At our house, we don't make a big deal about Santa. We don't discredit him or ignore him, we simply speak of him when the boys do. I must tell you, that one of the reasons I don't make a big deal about Santa, is selfish. I hate to admit it, but I don't like Santa getting the credit for the gifts I have thoughtfully and carefully picked out. Isn't that terrible?
Carson asked me if Santa was real the other day. I said, "What do you think?" He said he didn't believe in him. I said, "it is your choice.". Troy says, I need to be more sensitive and make sure that Carson doesn't ruin it for other children. Okay, I get that.
One of the other reasons, I don't make a big deal about Santa is because, I don't like to lie to my children. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I get uncomfortable when they want to know if Santa is real. I don't recall Santa being a big deal at my house growing up. I mean, we spoke of him, and I can remember visiting him at my mother's service group: Mary Martha Christmas Dinner. He always had a small gift for us, but I seem to remember that my mom brought the gift. I also remember when I was very young when Santa visited our house in Greenwood.
Other than those two visits, I don't have a lot of memories of Santa. Except when I blew his cover to a neighbor girl. The details are a little hazy, but I was probably 8 or so. The neighbor girl's name was Heather and she was a little younger than I. She had done something to make me upset. I remember telling her "Come here Heather, I have something to tell you... Santa isn't real". It was a bad scene. She ran home to tell her mother what I had said and I think I had to apologize and probably tell her I was wrong. I don't know what happened after that. To Heather, if you are reading this, I am sorry for real this time. I am sorry I burst your bubble. It wasn't my place.
So for all the Heathers out there, Santa is real if that is what you want to believe. We know from history that Saint Nicholas was real and a saint celebrated around the world. He used to leave gifts for children in their shoes, socks, etc. So is Santa Claus real? There was a man celebrated as a secret gift giver, and his motive was his love for Jesus. He was real, we can celebrate his memory, and honor his traditon. I like to give gifts, don't do well on the secret part though, but I like to give, because Christ gave so freely to me. He didn't give me a Wii, He gave his life on the cross so that I could be free from the punishment of my sins. So that I could live eternally in heaven with Him. Don't know if I'll have any questions when I get there to see Him, but I do know I won't have to ask about Santa.
P.S. I can't remember if I posted this or not, but I did break down and buy the Wii for the family. I sure hope Carson and Ephraim enjoy it. Do I have to let Santa have the credit????
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2 comments:
I was torn about whether to hype Santa, but when I told the girls and the neighbor girl tonight that Santa was sighted leaving the North Pole...they started screaming and jumping up and down. So, maybe those fleeting memories and boom...there will be no more opportunities for that fantasy.
I have no problem keeping the illusion for this brief period in their lives. But I'm with you on the lying. I made a decision a long time ago not to lie to my children if they ask me a direct question. I managed to dodge one on Santa this year when my daughter asked me if Rudolph was true. And I said, "What do you think?" She decided he was true...so I'm going to leave it at that as long as they want.
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