Probably.
But it seems like all the new threads are just reboots these days. I have to check the hair styles and clothes of the posters to figure out whether it’s a new one or an old one.
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But it seems like all the new threads are just reboots these days. I have to check the hair styles and clothes of the posters to figure out whether it’s a new one or an old one.
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EasterJoy
Guest
We liked telling kids that Santa’s name is used so that people can give in secret so as to delight other people and not take the credit for themselves. It puts people who still use the myth in a good light and, I think, is a fair assessment of what they’re trying to do. The mythological details aren’t there to make the story more believable. The details make the story more fun, more delightful. The stories aren’t lies; they are part of the fun.
The reason we did it that way was a) to avoid putting a judgment on people doing things we don’t do and b) to instill a desire to make the happiness of others more important and your own desire to be recognized less important. To use the contemporary parlance, you take care of your own validation by drawing it from the nature of what you’re doing, and so you don’t require the gift giver to give it to you. That gives a special “something” to the gift, too, to be able to think, “Hey, someone gave me this with no desire other than the thought of giving me good feelings. They want nothing else in return. How cool is that?” (We even took the trouble to put “Santa” gifts in paper that didn’t match what we wrapped the other gifts in, so the possibility that the “from Santa” gifts, if not literally from the mythological Santa, might have been from some neighbor or relative or who-knows-who.)
So that’s where I think this ought to go: Not that we say “there is no Santa”, but to say, “we learned from St. Nicolas that one of the marks of a saint can be to be a Santa.” It is “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, and so why not?
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Diana_Catherine
Guest
Probably.
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aicirt
Guest
Of course there’s a Santa Claus and there was a St. Nick. They’re role models for you to be good and he’ll remember you just as he remembered the three spinsters who need a bag of gold each as a dowry. And down the chimmney they came. He didn’t want the credit otherwise he could have knocked on the door or drawn up papers for a quickie loan but like parents, he just wanted to see the joy on their faces. Lighten up and have some egg nog. :christmastree1:
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Flame4
Guest
Sorry about that. To be honest I haven’t read a thread about this topic and was curious to know the answer. Sorry if this is a recurrent topic. Perhaps I should have searched to see if there was a thread first.
God Bless
No need to apologize. The mods really don’t like us to revive old discussions. I was mostly trying to lighten the mood because sometimes these threads get rather heated.
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EasterJoy
Guest
But that applies to particular discussions, not entire topics. There are only so many discussion topics under the sun, after all!
Oops. I meant old discussion threads. I didn’t mean to suggest that topics of discussion should be permanently retired.
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EasterJoy
Guest
I should have assumed that is what you meant. If we purged the old topics, we’d either be very bored or we’d soon find ourselves in the weird lands that daytime talk shows wander off to!
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shainski
Guest
I don’t think it is true about greediness. Just this morning, my 5 year old daughter said this to us:
Our kids were all discussing how long until Christmas.
“I don’t really want a lot of presents this year. Really, giving presents is a lot more fun that getting them.”
I was kind of surprised (and happy) to hear it.
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Diana_Catherine
Guest
That’s awesome and rare.
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vera_dicere
Guest
You could teach them about St. Nick, they guy who punched that heretic Arius in the face… hehe.
I believed in Santa till I was about 9, but it was kind of an apathy after about 7. I don’t think it does any real harm, and Christmas gives a lot of joy to kids, as long as they know the whole story of Christ’s birth, Santa can just be a pleasant aside note.
My sister however, swears black and blue, even today, at age 29, that she saw Santa outside a hotel on teh neighbour’s roof when she was 8. I remember her looking out the window and screaming like a happy maniac! She is totally, utterly convinced it was him. I’m not sure how she justifies not getting presents or how she has to be “Santa” for her kid… but hey.
She doesn’t beleive in Jesus though…
Mind you, I don’t have kids, so take what I say with a truck load of salt.
I believed in Santa till I was about 9, but it was kind of an apathy after about 7. I don’t think it does any real harm, and Christmas gives a lot of joy to kids, as long as they know the whole story of Christ’s birth, Santa can just be a pleasant aside note.
My sister however, swears black and blue, even today, at age 29, that she saw Santa outside a hotel on teh neighbour’s roof when she was 8. I remember her looking out the window and screaming like a happy maniac! She is totally, utterly convinced it was him. I’m not sure how she justifies not getting presents or how she has to be “Santa” for her kid… but hey.
She doesn’t beleive in Jesus though…
Mind you, I don’t have kids, so take what I say with a truck load of salt.
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Mike_Dross
Guest
I guess I’ve gone over to the dark side on this one. I grew up with Santa and the Tooth Fairy, and was a stoic defender of them in school, avoiding and distrusting the other children who denied their existence. When my parents told me the truth, it was no big deal. I still had my stocking of presents on Christmas and got a quarter per tooth. Then I dated a girl who had the same experience, except that it caused her to begin questioning her faith in God. I know it seems like a stretch, but this really was the beginning of her agnosticism. She has since become Catholic, but I’ve known half a dozen people, including family members, who’s faith was cracked in it’s infancy by something as seemingly harmless as Santa Claus. Why risk it?
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Chantal25
Guest
This is a very old tread but did you notice that if you change the position of the N in this word you will get something quite interesting and scary.
I never tried to make my child believe in this but she came to believe in it on her own. I never felt comfortable about this for that same reason mentioned about questioning the existence of God. Not wanting to brake her heart, i played along with this. This year, i simply told her that Santa is a made up thing by the grown up. It is not true that he lives in North Pole etc… We (grown up) do this as a fun game for the children. But father Christmas is real and he lives in Heaven with God. His name is Saint Nicholas. He inspires us to be charitable during Christmas with the one in needs and it is important to do good deed during that time.
On her own, she didn’t want to have decoration of Santa, i told her we could pretend it is Father Christmas but she didn’t want it, we had a Christmas Calendar for Children (Naivety). Christmas was truly special and more magical this year. She had her christmas stocking and i told her that many that are inspired, work for Father Christmas, so she knew i helped him to get her present. On Christmas morning before she even open any present, we lighted a white candle to remind us thas Jesus came in our world and sang an Happy Birthday song to Jesus. Miraculously, our Christmas tree started flashing and remain like this the whole day of the 25th. It only happened that day. It was truly wonderful.
Anyway, my daughter had a good time!
I never tried to make my child believe in this but she came to believe in it on her own. I never felt comfortable about this for that same reason mentioned about questioning the existence of God. Not wanting to brake her heart, i played along with this. This year, i simply told her that Santa is a made up thing by the grown up. It is not true that he lives in North Pole etc… We (grown up) do this as a fun game for the children. But father Christmas is real and he lives in Heaven with God. His name is Saint Nicholas. He inspires us to be charitable during Christmas with the one in needs and it is important to do good deed during that time.
On her own, she didn’t want to have decoration of Santa, i told her we could pretend it is Father Christmas but she didn’t want it, we had a Christmas Calendar for Children (Naivety). Christmas was truly special and more magical this year. She had her christmas stocking and i told her that many that are inspired, work for Father Christmas, so she knew i helped him to get her present. On Christmas morning before she even open any present, we lighted a white candle to remind us thas Jesus came in our world and sang an Happy Birthday song to Jesus. Miraculously, our Christmas tree started flashing and remain like this the whole day of the 25th. It only happened that day. It was truly wonderful.
Anyway, my daughter had a good time!
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Frank_Drebin
Guest
Telling your wife she looks pretty when you don’t really believe she does in that moment is also lying. I suspect we lie a lot more than we think we do. Telling God we love Him with all our hearts and souls, and telling Him how thankful we are, when clearly our actions show we do not actually do those things, is a lie, technically.
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Frank_Drebin
Guest
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Frank_Drebin
Guest
You point is valid, since I agree with you as a parent
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Frank_Drebin
Guest
Amen. It brought me such joy, and I sincerely want that happiness for my children. Not in a materialistic, unwholesome way, but it was a part of a joyous innocent childhood.
How far do we want to take “not lying” with our children? If our daughter asks my wife where babies come from, and she says “they come from mommy and daddy’s love,” shall I correct her and say “no honey, not true. Lots of babies come from unwed teenage girls who do not love the boys they had intercourse with, and the boys do not per se love the girls they slept with. The baby was merely a product of God’s love for creation, and the teenagers momnent of lust and inability to make a mature decision.” That’s the truth, right?
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Frank_Drebin
Guest
St. Nick ain’t bringing any gifts either. Daddy bought them bad boys at Toys R Us. Your point?
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Frank_Drebin
Guest
Technically, there is a Santa Claus. I recall a story years ago about a man who legally changed his name to just that. So telling your children there is no Santa Claus would be a lie too.
So to be clear:
- St. Nicholas exists, and was a wonderful, giving man, and a Saint of our beloved RCC.
- Santa Claus exists, and was a former hobo from Scottsdale, Arizona.
- Neither has anything to do with that red rider you just unwrapped.
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