To Santa, or Not to Santa?

Over the years, parents have shared their questions with me about how to handle the whole Santa Claus thing with their children. If church-going, what do they do? If only concerned about Santa, what do they say the day their kids find out he isn’t real?

Once I heard Dr. Laura tell a concerned conservative caller it was okay for her five year old to tell his friends Santa wasn’t real. The doctor supported the caller’s wish to keep Christmas purely about Jesus, not about gifts. For her, there was no blend. It was one way or another: Santa yes or no.

I probably should stop and send this blog to Dr. Laura as well.

There is a happy medium! I oughta know, I’ve taught it to my children for over two decades and it works.

As a Christian parent, I did not want to take away anything from the true meaning of the Christmas celebration, that being the birth of Jesus Christ. Nostalgically I liked the Santa ideas. So we blended. Notice I did not say “compromised”.

I taught my children about the original St. Nicholas. The generous man who left small gifts for children on their doorsteps hundreds of years ago in Europe. This man had a spirit of generosity. The Santa we know in today’s culture is based upon this man who once really existed. People in our country dress up like Santa to represent the real St. Nick, that’s why we see representations all over the place, costumed in malls and on street corners.

There are families, I’ve told my children, who choose to make Santa a real being for their children. While we know this is not true, it is not our place to inform other children about what we know. We just go for the picture and the fun and the remembrance of St. Nicholas. Mouths shut. Tell kids about the St. Nick from long ago.

Our “Santa” left a gift on Christmas Day. Originally the gift was a biggie, then it moved to overflowing stocking stuffers, these days it is one item that actually fits in the stocking. We’ve even moved to ONE gift from parents on Christmas Eve and no Cards mailed. Getting rid of the commercialism as much as possible.

So Dr. Laura, there is a way to blend “Santa” with reality after all!

Ho, ho, ho…