I read this article the other day...supposedly witty and straight forward. The kind of article you would be an "idiot" to disagree with. I'm sure you've all read those kinds of articles.
Anyway, this one was about Santa Claus. The author made the gross assumption that those that don't indoctrinate their children with Santa Claus fables are Santa haters! How can I hate someone I've never met? Have you met him? What's he like? From what I've heard, I have made a few assertions. You'll excuse me if they are unfounded.
This mother seemed to know all about him. She made a case for involving him in her family's life for every reason from jubilation to discipline around the holiday season. She explained in detail that her daughters were completely sold on the overweight "do gooder" and that she unashamedly used St. Nick to discipline the girls by pretending to make phone calls to him if they acted up. Well, good for her? Why so intolerant of those that don't practice this? She explained that kids who were not on the Santa Claus band wagon and advocated as such (to her credit) would not be invited to her house around the holidays. They would ruin it for her girls, I guess. So sad.
Let's examine what those evil children, probably mine someday, would be ruining if they opened their mouth to question Santa Claus. Here's my summation in 5 points.
1) Santa Claus doesn't exist. Everything that is said about him is made up, meaning he is at the mercy of whoever represents him. So how does one ruin something or damage something that changes? You can misrepresent truth, but I'm sorry, untruth doesn't get the privilege of correcting others, but it does too often.
2) Santa Claus feeds selfishness and consumerism. Does anyone (kids mainly, I hope) write Santa Claus letters for someone else? Do kids sit on Santa's lap at the mall and request gifts for their neighbors? Do the starving kids in Africa get food requests? If so, which would surprise me, does Santa deliver? This leads me to my third point.
3) There is a vast population (the most needy) that Santa, apparently has forgotten about. The homeless in India, the starving in Africa, the abandoned in China. More than likely these kids have never heard of Santa, and if they have, he probably seems a little aloof, maybe out of touch, probably (gasp) a joke. Seems to me, Santa is only interested in the middle and upper classes, which would make me less interested in him and a less honorable specimen to inform my children about.
4) Jesus is the reason for the season, make no mistake. There's a clear enough book written about Him, the one who deserves the capital letter. No book about Santa was written by 40 different authors over multiple thousands of years. No book that I'm aware of anyway. If Jesus did indeed come to seek and to save that which was lost, I think I'd better use my time with my focus in that direction.
5) We are responsible to make the season brighter for others in our world, not the jelly filled roll of a white haired north pole dweller. So, please don't lay the burden on ol' Nicholas, because from what I gather, he can't handle the responsibility, and if I was imaginary, I wouldn't want it.
Santa is imaginary, a game. Like "Sorry", either you like to play the game or you don't. So, with all due respect mame, though I would never want my sons to rain on the proverbial parade, I would suggest that maybe we find some middle ground and perhaps wear thicker skin.
Anyway, this one was about Santa Claus. The author made the gross assumption that those that don't indoctrinate their children with Santa Claus fables are Santa haters! How can I hate someone I've never met? Have you met him? What's he like? From what I've heard, I have made a few assertions. You'll excuse me if they are unfounded.
This mother seemed to know all about him. She made a case for involving him in her family's life for every reason from jubilation to discipline around the holiday season. She explained in detail that her daughters were completely sold on the overweight "do gooder" and that she unashamedly used St. Nick to discipline the girls by pretending to make phone calls to him if they acted up. Well, good for her? Why so intolerant of those that don't practice this? She explained that kids who were not on the Santa Claus band wagon and advocated as such (to her credit) would not be invited to her house around the holidays. They would ruin it for her girls, I guess. So sad.
Let's examine what those evil children, probably mine someday, would be ruining if they opened their mouth to question Santa Claus. Here's my summation in 5 points.
1) Santa Claus doesn't exist. Everything that is said about him is made up, meaning he is at the mercy of whoever represents him. So how does one ruin something or damage something that changes? You can misrepresent truth, but I'm sorry, untruth doesn't get the privilege of correcting others, but it does too often.
2) Santa Claus feeds selfishness and consumerism. Does anyone (kids mainly, I hope) write Santa Claus letters for someone else? Do kids sit on Santa's lap at the mall and request gifts for their neighbors? Do the starving kids in Africa get food requests? If so, which would surprise me, does Santa deliver? This leads me to my third point.
3) There is a vast population (the most needy) that Santa, apparently has forgotten about. The homeless in India, the starving in Africa, the abandoned in China. More than likely these kids have never heard of Santa, and if they have, he probably seems a little aloof, maybe out of touch, probably (gasp) a joke. Seems to me, Santa is only interested in the middle and upper classes, which would make me less interested in him and a less honorable specimen to inform my children about.
4) Jesus is the reason for the season, make no mistake. There's a clear enough book written about Him, the one who deserves the capital letter. No book about Santa was written by 40 different authors over multiple thousands of years. No book that I'm aware of anyway. If Jesus did indeed come to seek and to save that which was lost, I think I'd better use my time with my focus in that direction.
5) We are responsible to make the season brighter for others in our world, not the jelly filled roll of a white haired north pole dweller. So, please don't lay the burden on ol' Nicholas, because from what I gather, he can't handle the responsibility, and if I was imaginary, I wouldn't want it.
Santa is imaginary, a game. Like "Sorry", either you like to play the game or you don't. So, with all due respect mame, though I would never want my sons to rain on the proverbial parade, I would suggest that maybe we find some middle ground and perhaps wear thicker skin.
Comments
I totally agree with you and it makes me feel a little better about my feeling on the Santa issue. I don't think Santa is inherently evil, necessarily, but we really just don't make a big deal about making sure our kids believe in him. And I have already been in a situation, where I was warned that my kids were going to ruin it for some other kids who did believe in Santa. I just don't see the point in making all the effort in deceiving my children into believing in a make believe person. Like you said I'd rather put my efforts into instilling them with the true reason for the season- Jesus. Also thus avoiding the inevitable dashing of their trust when they find out Santa is not real. I also find it rather heinous to use an imaginary man to punish one's children, instead of using real punishment from a real and loving mother.