This post from the Deputy Headmistress made me laugh. I can just see a precocious little six-year-old staring her down and demanding the truth.
The whole “Santa Issue” can start some pretty interesting conversations among Christian. And by interesting, I mean petty name-calling and indignant self-righteousness. Neither side is immune. The “heathens and idolators” give just as good as the “stick-in-the-muds and puritans. (Poor puritans, always being abused and misappropriated.) I think everyone should calm down and have some cookies and cocoa.
In a sort of weak cop-out, we do include Santa in our festivities, but we tell the kids he’s just pretend. But boy, do we pretend. We follow the Santa tracker, we write a letter and leave cookies and milk, the whole nine yards. But it’s just pretend. We talk about the real St. Nicholas and the legends surrounding him–trying to sort out fact from fiction. We talk about how different cultures have different Santas. It’s lots of fun. Spinal dysfunction is usually pill viagra the result of postural distortion (imbalance), and abnormal spinal alignment and curvature. So, it is better to follow the natural methods to overcome erectile dysfunction including https://www.unica-web.com/FRANCAIS/2017/georges-fondeur-member-of-the-jury.html cialis without prescription uk, penis pumps, psychological therapy or just persistence. One needs to follow this procedure because it is very essential for the medicine to find out its actual results on you, you can get canadian pharmacy for viagra a cheaper generic drug there. It was founded on the grounds of providing a holistic treatment, which works in unison with other disciplines. best price viagra But it’s just pretend.
The funny thing is how often I have to remind them: It’s just pretend. It’s easy for little ones to get caught up in the magic, especially when the whole world’s going along.
We like fairy land and pretend, it’s in our blood. We read fairy tales and play dress up. We make-up stories and have imaginary friends. We have a hilariously elaborate ruse about the Forgetful Tooth Fairy. For me, Santa is just another great opportunity to pretend.
But if it’s not your thing, that’s cool too. And if it is your thing, without the “pretend” disclaimer, I’ll try to keep my kids from spoiling the surprise.
**Lest anyone think we have a Santa-centric Christmas, we don’t. We strive for a Christ-centered Christmas and our main Christmas observation is our Advent devotionals. But we also do the rest of the song and dance. Yeah, we dance. And then we conclude with the Feast of Epiphany. Everybody should have more Feasts.
4 responses to “Do you do Santa?”
The “heathens and idolators” give just as good as the “stick-in-the-muds and puritans.
Oh, yes. And I have to confess that prior to the Equuschick putting me in my place, I would have been one of them.
I was a Christian, but I did look down my superior and smug nose at those who didn’t do Christmas because they were worried about lying to their children and “won’t the children question the reality of God if you do Santa and then they find out he’s not real, and how can you lie to your children….”
Oh, yes. I thought they were silly. I am sure I said so, probably to some of their faces. I sat in the seat of mockers and the Equuschick pushed my chair right out from under me.
Oops- ‘at those who didn’t do Christmas’ should read ‘didn’t do Santa.’ Or maybe “didn’t do Christmas as WE did.”
“I sat in the seat of mockers and the Equuschick pushed my chair right out from under me.”
Oh, yes. Aren’t children one of God’s unexpected gifts for pointing out our sins and failings. (Yes, gifts. I’m too often blinded to my sin until one of my own children strip away all my illusions and I see the black stains on my heart.)
Or maybe “didn’t do Christmas as WE did.”
Or homeschool, or giving, or interacting with friends or neighbors, or church, or homemaking. I’ve been catching myself in that subtle, hideous attitude: if it’s not like I do it, it’s subpar. Others aren’t necessarily wrong, mind you. But they certainly could be better: read “like me.”
Sigh.
We sort of do Santa. We hang up stockings. But we've never really pretended that anyone other than Mummy and Daddy filled the stocking. My family did Santa (I was still hanging up a stocking right up until I was about 16!) but I think my brother and I figured out pretty early on that my parents were in on the gig. Possibly the ironic smiles when they asked what we had got?
I personally could easily get carried away with the whole Christmas malarkey, trappings and the lot. So it's really an attempt on our part to not be too materialistic, rather than any particular objection to Santa. We have been trying to come up with ways that we can 'share' Christmas with other people. I'm hoping that when the kids are older we will be able to help out at a soup kitchen around Christmas, or something like that. My husband also likes to receive those 'living gifts' (where you pay for a goat for a family in the developing world rather than buying a gift). So I tend to get him something smaller and then one of those.
Last year we made up a slightly different 'anticipation' tradition. I got a shoe box and helped my 3-yr-old put hay in it to 'make a bed for Baby Jesus'. That was Christmas Eve. All that day we kept checking to see if Jesus was here yet. Then after she was asleep we wrapped up a small baby dolly in a blanket and put it in the box. Her face on Christmas Day when she saw 'Jesus' had arrived was priceless!