Santa Claus

[Guest Monica]

Do you lie to children and tell them the tale of Santa Claus? Or do you do something different durring the holiday?

[shanstress70]

Do you lie to children and tell them the tale of Santa Claus? Or do you do something different durring the holiday?

Lovely way to put it, 'Monica'. I lie to my child. ...and proud of it!

[Fiannan]

Just tell them the truth about Santa Clause.

during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38

As for the evolution of the modern image --

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp

Why lie to a kid? Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and I believe Bishop Nicholas would be the first to emphasize the irony of what has become of his image and the holiday itself.

[Gwen]

hehe, i was trying real hard to stay out of the christmas topic, but this one i can't ignore. lol i am going nuts this year. i don't lie to my child about santa clause. they know who the picture is, they know the legond, they know where the legond came from, but we do not leave out cookies or write letters to imaginary ppl. our christmas eve consists of family and stories of christ, not santa preparations. i have nothing against ppl who feel otherwise and therefore have never come out and said "santa's not real". my kids won't repeat that to other kids i've not said it, just hoped that with the info i've given them they will put it together at an appropriate age in life. oh, i did come out and say reindeer can not fly. lol anyway my son started school this year. they are pushing santa huge, letters, telling them to leave cookies, the whole deal. so now my son wants to join in, i think my husband is going to indulge this (though i'm not thrilled i'll probably let him without a fight). but it bothers me. i don't want to be blunt and rude and take some of the fun out of it, but i don't think the school had any right to tell my child an imaginary person was real. they could have shared the man behind the legond and all kinds of things without selling this lie. another complaint while i'm at it lol, is they do share the religious side of christmas and that is good. my son came home talking about "the new born king" which is not a phrase we usually use (so it did come from school), so i asked him questions to find out what they taught him about christ. but the vidieos and things they showed (while i admit they are cute and don't object to watching them) were fictional stories about christ's birth. so from what i can tell didn't teach any truth at all about christmas. i find that very frustrating. anyway, i'll stop now lol. and for the record i'm not a compleate grinch, we do have the rudolph (however you spell it lol) movie. i'm just really glad i'm involved in my kids learning, and can be there to catch this stuff. not that huge a deal, but it is the little things. lol

[Palerider]

do I lie about Santa Claus......call it what you want.....YES.....and it was alot of fun doing it......when I told my kids about Santa Claus......I told each one at that time.....I was Santa Claus......and I enjoyed that talk also.....it also kinda hurt....cause I realised my kids were getting older......If I had to do it all over again.....I WOULD NOT CHANGE A THING...........MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shanstress70]

IMO, childhood is a magical time. There is plenty of years for reality. I say let them enjoy it while they can. My child is already starting to become skeptical at age 4... I can tell by his questions. I hope he can have just a couple more years of believing this magical story.

BTW, if you ask my child why we celebrate Christmas, he will say "to celebrate Jesus' birthday." He knows that gifts, Santa, the tree, all that are just nice bonuses. He wants to go buy a gift card for Jesus and write in it, "Happy Birthday... Thank you for creating us." He also wants to make cupcakes for Jesus' birthday.

The Santa thing is all in fun.

[Winnie G]

I lied yes I am out of the closet, I lied I lied I lied.

I also as they got older told them the story of St. Nicholas because that is what my stepfather (Dutch) told me, as I got older. He remembers as a child St. Nicholas riding though his town. He was a Jewish child who believed and so did I.

Santa Clause is a spirit that is in way helps people put aside at lest once every year all the selfish tendency’s of the year. It becomes easier to put aside, allowing the spirit of Christ to enter their harts. People even though it is one of the busiest times of the year slow down and watch the magic in the air in the faces of their fellow beings though the eyes of the children.

So yes I lied and still lie to my adult children. They know in our house we believe in Santa Clause and they know he comes every year and look for their gift under the three.

And Yes my grandchildren all believe as well, even my sons Pilipino fiancée has taken up believing in Santa Clause he brought her big pink cartoon slippers last year she loved them.

I believe in Santa Clause and my question to you is why don’t you?

[prisonchaplain]

Do you lie to children and tell them the tale of Santa Claus? Or do you do something different durring the holiday?

Very young children probably do not realize that Cinderella, The Princess and the Pea, stories about dragons, etc. are all fiction. Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy--these are all fiction. Cultural tales that bind us together as a people.

I recently read a report suggesting that most children figure out that Santa Clause isn't true somewhere between the ages of three and six, but continue to go along with it "because it's fun."

Personally, I focus on Christ not Clause with my kids. But, I'll not "bah humbug," Santa, since I don't see him as a serious contender with the truth.

[Josie]

I taught my children the same way my mother had taught me. I told them the story of St. Nicholas and I told them the Christ's birth and how the wise men brought him presents at his birth in gratitude and thanks giving and respect for who he was and what he was to do. I talked to them about the charity that Christ has for others and the example he gave to us of giving.

Then I shared with them that Santa Claus was a symbol to remind us of giving and being good to one another and that he represented the "Spirit of Christmas". HE was always laughing and jolly to remind us to be happy and thankful for what we had. He was always giving to others and spreading happiness where ever he went. His red suit reminds me of the blood that Jesus shed on our behalf and the white that trims it reminds me of how we are to be working toward being pure and clean so we can go again and be with him. I never elaborated on the commercial side of Christmas or Santa Claus. I used him to help me remind them of what they were working for. I only gave them information as they were able to handle it and only what they were able to internalize at a time.

Yes, we celebrated with Santa Claus and we also celebrated why we have Christmas and how the two can tie things together for all of us.

[Ray]

Do you lie to children and tell them the tale of Santa Claus? Or do you do something different durring the holiday?

Have you seen a movie called The Polar Express?

Santa Claus is a symbol of generosity. He says so himself in that movie.

And yes I believe and tell others about Santa Claus.

And I can still hear the ring of all the bells.

:)

[shanstress70]

I love Polar Express... and we watch it about every other night in our house... I'm still not tired of it! The hot chocolate scene is the best. :)

[Outshined]

I prefer A Christmas Story, though Santa isn't quite as sympathetic... "You'll shoot yer eye out, kid. Ho Ho Ho!" (As he kicks Ralphie down the slide)

[Palerider]

I love the movies.......Miracle on 34th Street(black and white version) and the first 2 Home Alone movies........

[shanstress70]

I prefer A Christmas Story, though Santa isn't quite as sympathetic... "You'll shoot yer eye out, kid. Ho Ho Ho!" (As he kicks Ralphie down the slide)

Ah yes, I haven't seen that this year. We'll have to watch for it.

However, I did mess up and we watched Christmas Vacation with my child the other day. That is a classic that I love!

In the year's past, we've watched it on network TV so I forgot that there was some bad language in it. I thought the only bad part was when he calls everyone walking by in his office some hilarious (but vulgar) name. So I watched for it and muted that part. However, what I forgot about was the F word that was thrown in unnecessarily. Of course my child repeated it after he heard it... not cool! I just ignored it thinking that if I made a big deal out of it, he'd keep repeating it.

However, he's heard the same word at Chuck E. Cheese once, so I guess he'll be exposed to them all eventually!

[Outshined]

However, I did mess up and we watched Christmas Vacation with my child the other day. That is a classic that I love!

In the year's past, we've watched it on network TV so I forgot that there was some bad language in it. I thought the only bad part was when he calls everyone walking by in his office some hilarious (but vulgar) name. So I watched for it and muted that part. However, what I forgot about was the F word that was thrown in unnecessarily. Of course my child repeated it after he heard it... not cool! I just ignored it thinking that if I made a big deal out of it, he'd keep repeating it.

However, he's heard the same word at Chuck E. Cheese once, so I guess he'll be exposed to them all eventually!

That happened to me with Bruce Almighty. As a result, I bought a DVD player that removes bad language from movies. It works great, and it was cheap. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4810675

[StrawberryFields]

As a child Santa was part of the magic of Christmas.

I agree with what Ray said the Santa is a Symbol Of Generosity.

Santa is only one element of Christmas. When children give gifts to other family member and friends Santa doesn't even come into the picture.

[shanstress70]

That happened to me with Bruce Almighty. As a result, I bought a DVD player that removes bad language from movies. It works great, and it was cheap. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4810675

I didn't know such a thing existed... awesome!

[Ray]

...I bought a DVD player that removes bad language from movies. It works great, and it was cheap. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4810675

Awesome! I didn't know something like this was available. :)

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Believe it or not, Shannon, I didn't see your post before I wrote my post.

And I also didn't know you liked to watch movies repeatedly.

You are even more like me than I thought you were. :)

edit: (I added these comments later... the ones below the line I made.

... the first time I wrote this appeared in the same post, and didn't show up as an edit)

[shanstress70]

<div class='quotemain'>

...I bought a DVD player that removes bad language from movies. It works great, and it was cheap. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4810675

Awesome! I didn't know something like this was available. :)

Believe it or not, Shannon, I didn't see your post before I wrote my post.

And I also didn't know you liked to watch movies repeatedly.

You are even more like me than I thought you were. :)

It's not so much my choosing to watch Polar Express repeatedly... it's my son... although I love it too. But I do have my favorites that I've watched over and over and over!

[Ray]

When children give gifts to other family member and friends Santa doesn't even come into the picture.

I can see how you can see it that way.

I personally believe we can each be a Santa Claus. Sometimes I'll even dress up for some kids. :)

[StrawberryFields]

Below is something that came to me in an email. I don't mean to suggest the the story is true, but I believe the concept is true.

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid.

I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big

sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even

dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that

day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always

told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier

when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they

were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told

her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" She

snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going

around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your

coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second

world-famous cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town

that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its

doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars.

That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy

something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car. "Then

she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but

never had I shopped for anything all by myself.

The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish

their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there,

confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who

on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my

friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, and the people who went to my

church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker.

He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in

Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out

to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the

teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker

didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the

ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a

coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real

warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter

asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed

a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a

bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of

the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and

ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said that

Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby

Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever

officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept

noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.

Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered,

"get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the

present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety

of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to

open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering,

beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes.

That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were

just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well,

and we were on his team. I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked

inside: $19.95.

May you always have LOVE to share, HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that

care....

And may you always believe in the magic of Santa Clause

[shanstress70]

Awwww, thanks for sharing that awesome story, SF! Merry Christmas to you and your family... AND TO EVERYONE!!!

[Ray]

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Merry Christmas. :)

[pushka]

SF that was a beautiful story..it brought tears to my eyes..thanks for sharing it!

I'm afraid I used to 'lie' about Santa to my kids for years. When they discovered that their dad and I bought their presents, I said that they still couldn't open them before Christmas Day as Santa came to the house late on Christmas Eve and put magic dust on them..if they tried to open them before Christmas Day, there would be nothing inside the parcels...it managed to keep the magic going for a few extra years..lol. :)

[Palerider]

SF that was a beautiful story..it brought tears to my eyes..thanks for sharing it!

I'm afraid I used to 'lie' about Santa to my kids for years. When they discovered that their dad and I bought their presents, I said that they still couldn't open them before Christmas Day as Santa came to the house late on Christmas Eve and put magic dust on them..if they tried to open them before Christmas Day, there would be nothing inside the parcels...it managed to keep the magic going for a few extra years..lol. :)

did you say magic dust????......LOL!!!!!! that makes me think of Cheech and Chong....LOL