I think every family probably has at least one or two pictures like these in their albums... Scared of Santa
On a related note, my roommate and I were just talking about this the other night. As Christians, do we allow our kids to believe in Santa Claus? And if so, to what extent?
Personally, I can't really ever remember a time when I thought that Santa was actually real, but I enjoyed him as a fairy-tale and fun tradition in my family growing up. I remember writing notes to Santa when I was really little, but since our "Santa Bags" filled with gifts always had my mom's handwriting on them, I guess I put two and two together pretty early on and realized who would actually be reading my "Dear Santa" letters. :)
My family also practiced Advent every year as well and read family devotionals as each candle was lit in the weeks leading up to Christmas. So growing up, I always knew that Christmas was a celebration of Jesus' birth, even if some years I was more excited about the pink bike or CD player on my wish-list.
Don't get me wrong, I think that Santa Claus is something that families can have a lot of fun with when their children are younger - milk & cookies, wish lists and letters to Santa, and all of the imagination that goes along with the tradition.
But the real question, is how far do we take it? At what point does Santa Claus and the potential lesson/focus on materialism overshadow the true meaning of "Christ"mas. If we let our children really believe that Santa is real or perpetuate the illusion, are we essentially lying to our children and teaching them that dishonesty is ok? What are the implications for when they realize the truth? What is the right balance?
A friend of mine grew up with her mom throwing a birthday party for Jesus every Christmas season, where every child in the neighborhood was invited and the story of Christ's birth and the gospel was shared. This is a tradition she plans to continue now that she has her own family. What a great opportunity for evangelism for both the children and parents that attend!
Since children aren't in the near future for me, I have some time to mull these things over, but I am curious what others have experienced in their families and what they think they will decide to continue as traditions or decide to start on their own someday.
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2 comments:
I was thinking about this same thing last weekend as I hung out with my nieces and nephew. We read the Christmas story, but it was preceded by a reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” I was wondering what effect that would on their trust in our story of Jesus, since we were leading them to believe in both Santa (fictional) and Jesus (real).
I know it did not destroy my life or my trust in my parents when I found out at 6 years old. But at what point do we draw a line in dealing with our kids in total honesty and allowing them to have a little childhood fantasy. I have a feeling my kids are going to need therapy no matter what…
The final question ends up being: Do I want to be the parent whose kids ruin it for all their friends?
kirk
First of all, I would like to say that the plastic Santa in that picture would make ME cry... it is scary looking!!
As to the question of Santa... I grew up believing in Santa. I remember one Christmas I got sick in the middle of the night (probably from eating too many cookies and drinking waayyy too much eggnog) and when I went into the living room (my Mom was probably fixing me a Sprite), it appeared that Santa had already been there because there were presents under the tree that had not been there when I went to bed. I went to bed sad because I did not see the bike I had asked for. But when I got up in the morning, the bike was "under the tree!" I asked my mom about it and she said Santa must have heard me getting up and quickly went up the chimney until I went back to bed, so I wouldn't see him. I don't know what that story has to do with your question, but I like it.
Personally, I think Santa is a fun tradition and nobody I know who believed in Santa as a child has ended up with problems trusting their parents or believing that the Bible is true. My parents combined the fun of Santa (such as consuming the milk & cookies we left out for Santa, and assembling toys in the attic at 3am Christmas Eve) with the Truth of Christmas.
Even with all the Santa fun, the tradition I most associate with Christmas in our family is that my Dad reads the story of Jesus' birth from the book of Luke (King James version, because that's what his Dad always read to their family) on Christmas morning just before we open presents.
So, my conclusion is that as long as parents take a balanced approach and are sure to emphasize the true "reason for the season" - the celebration of Jesus Christ - to their kids, Santa Claus is acceptable.
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