So the big fat man with the red suit and the beard is ready to roll. It’s possible that your kids have sent him a letter to the North Pole, trying their best to convince him that they’ve been nice, and worthy of the long list of gift demands they’ve penciled down! We can safely assume that the reindeer have been groomed and re-hooved and are ready for their Christmas mission, with Rudolph’s nose as red and as bright and shiny as it’s ever been! Behind him will be the usual suspects, from Donna to Blitzen and that sleigh; packed to capacity with the toys that will bring Christmas cheer, come December 25th. Let’s not forget Santa and his big smile and his lists and his mission to get down the chimney to gobble the milk and cookies and deliver the radio controlled car or Barbie doll!
When your kids ask about Santa Claus, what do you tell them? Let me know in the comment section below; I’d love to hear what parents have to say or what your parents may have told you.
I believed in Santa, and my parents made sure to keep the story going as long as it made me a happy little guy. I was so thrilled to share my ‘sleigh spotting’ story with them and watch their expressions as I got lost in the details of my ‘lie’ leaving them looking like they were incredibly jealous and that every child on earth wished that they were me! Maybe you think it’s stupid for me to refer to this as a ‘lie’; after all, children have a fantastic imagination and this lets them have fun letting their little minds go. It’s not hurting anyone and with Father Christmas, you get a pleasant distraction that adds some fun to the holidays. I agree, it’s brilliant! I have a little problem with Father Christmas/Santa/Old Nick or whatever. I found a blog written by Sara Wallace around the topic of kids and Santa and her article spoke right to me. I’ll share one of her thoughts later and my 2 cents as well.
When it comes to my kids, I’ll TOTALLY tell them about Santa Claus. I can’t wait, and the reason I’ll tell them is because he’ll be everywhere! You’ll see him at the shopping center with kids on his lap having pictures taken. He’s on cards and wrapping paper and posters, and he’s all over the tv. To be honest; it’s impossible to avoid him, so I’ll definitely tell my little guys about him when they’re old enough to understand; you can’t hide someone that ‘big’ anyway, it’s not possible. What I will not do, though, is try to convince them that he’s real. This might be where we differ and I’m looking forward to the conversation that will ensue. My reason is simple. You see, I’m a Christian, a believer in Jesus. The desire of my heart is to see my children, one day, make their own decision to follow Him too, and that will thrill me no end; wow! The problem is that when they are so young and their imaginations are soaring and they are super impressionable, I don’t want them to blur the lines of fact and fantasy when I’m reading to them from the Bible. When we read about Jesus’ miracles or the parting of the Red Sea and the 10 plagues, and what Heaven might be like,; I don’t want them to catagorise ‘miracle’ in the ‘magic’ part of what they hear. Santa is very alluring. Jesus, born in a manger, in an old stable, can’t really top a jolly red man who is sparkly and wants to give you whatever toy you ask for.
Sara Wallace said this in her blog on a similar topic:
Some parents call the Santa myth a lie while others call it pretending. I’m going to call it a huge distraction. My five-year-old asks me questions about God all the time: What does it mean to be a spirit? If God doesn’t have a heart how can He love people? If there is only one God why do we call Jesus God? Whew! Talk about tough questions. If I told my son Santa was real I would get all the same kinds of questions. Hundreds of them. Do I really want to take the time to thoughtfully answer my son’s genuine curiosity with answers that aren’t even true? Do I want Santa to become the focal point of every conversation?
This topic is worthy of some good dialogue, and I look forward to it, but at the heart of this is just a dad, that I’m sure could be joined by many others, who wants the truth of God to resonate in his kids’ hearts. With so many distractions, and all the pressures out there, we’re all up against it from the word go, so we need to make a stand. God has promised to rescue us from what we’ve done wrong in our lives, without us having to do anything but say yes to His favour; it doesn’t matter if you’re naughty or nice. Will I ban Santa? Of course not! I just need to put him in the right compartment, and from there on out, enjoy the holiday time, rest well, laugh a lot, and tear open wrapping paper with enthusiasm, but all the while remembering where my true gifts come from, and who will be there for me, no matter the the date on the calendar.