I love Christmas! In fact, I love the whole holiday season! I love the lights and trees, the presents and family, the spirit of giving and baby Jesus, and the food, of course the food. But Santa, I'm not so sure about him . . .
Call me crazy. Call me Scrooge. But when did the idea of an overweight old man, who "sees us when we're sleeping," and creeps into our homes once a year, become the grandest white lie of all time? Would it kill him to shave and eat some veggies every once in awhile? Ok, I'm sorry, that was too much. I don't hate the guy. I actually kind of like the idea of Santa as a jolly old man who loves to bring presents, and who spends all year hanging with his elf friends and preparing for Christmas.
Here's the thing, so far my 2 year old understands the following about Christmas:
1. We celebrate the birth of Jesus. Sweet! Birthdays are awesome!
2. We're going to see Grama. Fabulous! (Probably the most exciting part for her)
3. We're going to give presents. Fun! And we're going to get presents. Even better!
4. We get to see fancy lights and there's a tree in the living room. When did my life get so awesome?
5. There's some creepy guy whose face has been taken over by white hair who shows up at random places, and last year my parents made me sit on his lap. So not cool.
As you can see, Santa really deserves more of an explanation, but somehow, after all the other good things about Christmas time, I find myself at a loss as to how to fit in Santa. Because let's be honest, it can get a little complicated and out of hand. There are letters to Santa, expected presents from Santa, threats in the name of Santa . . . and that crazy Elf on the Shelf, don't even get me started.
I want to be real clear, I know I'm the weird one. And this is no reflection on my parents. In fact, my 20-something year old sister still insists on leaving cookies and milk for "Santa" (and snacks for the reindeer, too), and my dad willingly gets up in the middle of the night to eat said cookies and "secretly" fill the stockings of his adult children. I even remember being slightly jealous of a friend growing up whose parents went ALL OUT. I mean, they even left real boot prints on the carpet! Yep, her parents were awesome.
I guess it can be a lot of fun, but, in all seriousness, is Christmas really ruined without Santa? If it is, I don't think we're celebrating it right. If I buck tradition and take out Santa, will my children be proud they knew before all their friends, or will they resent me forever as the mother that stole their childhood?
Should I grit my teeth and play along like a good mother? Should I seek middle ground and include Santa, but only until my children reach the age where fantasy and reality separate, however young that may be? Or can my children just learn to love the story and spirit of Santa while knowing he's not a "real" person, just like we all do as adults?
Because I don't want to kill Santa, I just want to put him in his place.
Where does Santa Claus fit into your holiday traditions? Does he bring 1 gift or 3 gifts or more? How do you explain why Johnny down the road got a $300 gift from Santa, or why Santa didn't get the right present? Does anyone else feel the way I do?
Make me a believer, or don't. I just want to hear your thoughts, and let's be real clear, there's no right answer.
Yes, Ally (Virginia), there IS a santa claus! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/
But I totally get your point. Also - or especially relevant nowadays - in light of the sometimes crazy world we now live in, who really wants to sit on some strange Santa's lap or, more to the point, put their child on Santa's lap?!
And my college roommate said he was traumatized when he learned Santa was 'not real', and he subsequently went through a period of not trusting anyone or anything.
I, on the other hand, liked 'Santa' even after realizing he was as elusive as the tooth fairy and the easter bunny that lays eggs. (By the way, does this mean you may be backing out of future easter egg hunts? :)
I liked, too, how your Grandpa dressed as Santa to visit you. It was a fun game, and as you got old enough to realize it was him behind the beard, I assume that you too 'got' the game and realized it was just a fun way of teaching and learning how fun it can be to give good gifts and spread joy anonymously. (Of course, I should never assume anything. :)
In any event, the one thing I know for sure is that you survived and turned out not just 'alright' but WONDERFUL!
Thanks for another awesome blog post!
Love,
Santa
You bring up good points. The tooth fairy is fun and we can't give up Easter egg hunts. But I also don't think I ever really believed there was a giant Easter bunny hiding eggs, and it was still just as memorable and fun. That article demonstrates why I'm torn. I do think we can teach Santa in a way that is good and uplifting, it's all in how you sell him really. And you know I love fantasy. I still talk about my favorite books like the characters are real and I might actually get to meet them someday. Being "not real" doesn't make them any less "real" to me, if that makes any sense. I'm not sure if a child can grow up understanding this concept of make-believe or has to be taught to believe before any doubt is introduced. Luckily, we have another year before we have to really deal with Santa.
DeleteHa ha! I am pretty sure Santa is going to bring us oranges and tooth brushes! I totally want the credit for the nicer gifts to go to me as the parent! Archie was a little creeped out when he met Santa for the first time the other day too! I do love the idea and will keep it as a tradition in our family for as long as the kids let me!
ReplyDeleteI like that. Keep Santa simple, then they can enjoy him for the right reasons instead of all the hype. If we tell Lilly, we'll make sure she doesn't spill the beans to her cousins. :)
DeleteI think the last thing you said: "Or can my children just learn to love the story and spirit of Santa while knowing he's not a real person, just like we all do as adults?" That's what we do. We've never told the kids Santa is real - they just think of him as a super fun Christmas story like Rudolph or Frosty the Snowman. But they know their gifts are from Mom and Dad or from each other. And they still love Christmas. And that way there's no explaining why "Santa" is way nicer to the next-door neighbor kids even when they're totally naughty. But sometimes they like to pretend he's real anyway - I've never even told Cindy about Santa, and when she opened an early present the other day, she told me Santa gave her those puzzles. I was like, "whatever- I bought you those."
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input! You are a fantastic mom and you have the coolest, smartest kids I know. I feel better knowing that my kids would be in good company, if we do decide to go that route.
DeleteWhat? Are you saying Santa isn't real? I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteWho are you Anonymous? Life is perception, so Santa can be as real to you, as you are to me.
DeleteEthan has already been telling his friends that Santa isn't real. Oops.
ReplyDeleteGrew up with it as well, but couldn't seem to bring myself to "lie" to my kids. Been working fine so far. You aren't weird - or... we are both weird, but we knew that already. =)
HAhahahaha. First of all, our mutual weirdness is totally awesome, and I am still so sad that you are not living here anymore. Second, I can totally see Ethan saying that, and I love it.
DeleteKeep Austin wierd...
ReplyDeleteAnd is it really fair to skip one of the four stages of life? (In this case - Sure!)
ReplyDeleteThe four stages:
1) You believe in Santa Claus
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus
3) You are Santa Claus
4) You look like Santa Claus
C'est la vie...
I'm sorry, but you're never gonna get to #4.
Delete