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Mannyfit75
Guest
I think Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny takes away Jesus Christ in these two important Christian Holy Days.
So here is a poll.
So here is a poll.
Get rid of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. We only need Jesus.
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Syele
Guest
I didn’t vote. Jesus Christ can be the focus without removing all or fun things related to holidays.
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Em_in_FL
Guest
Here’s my personal opinion…
Yes, Jesus is the REASON these holidays even exist. He is the total focus.
When we ask our children… “What happened on Christmas?” or “Why do we celebrate Easter?” we want to hear the REAL answers “It’s Jesus’ birthday!” or “Jesus came back to life!”…
This is the elemental education we should be giving to our children.
However… there is a lot of human psycology involved here. Children do no have a full understanding of the depth of the meaning of Jesus Christ. They know the stories and the history and know we pray and go to Mass… but they don’t understand until they reach an age of reason.
I truly believe the JOY and CELEBRATION of these holidays are fundamental learning tools for children. I think it builds up a historical psycology of pure childhood JOY. With that BASIC understanding of CELEBRATION during these Holy days we can build up to a full understanding at the age of reason.
Are Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny wrong or evil, in and of themselves?
No.
Can we USE these things as a psycological learning tool for children as the grow and learn to appreciate the true meaning and essence of Jesus Christ?
Sure!
If you’re committed to raising your child in the faith, then these characters should not threaten your parenting techniques.
Shying away from worldly things like this actually induces more curiosity from children. They aren’t dumb. Eventually they’ll realize Johnny and Suzy down the road have wonderful celebrations on these holidays and are also good Catholics! Why can’t we celebrate like that?
That can build resentment and may even draw them away from the faith!
USE these tools for what they are… not as replacements for Christ in ANY way… but as learning tools.
Just my opinion!
Yes, Jesus is the REASON these holidays even exist. He is the total focus.
When we ask our children… “What happened on Christmas?” or “Why do we celebrate Easter?” we want to hear the REAL answers “It’s Jesus’ birthday!” or “Jesus came back to life!”…
This is the elemental education we should be giving to our children.
However… there is a lot of human psycology involved here. Children do no have a full understanding of the depth of the meaning of Jesus Christ. They know the stories and the history and know we pray and go to Mass… but they don’t understand until they reach an age of reason.
I truly believe the JOY and CELEBRATION of these holidays are fundamental learning tools for children. I think it builds up a historical psycology of pure childhood JOY. With that BASIC understanding of CELEBRATION during these Holy days we can build up to a full understanding at the age of reason.
Are Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny wrong or evil, in and of themselves?
No.
Can we USE these things as a psycological learning tool for children as the grow and learn to appreciate the true meaning and essence of Jesus Christ?
Sure!
If you’re committed to raising your child in the faith, then these characters should not threaten your parenting techniques.
Shying away from worldly things like this actually induces more curiosity from children. They aren’t dumb. Eventually they’ll realize Johnny and Suzy down the road have wonderful celebrations on these holidays and are also good Catholics! Why can’t we celebrate like that?
That can build resentment and may even draw them away from the faith!
USE these tools for what they are… not as replacements for Christ in ANY way… but as learning tools.
Just my opinion!
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lizaanne
Guest
I looked at it this way - if there was no Santa or Bunny, would there be anything “missing” from the celebration? And I decided that I would not miss those aspects of the holidays, and therefore I don’t see any need for them.
This is not to say that I find them evil or something to be totally done away with. I think that if they are introduced appropriately within the proper context of what we truly are celebrating, then they can be ok. But they should never be the focus of the holiday.
~Liza
This is not to say that I find them evil or something to be totally done away with. I think that if they are introduced appropriately within the proper context of what we truly are celebrating, then they can be ok. But they should never be the focus of the holiday.
~Liza
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MysticalMan
Guest
Why do they have to be mutually exclusive? St Nick was a Saint after all. You can do both in a Holy way. We always told our Children that Christ is the focus! There is nothing more beautiful than a Christmas pageant with the Manger scene it is just beautiful. But the kids always had gifts on Christmas. It was never anything like TVs, sterio systems or anything. But it was fun.
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maryalene
Guest
Agreed.
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ALLFORHIM
Guest
I didnt vote either. I think if we teach our children to focus on Jesus and they truly know what the holidays mean then it is still ok to have the other fun stuff.
The important thing is that we(parents)teach our children the truth.
Besides once they hit a certain age they dont believe anymore anyway. Do you know my son actually believed in the tooth fairy longer then he did Santa
Now when he looses teeth he just comes to me and asks for a dollar.
The important thing is that we(parents)teach our children the truth.
Besides once they hit a certain age they dont believe anymore anyway. Do you know my son actually believed in the tooth fairy longer then he did Santa
Now when he looses teeth he just comes to me and asks for a dollar.
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Morning_Star15
Guest
Well “Santa Claus” is fine, but not as part of Christmas - we should maintain the European tradition that existed before Coca-Cola took over Christmas and commercialized it, and celebrate St. Nicholas on his Feast Day, which is December 6. growing up in Poland, St. Nicholas left presents for children on the night of December 5. Christmas, on the other hand, had nothing to do with St. Nicholas - presents appeared under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve when the first star appeared in the sky (of course the adults convinced all the children that we should go watch for the star in a different room than the one the tree was in - better view ) to symbolize Christ coming into the world as the ultimate gift for humanity.
As for the Easter Bunny - totally pagan any way you look at it, and I see no use for this tradition whatsoever. It only takes away from the meaning of Easter.
and commercialized it, and celebrate St. Nicholas on his Feast Day, which is December 6. growing up in Poland, St. Nicholas left presents for children on the night of December 5. Christmas, on the other hand, had nothing to do with St. Nicholas - presents appeared under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve when the first star appeared in the sky (of course the adults convinced all the children that we should go watch for the star in a different room than the one the tree was in - better view ) to symbolize Christ coming into the world as the ultimate gift for humanity.As for the Easter Bunny - totally pagan any way you look at it, and I see no use for this tradition whatsoever. It only takes away from the meaning of Easter.
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mommyof4
Guest
Yep.I didnt vote either. I think if we teach our children to focus on Jesus and they truly know what the holidays mean then it is still ok to have the other fun stuff.
The important thing is that we(parents)teach our children the truth.
Besides once they hit a certain age they dont believe anymore anyway. Do you know my son actually believed in the tooth fairy longer then he did Santa
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O.S.Luke
Guest
Are these polls really helpful?
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a_cermak
Guest
Even if all the Catholics in the States gave up Santa and the Easter bunny, they would persist in our culture and still be more omnipresent than the creche and the cross. I have a friend who went to visit her relatives in Bangalore, India. Imagine her surprise when she went to a store and saw Christmas decorations and a queue of children to see Santa Claus! This is in a majority Hindu nation!
Those who attend no worship service regularly are a huge part of the States (1/3 last I looked). Those folks are never going to give up Santa (who at least emphasizes charity and generosity) or those dreadful cream eggs and peeps.
Those who attend no worship service regularly are a huge part of the States (1/3 last I looked). Those folks are never going to give up Santa (who at least emphasizes charity and generosity) or those dreadful cream eggs and peeps.
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rayne89
Guest
I couldn’t vote either because I don’t think you have to get rid of the Easter Bunny or Santa to focus on Jesus.
This year in my daughters basket, along with other things she received from the Easter Bunny, she got a rosary, a purse size Bible and a big stuffed animal lamb. She said “Mommy the lamb represents Jesus I think the Easter Bunny must be telling me something. The Easter bunny must be Christian.” She was excited that the Easter Bunny got her a rosary with red beds which is her favorite color and she put that and her new small Bible in her purse to take to Mass.
I think if you live your faith everyday and make it a part of family life it’s nearly impossible to lose the focus of what these holidays are truly about.
This year in my daughters basket, along with other things she received from the Easter Bunny, she got a rosary, a purse size Bible and a big stuffed animal lamb. She said “Mommy the lamb represents Jesus I think the Easter Bunny must be telling me something. The Easter bunny must be Christian.” She was excited that the Easter Bunny got her a rosary with red beds which is her favorite color and she put that and her new small Bible in her purse to take to Mass.
I think if you live your faith everyday and make it a part of family life it’s nearly impossible to lose the focus of what these holidays are truly about.
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Holly3278
Guest
No we shouldn’t get rid of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. However, I do feel that children should be told that they are just stories from the earliest age. Then, focus the holiday on Christ in your own special way.
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Sr_Sally
Guest
I don’t think we need to be rid of them to center our focus on Christ. As others have said, Santa Claus is really St. Nickolas and he has a feast day and many traditional celebrations that can make things fun for children without distracting from Jesus’s birth.
The Easter Bunny is a bit different, but rabbits, chicks, and eggs are symbols of new life–and an easy way for young children to grasp that mystery. The basket of candy is a traditional way to break a child’s traditional Lenten fast–giving up candy! After 6 weeks of no treats (what many Catholic children traditional give up at Lent), a basket of candy is a wonderful celebration, but again doens’t necessarily take away from the joy in the resurrection.
The Easter Bunny is a bit different, but rabbits, chicks, and eggs are symbols of new life–and an easy way for young children to grasp that mystery. The basket of candy is a traditional way to break a child’s traditional Lenten fast–giving up candy! After 6 weeks of no treats (what many Catholic children traditional give up at Lent), a basket of candy is a wonderful celebration, but again doens’t necessarily take away from the joy in the resurrection.
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Holly3278
Guest
No we shouldn’t get rid of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. However, I do feel that children should be told that they are just stories from the earliest age. Then, focus the holiday on Christ in your own special way.
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rbarcia
Guest
I agree with you in this point Manny.
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rayne89
Guest
I guess you wouldn’t approve of my 11 year old still believing in the Easter Bunny.No we shouldn’t get rid of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. However, I do feel that children should be told that they are just stories from the earliest age. Then, focus the holiday on Christ in your own special way.
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Jennifer_J
Guest
In our family (5 children ages 9, 7, 5, 4 and2) we don’t do Santa, but we do celebrate St Nicolas’s feast day. Presents are from mom and dad (and each other) in celebration of Jesus’ birth. They don’t seem to really notice They know that Jesus is our focus for Christmas and the decor and presents are for fun.
We don’t do the Easter bunny either. We use a huge basket for all 5 children and they share the treats, religious books and items and fun spring toys (that we may never get to use in MN this year ). We attend as many of the Triduum services as possible and participate in lenten activities as much as possible for the various ages. They don’t seem to miss anything at Easter, either.
I find avoiding the secular stuff allows us to focus on the spiritual side of these HolyDays. It helps that we don’t have commerical/cable tv at all. We watch videos and listen to the radio (local and satelite). It helps reduce the “gimmees” a great deal. This works for our family, your mileage may vary…
Jennifer
They know that Jesus is our focus for Christmas and the decor and presents are for fun.We don’t do the Easter bunny either. We use a huge basket for all 5 children and they share the treats, religious books and items and fun spring toys (that we may never get to use in MN this year
). We attend as many of the Triduum services as possible and participate in lenten activities as much as possible for the various ages. They don’t seem to miss anything at Easter, either.I find avoiding the secular stuff allows us to focus on the spiritual side of these HolyDays. It helps that we don’t have commerical/cable tv at all. We watch videos and listen to the radio (local and satelite). It helps reduce the “gimmees” a great deal. This works for our family, your mileage may vary…
Jennifer
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jediliz
Guest
just change the name of the Easter Bunny to the “Resurrection Bunny”. 
Santa Claus - just call him Saint Nick and read the story of Saint Nicholas to your children with the reading of the Christmas story.
Santa Claus - just call him Saint Nick and read the story of Saint Nicholas to your children with the reading of the Christmas story.
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carol_marie
Guest
Helpful? Umm… probably not. But this is a forum so they stir up conversation, which is the point, no?
I could give up the Easter Bunny - but not Santa.
I think that rather than taking away from Jesus, they add some fun & magic to the holiday for little kids. So long as we’re doing our job as parents by talking about the REAL meaning behind the holidays, what’s a few colored eggs, some candy or a stocking full of presents going to hurt?
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