Bah humbug!
Maybe I'm mean or unimaginative or something, but I hate the idea of Santa Claus. I did not want to raise my children to believe the fable of Santa only to have their dreams crushed in a few short years. When Maddie was 2 or 3 and had heard of Santa from a movie she asked me "Is Santa real?" I had no hesitation when I told her "No Santa is not real, it's just kind of a silly game that we play around Christmas. Mommy and Daddy get you all your presents because we love you." She shrugged and went on to play with her blocks.
For a couple years after that we didn't really talk about whether Santa was real or not. Maddie would acknowledge his existence in movies and culture, but I was pretty sure she didn't actually believe in him and was just going along with the game. However, by the time she started kindergarten the conversation I had had with her as a toddler was long forgotten. Thanks to the influence of her classmates and Tim Allen movies, she full on believed in Santa Claus. When she came home from school in December all excited about Santa, I didn't have the heart to tell her, "nope your friends are wrong, Santa is a sham." So hesitantly, I began to go along with it.
Part of this is selfishness on my part and just wanting a little recognition. There's nothing worse then spending hours shopping and picking out the perfect gifts for your children only to have them open them on Christmas morning and say, "Thank you Santa!" Um no, thank you Mama!
Then there's the issue of using the idea of Santa as an incentive for kids to behave. "You better be good or Santa won't bring you presents!" Why do we have to put the pressure of disciplining our children on some fat guy? Can't we just say "Be good or I won't get you presents." I guess that sounds a lot more harsh.
If you want your kids to believe in Santa go ahead, play the game. But please, once they start asking, don't make up elaborate stories to keep the lie going. Kids are smart and eventually they'll know they've been lied to, and they'll be pissed. I just finished an old episode of Grey's Anatomy where a kid needed a heart transplant. They found a donor heart for him and his mom said "Honey Santa is bringing you a heart for Christmas!" The kid was like like, "No he's not. A kid had to die for me to get that heart. Santa's not real, and if he was he wouldn't go around killing kids so other kids can get their hearts." Smart kid.
In conclusion, this year my family and I will hang up our stockings and we'll continue to go along with the game. But Santa will not be the main focus. We will focus on the true meaning of Christmas and on how lucky we are to have each other.
Happy Holidays Y'all!
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