Many have the conversations been, from Christians and non-believing parents a-like…. To Santa or not? Is promoting Santa, promoting the over-the-top consumerism that seems to plague every holiday in the US? Are we disrespecting the Christian reason for the holiday? Are we dumbing our kids down or creating a culture of distrust by perpetuating such a ridiculous idea of a man who lives in the North pole and flies around the world in a sleigh?
Before you hang-up your hat on Santa … consider these few points…
First off … our holiday traditions surrounding Christmas came from several sources, only one of them being the Christian celebration of the Savior’s birth. Google the Pagan Festival of Lights and the Winter Solstice for an informative read. There are several “reasons for the season.”
But that’s not what this post is about. This post is about Santa. And why I believe teaching our children about the Man in Red isn’t all bad.
The consumerism associated with Santa is a self-perpetuating problem and it’s not one that belongs to Santa. No one said Santa had to buy out the store. No one said Santa needed to keep up with the Joneses. Santa is a story about a mythical person whose entire existence revolves around gifting the people of the world. One could argue that Santa is in actuality a perfect symbol of generosity and has nothing to do with greed and consumerism-we did that to ourselves!
There’s also no reason why both Santa and baby Jesus can’t happily co-exist, either. Most people associate Santa with St.Nicholas- a saint! My parents did a great job balancing the two traditions. We attended our Christmas church service every Christmas Eve, After church we sang “Happy Birthday” and placed baby Jesus in the manger. We thanked God for sending Jesus to save us. The following morning, the presents were a sort of birthday celebration you could say … delivered by Santa 🙂
But for me, Santa is less about what he delivers and what belief system he might challenge. For me, Santa represents fantasy. And fantasy I believe is an essential component to long-term happiness in life. Fantasy is what gives us hope. Fantasy is what allows us to think of the “What ifs”. It allows us to dream. Fantasy is the antidote for cynicism. Very few great feats were gained through cynicism. And while science and math made our technological advances come to life, it was fantasy that allowed us to consider them a possibility.
I believe that while a solid dose of cynicism comes tied to the package of adulthood, the seeds for fantasy can only be planted in childhood. If a child is not allowed/encouraged to fantasize … if everything in their life is taken at face value and is scientifically and factually based, I think they are deprived of their inherit ability to consider all the possibilities and to dream. And I don’t believe that later, as adults, they can gain that skill in the same fashion. However, if we are exposed to fantasy as a child, while we shed much of it as we become adults, we still have the capability to go back to our child-like thoughts and consider the possibility of the impossible. So just like we all pretended that the floor was lava and the picnic table out back was a pirate ship, allowing ourselves to indulge in the story of Santa, allows us to escape reality for a short time and it teaches us how to pretend. Pretending not only encourages us to think outside the box but it can also be a source of happiness and comfort when our minds need a break from the rigors of life’s stressors. Sometimes, I think we adults could use a little more of that … in the right ways of course.
So what happens when the kids figure us out? That’s frequently the argument used to dissuade the Santa practice … That our children will distrust us. That we will either become perpetual liars or story telling fools in our children’s eyes.
Well I can tell you what happened in our house when my oldest came to me to tell that the gig was up. I didn’t do anything to promote this discovery but I also didn’t argue with her. It felt foolish to keep pretending something that she had obviously figured out. I let her talk and then I simply responded “But isn’t it fun to pretend- You know Disney World isn’t real and yet we don’t entertain that thought when we are there. Most of the time when you’re playing with your friends, you’re role-playing. It’s fun to pretend! It’s fun to walk through the gates of the Magic Kingdom and pretend that it’s a real town. It’s fun to imagine yourself in another role, in another place. Sometimes it allows you to consider something that you’ve never considered before.”
I instructed her not to spoil the fun for her little brother and I answered all of her questions on “But how did you…?” in regards to the heist we had so cleverly pulled off for her first eleven years. And she actually voiced her appreciation for our efforts and all of the gifts that we let “Santa” get the credit for. I think it was a lesson in the selflessness of parenting for her.
And when she came back to me later and said “Christmas just isn’t the same this year. It just isn’t as exciting.” I told her again, “You can still pretend. I know it’s not the same … getting older is like that. But instead of sitting there and telling yourself just how ridiculous the whole story is … put the science and the math in your pocket for just one night … and imagine once again – the North pole, the elves, the cookies and milk, a town that is always happy and full of good intentions and …. just pretend. Life is only as magical as you let it be.”
I hope your holidays are magical no matter how old you are or how you chose to celebrate them! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Life, Liberty and a little bit of Libations!
