My kids in the shock and horror of it all, told this dear friend that they had just been to Yankee Candle the other day and SEEN Santa with their own eyes!
"We looked at his beard and it was REAL and not only that but my Mom has a picture of us with him on her phone!"
The Lucy inside me wanted to burst this child's bubble wide open and tell him that Jesus simply was not born on Dec 25, that lots of people think Jesus is like Santa and that he's not real. After all, you've never seen Jesus in person or better yet at Yankee Candle have you? But what's the use in crushing one child's faith in order to prove my point to save the faith in my own children's magic Santa man.
I loved Christmas growing up. I had packages addressed "from Santa" with my Mom's handwriting by the fireplace. We celebrated with stockings and every year "Santa" defied my request to put more CANDY and less oranges in my stocking. I wanted a Baby Alive, and an Easy Bake Oven....never got it. Why Santa, why?! Oh and my neighbor used to get heaps more loot, and she was mean to me most times. I smelled something was up with "Santa" when year after year this mean person, certainly on his naughty list got absolutely everything on her list....every year? My final crushing blow to my Santa believing days was under the wonderful advice from a friend. Sneak around the house looking for the presents to confirm that Santa wasn't real. Turns out that "Santa" hides presents under the bed...a not so difficult place to hide them. And not that creative either. Sorry Mom.
The reason I let my kids believe in Santa? I even go out of my way to build the smoke and mirrors is simply this. The emotional "feeling" of even having faith for me started with believing that Santa was real. I mean when you are a kid, you'll believe anything that grown ups tell you right? Tooth Fairy, Easter bunny, aliens... Maybe I was more gullible than the average.
I truly believed at age 8 that Jesus was born on Dec. 25th. The story of the nativity to me was awesome and sweet. I also thought that the three "wise men" appeared that same night...just like the Christmas specials (thank you claymation). The little drummer boy, camels in snow and don't forget the animals and the stable all cozy with hay and who wouldn't love the whole scene? But it was in the breaking of my ideas and imaginations of what really is and was the truth that I have found my faith. Because the world would tell you that Jesus was not real or at least that he was not the Son of God, or a coming King or the Messiah. That just like Santa, Jesus was just like a person with clothes on. If Christmas is all about His birthday and that is why we have evergreens in our home, and we exchange presents because of the magi bringing gifts and we harold our voices and sing about the Light of the world then why do we keep telling our children fanciful stories about Santa? Why do we tell the story of Christ's birth and set up our children to believe that Jesus was born on Dec 25th?
One day my children will find out the truth, or at least doubt it because I left a hint by accident or they will begin to have a logic to them and figure out that Santa shops at Target and wraps their presents with the same wrapping paper as Mom....that's just sloppy. Or some kid will just blurt out "Santa's not real!" They will go looking for every trace of proof. They one day will go searching for truth in their own faith when people plant seeds of doubt. Evolution,Philosophies, different ways of interpreting the scriptures...you name it, will come hurling at them in a history class or even in 2nd grade holiday party.
Santa never fulfilled prophesy, neither did the Easter bunny. Jesus did.
He's not the reason for the season. The reason for the season is a melding pot of pagan traditions and Roman festivals pretty much sums it up. Gasp...not Christmas! Yes, Christmas. For me, this girl has looked under the bed once again....and found what I was looking for. The Truth. It kind of spoils the fun of having a magic fat man that would give me that Easy Bake oven some day I'll admit.
We need to be careful what we teach our kids as truth... feed their faith!
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Christmas/christmas.html
Lucy2Shoes
Interesting perspective! I've become anti Santa in recent years, but I'll ponder. I do really like the logic of teaching kids to ferret out truth, having no fear that they will discover it -- and not just a creative fiction -- in Christ and believe. Teaching discernment might outweigh the parental "betrayal", especially because I would imagine every adult who once believed in Santa is grateful for the memory of that unabashed faith. And longs for it again. And afterall, Jesus tells us to be as a child...
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