I don’t even have to go into the fact that most of the imagery surrounding Santa Claus is Pagan in origin. That’s nothing but a cheap shot. There’s so many other reasons to hate Santa. Also, I am in no way against the blessed Saint Nicholas, he was a good guy. I’m not talking about an olden day saint who gave toys to poor children who had nothing, I’m talking about the guy in a red suit with elves and magical reindeer.
First off, it’s nothing but a blatant lie. I don’t care how much people try to butter it up by calling it childhood innocence. What is that supposed to mean anyway? It is nothing more than a lie, pure and simple. You’re telling them something that you know good and well is not true, sounds like a lie. Just to go into the further illogical-ness of it, many parents are upset when the truth is exposed. Many tiptoe around the subject when kids are around, like it’s something sacred. It’s nothing but a lie people! Parents shouldn’t be mad somebody told their kid the truth. Oh, and just like real lies, it requires more and more lies to keep it going. Best example: Telling kids that mall Santas are Santa’s helpers when kids get smart enough to realize Santa can’t be at every mall every Christmas.
Second, Santa takes away the main focus of the holiday, which is Jesus. Christmas has become a secular holiday, for the most part. And no, calling them “Christmas Trees” instead of “Holiday Trees” doesn’t help. That whole “Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays” is trivial and stupid, they’re nothing but words. Christmas has become secular all on its own, as it has essentially become national gift giving day, with almost no religious conotations to it at all. Santa has almost completely replaced Jesus.
And many conservatives try to blame liberals/atheists on the seculariation of Christmas. Nope, you guys did that all on your own. Let’s see, you took your religious holiday, purposefully removed all the religious symbolism, and replaced it with Santa, deer, elves, etc. You then essentially demanded the holiday take center stage in American culture, knowing full well that not all of America was Christian. And now they’re mad because they’ve essentially lost their holiday. No, you didn’t lose it, you gave it away and have only yourselves to blame.
Third, it’s stupid. OK, not a sin, but a valid point still. Go through the trouble of getting your child a Christmas present, and then giving credit to a guy who doesn’t even exist for no apparent reason. What a bizarre custom.
Fourth, it sends kids a horrible message. I saved the worst for last, as there are two bad messages Santa sends children. The first being that it’s OK to lie to people. I’ve already explained how Santa is a lie with my first point. The second message is its ties to religion. Let’s see, let’s convince our children that there’s an old guy with a beard. Even though you’ve never seen him or met him, he will reward you if you’re good. Hmm, sound famliar? There’s a reason atheists call God “Santa for adults”. Also, kids usually learn about God and Santa from the same source (their parents), so when one is found to be false, why should they believe anything their parents say about God? The fact that this blatant lie is also centered around one of the biggest Christian holidays doesn’t help matters either.
I’m not trying to say God is as fake as Santa. What I’m saying is that teaching your kids about Santa makes them more likely to doubt God.
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