girl wrote the paper saying her friends told her Santa was a lie, she asked if this was true. This is part of the response she was given:
Francis Pharcellus Church:

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

…

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

You can see the history behind the editorial here and can read the entire short piece here.

 

[BLB_Oregon]

DaveBj:

A lie is a lie is a lie, no matter what color the suit.

If you want your kids to maintain the myth, keep them away from me. If they happen to come out and ask me, I’m going to tell them the truth.

(Like any of your kids are ever going to ask me… )

DaveBj

Oh, c’mon! It must be a job to throw a surprise party with you around!

We had planned on telling our kids about Santa this year, but they are still enjoying it too much. Mind you, we have never taken them to see “Santa” at the mall and I tell them up front that although some people claim to have seen the real Santa, I haven’t.

When they catch on, I will tell them that now they get to be in on the fun of being Santa… of giving and doing good in secret, without taking credit for yourself. That is why we have this myth, isn’t it, so that our kids have the experience of having this mysterious person do nice things for them in secret? At our house, getting in on the secret of Santa isn’t going to take Santa out of their future Christmas celebrations. It will just alter the nature of the surprise, and the amount of imagination required to keep them from any successful snooping!!

This falls under the “Golden Rule”: Do as you would be done to. This is not deception. It is surprise, it is Tomfoolery, it is fun. I think that if you had a Santa myth or anything similar that you loved as a kid, it is no sin to pass on that fun.

As for Santa Claus making someone an atheist… I would wager that these are atheists not because of falsehoods heard about Santa, but because of the lack of living the truth about God. We don’t make Santa a club over our kids heads to make them good, although we do tell them that if they don’t take care of their things, getting more would be bad for them and so would not be something Santa is likely to do.

Heaven, like Santa’s offerings, is not a reward, but 100% gift. We get it not because we deserve it, but because we are loved, infinitely and eternally. We lose it not because we have done something to earn us punishment–all have done that!–so much as the fact that if we don’t allow God to perfect us, Heaven would not be Heaven even if we were to gain it.

As long as you keep Santa’s visits somewhat analogous to real life, your children will have no reason to be upset when the whole truth becomes known to them.

 

[DaveBj]

BLB_Oregon:

Oh, c’mon! It must be a job to throw a surprise party with you around!

snip

Oh, I have no trouble keeping secrets; otherwise, I would have never been able to maintain my 33-year career at a certain gov’t agency. Even Jesus hid the truth from time to time. It’s propagating and maintaining a lie that I have a problem with.

Having said that, two of my fave Christmas movies are Tim Allen’s Santa Claus(e) movies.

And what do you call one of Santa’s shop foremen?

A Subordinate Claus(e)!

DaveBj

 

[threej_lc]

I"m personally very opposed to lying to your children about the existance of the modern-day understanding of Santa Claus. First off, you’re willfully telling your children something you know is not true. That’s sinful. And it personally caused a lot of trouble for both me and my parents growing up.

Conversations often went like this (I was one of those too-smart-for-my-own-good-kids)

Mom: You can watch this t.v. show, Josh, but remember there’s no such thing as magic.
Me: What about Jesus?
Mom: He was God. That’s not magic. That’s a “natural” ability only God posesses. When we try to do magic, we are saying we don’t need God’s help, and sinning.
Me: What about Santa Claus then?
Mom: Well, he’s different.
Me: How?
Mom: He just is.
Me: You can’t expect me to buy that Santa can use magic but anyone else who does so is sinning. What’s the difference?
Mom: Just trust me.
Me: Sure, but how do you expect me to be able to decide for myself what’s appropriate and what’s not when you’re not around if I have to leave this judgement call to you? (In a more 4-year old style vocabulary).
Me: And furthermore, what’s this about him always watching over me and knowing when I’m bad or good? Isn’t that God’s job? Are you saying Santa is God? Or are there just two guys doing the same thing? Aren’t they kind of in competition with eachother for my devotion? Doesn’t the bible say we can only serve one God?

This was about the time mom would just tell me to go to bed, and I would be very confused. So once I finally did find out Santa Claus was fake, my initial response was, that goes for the easter bunny too? Yes. And tooth fairy? Yes. And what about God? No. Can you proove that? No. Well then why should I believe you?

I think that one really freaked my mom out, so she went and prayed for me a bunch, and luckily God revealed himself to me on his own. But yeah, I’m very strongly opposed to the Santa Claus myth. As was mentioned above, I intend to celebrate the life of the true St. Nicholas with my kids (if I don’t enter the religious life), but not give them the thrown out of proportion Santa Claus bit of today.

Josh

 

[Della]

threej_lc:

I"m personally very opposed to lying to your children about the existance of the modern-day understanding of Santa Claus. First off, you’re willfully telling your children something you know is not true. That’s sinful. And it personally caused a lot of trouble for both me and my parents growing up.

Conversations often went like this (I was one of those too-smart-for-my-own-good-kids)

Mom: You can watch this t.v. show, Josh, but remember there’s no such thing as magic.
Me: What about Jesus?
Mom: He was God. That’s not magic. That’s a “natural” ability only God posesses. When we try to do magic, we are saying we don’t need God’s help, and sinning.
Me: What about Santa Claus then?
Mom: Well, he’s different.
Me: How?
Mom: He just is.
Me: You can’t expect me to buy that Santa can use magic but anyone else who does so is sinning. What’s the difference?
Mom: Just trust me.
Me: Sure, but how do you expect me to be able to decide for myself what’s appropriate and what’s not when you’re not around if I have to leave this judgement call to you? (In a more 4-year old style vocabulary).
Me: And furthermore, what’s this about him always watching over me and knowing when I’m bad or good? Isn’t that God’s job? Are you saying Santa is God? Or are there just two guys doing the same thing? Aren’t they kind of in competition with eachother for my devotion? Doesn’t the bible say we can only serve one God?

Were you brought up a Protestant? And, I hope you won’t take this the wrong way if I insert at this point that your mother was a saint!

This was about the time mom would just tell me to go to bed, and I would be very confused. So once I finally did find out Santa Claus was fake, my initial response was, that goes for the easter bunny too? Yes. And tooth fairy? Yes. And what about God? No. Can you proove that? No. Well then why should I believe you?

Would you have been happy if your mother had explained that magic and fantasy are ways in which we explain certain undefinable things like joy and fun and imagination? Or were you always a plodding materialist, even at the age of 4? LOL!

I think that one really freaked my mom out, so she went and prayed for me a bunch, and luckily God revealed himself to me on his own. But yeah, I’m very strongly opposed to the Santa Claus myth. As was mentioned above, I intend to celebrate the life of the true St. Nicholas with my kids (if I don’t enter the religious life), but not give them the thrown out of proportion Santa Claus bit of today.

Josh

I don’t think your problem was Santa but your insistence that everything must be this or that, black or white. Not a Catholic idea, I might add. If that were the case we wouldn’t have had fairy tales (Christian morality told in the form of fantasy) and J. R. R. Tolkien shouldn’t have bothered telling his children stories like The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and sharing them with the world.

And as to what you will teach your children, don’t you think that should include your wife’s ideas about the subject, too? And do you really want to be a killjoy and a wet blanket and so rein in your children’s imaginations, telling them in essence that all there is to believe in is what they can see and touch, taste and smell? I’m sure you don’t want to do that.

I can understand your reservations about Santa and other fantasy characters, but they are ways of having Santa as well as St. Nicholas, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny as well as the Christ Child and the Risen Lord, you know. All you have to do is exercise your imagination and cultivate your sense of joy and wonder.

 

[mschoir01]

Well, I say the day you stop believing is the day he stops coming! So I told my children. They have not left the church angry about their family indulging in a bit of fantasy. And Santa still visits lo these many years later…

It’s so great to be Catholic and actually have a real person who is a great example of selflessness and generosity. I think it’s a great teaching moment when the young one asks. You see some things we don’t see are real and others aren’t. Like the wind or a bad germ that makes us sick. Then there are things that are imaginary. Hasn’t been a problem so far…

 

[puzzleannie]

Lillith:

I want your opinions. A belief in Santa Clause bothers me…and when my children ask I always tell the truth…And am relieved when they know…How do you deal with Santa Clause?

Catholic children should be taught the reality of the Saints, teach them about St. Nicholas, and how the virtues the saint exhibited in his life became part of the legendary figure we know as Santa Claus. Ask them why people believe in Santa Claus, and let them discuss their thoughts and feelings. It is a normal part of growing up to realize what we believed as small children is not literally true, or is part of a larger reality we can appreciate more as we grow. Personally, I believe in Santa Claus, and so does DD. He rescued us on the outerbelt between Raleigh and Durham NC one evening shortly before Christmas when we ran out of gas (could not figure out how to get off the danged freeway). He looked just like all the pictures. Drove us to get gas, brought us back, filled up our car, saw us safely back to the gas station. He even had Mrs. Claus with him and she looked like all the picures as well. His truck said his business was heating/AC but we know better. He refused to take payment, but we slipped a 20 to his wife, because she told us they were on there way to deliver donated food to a homeless shelter.

 

[Eileen_T]

Santa Claus is real to those who believe in him.

My kids accepted that. And it wasn’t a lie as far as I’m concerned.
When they got older and suspected it was parents buying presents I suggested that we had to buy the presents for those who no longer believed in SC.

I explained it carefully without saying we also bought them for those who did. It’s all in the words!

To make it even better, I have a picture where the Christ Child is in the manger bathed in a ray of light from Heaven. At the side of the crib is Santa Claus, cap in hand, adoring. Beautiful.

I asked them not to spoil it for others. With the tooth fairy I simply said that only children who believed in the tooth fairy received a coin. That kept the sceptics quiet for a while longer!

 

[AmISearching]

(as an aside - kinda OT - for those who had Santa growing up or who do Santa with their kids now - does Santa bring everything to kids, or just the Santa presents? I had so many friends who wondered about Santa early because “grownups had to give presents to each other since Santa didn’t come to them” - where as in my house it was never an issue because Santa brought a few presents to everybody, but everybody also gave presents to everybody, lol…

maybe thats part of why I was quite old when I stopped believing in Santa - but then I was an only child, and the only grandchild of a grandmother who never once said in her life that Santa didn’t exist…she still gave Santa presents to my mom and dad, and my aunt - in fact my mother never was “told” Santa didn’t exist, so she didn’t realize she needed to tell me! LOL (I finally made her say it out loud when I was 18 because I was sick and tired of her never telling me)

 

[kaymart]

As long as the Children also know that the main Reason for the Season is the Birth of Baby Jesus, I see no harm in Santa Claus whatsoever. My son who is 17, but mentally around 6, understands about Birth of Jesus, but he also gets so excited over Santa Claus. He has his Advent Calander every year and I read both Religious and Santa books every night of Advent. He puts out the cookies and diet coke (his idea, he thinks Santa likes diet coke better ) and carrots for the Reindeers, and checks to make sure they were eated, before he opens any gifts. I have to be honest, I enjoy still having the magic of innocence around. Plus now I also have 3 little grandchildren who come by after Christmas Morning Mass to see what Santa lefted at here!

 

[AmISearching]

kaymart:

He puts out the cookies and diet coke (his idea, he thinks Santa likes diet coke better )

How sweet At my house I always left Santa a note that he could get his own drink - because if I left milk out for him it might spoil, and we don’t want to poison Santa! LOL! (So many a time Santa had coke at my house of his own choosing )

 

[Little_Mary]

I don’t understand why Santa has to stop coming just because you find out it’s really your parents doing the Santa thing.

Santa came to our house clear up until the day I got married. I guess then he figured my husband got the job

Anyway, my children will get “Santa” at least through college, or for as long as they live with me (hopefully not forever ) until they start their own families.

When they know the “truth” it will just make it easier - I won’t have to be so sneaky. My mother used to say, “Santa’s going to bed at 10:30 so if you want him to come you better go to bed NOW!!!”

 

[hopeandlove]

Santa still comes to my parents house for my husband and I although last year Santa missed the tree and left the presents in the hall closet!

 

[Cupofkindness]

I haven’t read every reply but I want to add my experience:

We have taught that Santa is St. Nicholas who is alive in heaven but who does not return to Earth to give gifts on the birthday of our Lord. Christmas is simple at my house, each child only receives three gifts from DH and I (since Jesus only received three gifts).

However, when my children were younger and now even my youngest ones, still insist that there is a Santa who comes on Christmas eve! They want him, that is a part of the magic of Christmas. Who am I to harm that sweet, purehearted desire? So Santa comes to our house on December 25th and St. Nicholas comes on December 6th. That way, everyone’s happy.

 

[AmISearching]

Little Mary:

I don’t understand why Santa has to stop coming just because you find out it’s really your parents doing the Santa thing.

LOL - he doesn’t =) My grandmother did Santa for my parents and my aunt and uncle until she died (well she had Santa presents for me too - as a kid I had one list I myself gave to Santa - and an item or two that I would tell my grandparents to ask Santa for since they always asked me - apparently they knew Santa PERSONALLY!!! )

Now the thing I’m curious about is how my parents are going to pull off the Santa thing when I move if for some reason I don’t come home for Christmas one year (do NOT ever bring up the idea of not doing Santa to my mother, LOL)… after all since at my house Santa presents aren’t wrapped, they wouldn’t be able to send them with the regular ones!

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

Forest-Pine:

This reminds me of something I read the other day. Celebration of Saint Nicholas’ feast day was forbidden by the Puritans and other anti-Catholic groups (for being a Catholic “thing”), so they kept St. Nicholas’ feast day and the gift-giving tradition, but instead of St. Nick delivering the presents, it was the Christ Child delivering them. Christkindlein became Kris Kringle. So Kris Kringle’s origin was purposefully and distinctly anti-Catholic. Further, Father Christmas was pagan in origin, coming from Norse mythology. St. Nicholas (the real Catholic bishop of Myra) was known as Sinterklaas in Dutch, from which the modern day Santa Claus originates. I thought it interesting. I also decided to not use the terms Fr. Christmas or Kris Kringle from now on because of this. Just a random little tidbit of interest.

While I don’t know the development of the tradition of the Christ child delivering the gifts on Christmas eve, I do know that Austrian Catholics (and Austria was barely ever touched by the Reformation) tell their children that the Christkind brings the presents. This makes me doubt that the tradition arose as an anti-Catholic movement.

 

[Karin]

Andreas Hofer:

While I don’t know the development of the tradition of the Christ child delivering the gifts on Christmas eve, I do know that Austrian Catholics (and Austria was barely ever touched by the Reformation) tell their children that the Christkind brings the presents. This makes me doubt that the tradition arose as an anti-Catholic movement.

Wer ist Weihnachtsmann? Bedeuten Sie Heiligen Nicholas?
As an Austrian I can confirm this…the ChristKind is the one that brings gifts to little boys and girls.
A bit more history: The Christkind (“Christ Child”) is the traditional Christmas giftbringer in Southern Germany,Switzerland, Austria. Originally invented by Martin Luther, **** it was adopted in catholic* areas during the 19th century**, while it began to be gradually replaced by the secular Wiehnachtsmann (“christmas man”) in protestant regions.*
*Since the 1990s, the Christkind is facing increasing competition from the Weihnachtsmann in the American version of Santa Claus, simply for the reason that adults dressing up as Santa Claus can be hired to stand in front of department stores other than the Christkind, which is supposed to be a child and very elusive. *

**

---

 

[rayne89]

Was your father’s family raising him in a strong religious home? Generally the people I’ve found that say that went to church at Christmas and Easter if at all.

Our faith is a central part of our lives. We pray everyday, read the Bible every night, go to Mass at least once a week, go to adoration, enroll our daughter in CCD, use books in our homeschooling that have our faith intermingled in the instruction. I don’t see how our daughter could equate that to Santa Claus who “comes” once a year. Or the tooth fairy or the Easter Bunny. I think fantasy is a wonderful part of being a child and as long as our daughter believes in those things I will not take that away from her. Our daughter knows the true meaning of Christmas. We do the advent wreath together, go to Midnight Mass. And we talk about the birth of Christ not just at Chistmas but through out the year.

My husband was raised that there was no such thing as Santa Claus and when I met him he was an atheist. I seriously doubt Santa has much to do with it either way.