Dear Reader,
I have a confession to make. Shhhh. In one way, it’s probably not the most appropriate time to make this confession, but in another, it’s probably the only time I can. One thing I must say first, is that no one has come to any harm with this confession. My wee family is as strong as ever, and those close to us understand this is our choice.
You see, dear readers, we don’t do Santa. shock, horror, oh my word . Yes, you read right, we don’t do Santa. Yes, we do Christmas, presents, family, traditions, food & fun. But, not Santa.
Phew, so glad that’s off my chest. Back to normal broadcast now 😛
……
So, WHY don’t we do Santa, you ask?
Well, for starters, Santa has nothing to do with Christmas. The image of Santa was made up by a commercial entity, and we don’t think it has any place in the idea of Christmas. For us, Christmas is about family, fun & giving (important throughout the year, not just in December). Granted, I didn’t grow up doing Santa, or Christmas for that matter, but I don’t see what writing to an imaginary person about what you want & pretending to be good closer to Christmas, has anything to do with the celebration. If my kids want anything at any time of the year, they can ask. They may not get it, or we may come up with a plan on how they can earn it. As for being good, we expect our kids to behave properly whether they get presents or not. Don’t get me wrong, they’re no saints!
It’s not they haven’t heard of Santa, ok maybe it’s a bit early to explain to the 15 month old, but master 4 anyway sees him as a character, much like Barney the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, Batman or Lightning McQueen. Using your imagination is great, but being able to distinguish between real & imagination is a big thing.
Most importantly for us, was that we are trying to bring up our kids to be open & honest to us. I couldn’t see how lying to my kid, for the 7 or 8 years till he figures it out, portrays this. Believe me I am not against white lies, there are somethings a 4 year old should not know, but prolonging a lie doesn’t seem quite legit to me.
And don’t worry, he’s quite clear that other kids may believe in Santa, and it’s not up to him to tell them otherwise. He knows there are a lot of other beliefs in the world, same he knows not everyone celebrates Diwali or his birthday. Obviously, he doesn’t understand the semantics of why, but he has a 4 year olds understanding. As he grows older, and asks more questions, he will be told more.
It was a decision made long before (about 9 months before master 4 actually :P) the kids were born, by both adult parties involved. As any decision in a healthy growing relationship, it was made to encompass the world views of us both. Of course, it doesn’t bother us the slightest if everyone else around us does Santa, that’s their choice 🙂
So, before I get comments about how I’m ruining the “magic of Christmas”, trust me there’s plenty of magic around the house. We still watch the movies, read the books, decorate the tree & house, grow candy cane trees, wrap n unwrap presents, open stockings, eat till we’re full and then eat some more, and spend tons of time with our loved ones.
