Santa Claus

[R. Paradon]

I was recently on a different forum and there was a discussion regarding Santa Clause. Some people were saying it is an EVIL myth while others were saying - like me - it is just part of a growing child's fantasy. What is your opinion?

 

[joeldgreat]

Personally, I think we should never let our children believed that the gifts they recieved during the Christmas morning comes from a magical man called Santa Claus, but rather teach them to appreciate any gift we parent had been sacrificing to provide. It is simply because we might entail to our kids mind about greed and materialism which may overshadow the Christmas season in which the true meaning would be about giving, loving, and worshiping God. If a child who belongs to a poor family, they might be overlooked by Santa during Christmas. And much worse, be treated as "naughty" boys or girls.

As parents, our kids trusted us to tell the truth. Its our responsibility as parents not to break this trust. Once broken, we may not able to convince our kids about the more important truth about Christ, which our kids are not able to physically see.

 

[youngone]

Christmas is a magical time for children, the Santa Claus myth makes it special. Realizing Santa doesn't exist is not a traumatic experience, it's part of growing up.

Joe, I don't think children should be 'worshiping God', they should be free from religious brainwashing.

 

[FrankSinatra]

I think it is just one of those things that children need to learn on their own. You can't let them grow up thinking there is no Santa when it is thrown in their face so much...I kind of like it because it allows them to ease into the true meanings of the holiday...imagine just walking in and going, "Hey Joey, here is a present for Jesus' birthday."

The kid is going to look at you like, "wtf?"

 

[polamalu43]

Evil myth? That is just crazy! I think each parent can do as they wish when it comes to Santa. All of our kids believed in Santa. I see nothing wrong with the whole Santa Claus idea.

 

[stephen]

I always dreaded my kids coming in contact with another child who was taught that there was no Santa Claus. Explaining that the Jewish faith didn't have a Santa Claus was easy. I can't imagine raising kids without the fun of playing Santa myself.

 

[R. Paradon]

When my kids were young it didn't matter if I had a lot of expendable cash or not...just the joy of looking at the Christmas tree in the morning and the anticipation of destroying the wrapping of those great looking decorated presents was fun for them!

As far as kids of other faiths, most of my kids friends, no matter what religion they were shared the joy of Santa Claus. And those that did not, unfortunately felt left out.

 

[Andersson]

We have never been that big into any religion so for us with the kids it was not a religious holiday but it was a family holiday instead. Yes they knew of Santa but they always knew that it was friends and family, not a random guy that fits down a chimney.

 

[youngone]

We have never been that big into any religion so for us with the kids it was not a religious holiday but it was a family holiday instead. Yes they knew of Santa but they always knew that it was friends and family, not a random guy that fits down a chimney.

And that's how it should be, for the children at least. I understand Christmas is a significant period on the Christian calender but for many of us it is just a good excuse to get together and have a merry time with friends and family. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[Don]

Santa Claus is not an evil myth. He actually was a saint, which is where "Saint Nicholas" actually comes from. I believe he was from Sweden or Norway.

 

[Justadad]

Lots of countries have their own version of Santa Claus or Father Christmas and, as a young child, it's part of the magic of Christmas. It's no worse than the tooth fairy or believing in dragons, which we all grow out of.

 

[daddyjay]

I certainly do not think it is an Evil myth. I think it is a fun time when kids believe in Santa Claus. There is that part of me that thinking though about how in most cases we would not tell our children something that is not entirely true.

 

[Bear]

I don't believe that it is an evil myth, but it is not something we tell our kids about. We also don't tell them lies about the Easter bunny or the tooth fairy either. I just don't think it is ever a GOOD idea to lie to your kids. When they find out it was a lie or a myth or however you prefer to think of it, don't you think they might start questioning other things that you have told them?

 

[footballtim]

I would think that the people that say that Santa Claus is an evil myth are the same people that think everything is evil. These people are extremists as far as I am concerned.
Even though my parents were fervent Christians, they were not extremists. However, my wife's grandmother was an extremist, and because my wife's abusive mother placated the grandmother, my wife had to listen to garbage like the Santa Claus opinion all the time.

 

[Lorenzo]

I grew up believing in Santa Claus, it made Christmas so much fun and exciting. Every Christmas Eve, my siblings and I would stare at the night sky, hoping to get a glimpse of Santa in his sleigh. However, as a Catholic, my parents always stressed that Christmas is celebrated to commemorate Jesus' birthday. I don't know when exactly it happened, but we kids somehow learned and accepted, that Santa Claus was a myth made famous by Coca-Cola's Christmas posters We got over it.

 

[Mel]

Superman, Wonder Woman, and all the rest of the superheros aren't real either. Children think the characters on Sesame Street are real. All of these characters teach children about good things through fantasy and imagination.