Here comes Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas?

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I am single, w/o kids, however in our family we always cellebrated St. Nicholas Day, December 6th, by putting our stocking (actually my father’s socks, they were bigger) up on Dec. 5th, before going to bed. When we got up, in the morning, we found goodies, in our stockings. My sisters and brother still celebrate St. Nicholas Day with their kids, and we all wish each other a happy St. Nicholas Days, every Dec. 6th. On Christmas it was always Santa that came, but we always stressed the incarnation and birth of Christ.

A few years ago, my oldest sister,was quite upset by her kids behavior and put coal in their stockings (I heat with coal and gave it to her).
 
I think it’s fun to believe in Santa–and I feel why ruin kids’ X-mas by telling them Santa is not real.!!! I still tell my kids: “maybe Santa will bring you such and such”--------

some parents go too far realistic IMO by telling their kids Santa isn’t real, etc. that kinda ruins X-mas! At least I think.

Let’s keep some fantasy, some playfullness, some mystery in Christmas. It makes it fun for all of us!!! For I know what I want from Santa this year–told my hubby, etc. and kids–and I know how disappointed I’d be if Santa didn’t come…

Parents–I say keep Santa real in your home…how can it hurt? It only makes X-mas more enjoyable for our yung’ins!!!

God Bless~~
 
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St.Catherine:
I traumatized a cashier the other day by telling her that I told my four year old that Santa Claus is not real. The cashier put her hand over her mouth and said “You didn’t. How could you do that?”

I told the kids that parents are the Santa Claus and that they buy gifts for their kids and just tell them that it is from Santa. The Cashier thought I was nuts. I explained to her that our kids only get three gifts because that is how many Jesus got. I also explained that I did not want my kids growing up to quesion why Santa gave their friends tons of gifts while they only got three. Now the “blame” and responsibility is right where it belongs…on me.

I also told my kids about St. Nick and what a good man he was and that the story of Santa is based on that.

If our country worked as hard on teaching our children about Christ as we do about Santa then this would be one amazing country.

I don’t see the point of lieing to my children. Seems like a bad precedent. Also, I refuse to raise greedy and selfish children. I clearly remember as a child being very disappointed with Santa. Then I was shocked when I saw how many gifts a neighbor and my cousins got. I couldn’t imagine that many gifts. I didn’t understand the inconsistency. I also remember thinking at that young age that the number of gifts those kids got was excessive.

My next challenge is to get my extended family to stop buying so many gifts for my kids. We asked and begged them to stop buying gifts or at least to stop buying toys. Thus far they have just ignored us. We will see how they do this year.
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I respect that you want to tell your kids the truth about Santa, but what about the other kids that interact with yours? Did you tell your kids not to spoil it for others? I remember when I was in 2nd grade and found out that Santa wasn’t real, I couldn’t wait to tell all my friends.
 
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St.Catherine:
I don’t see the point of lieing to my children. Seems like a bad precedent. Also, I refuse to raise greedy and selfish children. I clearly remember as a child being very disappointed with Santa. Then I was shocked when I saw how many gifts a neighbor and my cousins got. I couldn’t imagine that many gifts. I didn’t understand the inconsistency. I also remember thinking at that young age that the number of gifts those kids got was excessive.

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Letting children believe in Santa Claus DOES NOT make greedy and selfish children! BAD PARENTING makes greedy and selfish children.
We do not go over board with presents and neither does Santa (around $100 combined). My daughter has never acted disappointed with her gifts. When Santa hasn’t brought some stuff that she asked for she’s always responded with “Oh well, I like the stuff that he did bring me alot.” Nor has she compared her gifts with what others recieved. Children have such a short time to have a little fantasy before adulthood, I’m not going to take it away from her.

When I or others have asked my daughter what Christmas is (this happened today infact) she says “It’s Jesus’ birthday. He came to save us and that’s why we celebrate it.” Didn’t even mention Santa. She knows the real meaning of Christmas and Santa has made her forget it.
 
I tell my kids that Santa is real, because he (St. Nicholas) IS real and in heaven with Jesus.

I also say that there are many stories that aren’t true about him (elves, North Pole, etc.) but are fun to read. They know the real stories about St. Nicholas.

I say that St. Nicholas sends his mysterious helpers to deliver gifts on Christmas Eve (he also brings candy and a small gift on the 6th). I tell them that some people think his helpers are elves (which they know are pretend) and some think they are angels (as in the German tradition) but it is a mystery. This preserves the truth (I am in fact St. Nicholas’ helper in every real way) while allowing them to enjoy the other stories as just stories they can make-believe in. They won’t suffer trauma later in life because I haven’t told them anything untrue. If I am Jesus’s hands and feet here on earth, why should I not be the same for St. Nicholas? The older they get, the more the obvious fake stories about Santa will fall away. Eventually, they will get to be helpers of St. Nicholas too.

If they get to a point like, “Do the elves make all the toys?” I just ask them, “what do you think?” and leave it at that. I say “I think it’s a mystery” if they press me.

I think it’s important to include St. Nicholas in your litany of saints during family prayer time and help your children ask St. Nicholas for prayers in an appropriate way. Hopefully not just “St. Nicholas I hope you bring me everything on my wish list” but rather “St. Nicholas pray for me that I will be a good girl and be kind to my sister” instead.

I love the scene in the book of “Cheaper by the Dozen” (not the movie with Steve Martin) where the family has a tradition of filling each other’s stockings on Christmas Eve. They turn out the lights and then all twelve children and the parents madly rush and fumble around putting presents in the stockings in the dark and then leave them to open in the morning.

I guess there are enough really amazing and true things out there that I want my kids to know (Jesus is Really Present in the Eucharist!) that I don’t find it fun and amusing to fill their heads with elves and north pole nonsense as if it were as true as the real miracles we believe in as Catholics.

St. Nicholas however is as real as my left foot and can be believed in for a life time without apology.
 
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