Santa has lately become a contentious topic for many. While I am not here to start a discussion about the various points of view, I want to talk about how Santa shifts the emphasis from Jesus to self-centeredness. I asked a kid of mine what the best part of Christmas was, and the answer to that was decorating Christmas trees and receiving presents under them.
The idea of separating the best part of Christmas and Santa is impossible to do. So, when I say that Santa is a distraction from what truly matters, I am speaking from a Christian perspective, one that comes from a mama who wants to see her kids grow up to believe the word of God and embody the lessons we learn from it in their daily lives no matter when and where. If there is one value I would like Christmas to teach them, it would be to be selfless; and do good to others.
We do Santa at home, so this blog is not about why you shouldn\’t do it. As I grow in my faith, I feel torn between the idea of continuing the Santa experience and speaking the truth to my kids. But as long as I do Santa, it should not become the reason for the season.
So, how do we Santa at home? We do the usual things – writing letters, leaving cookies, Santa art and craft projects, and Santa delivers one present from their wishlist. We do not have discussions or make-up stories about Santa. When my kids ask me a question, I do not indulge in them because I might end up telling them a make-believe tale that I will not remember the next day. My 4-year-old asked me if Santa and God were both in heaven. Another time, he told me that Santa wasn\’t real. He then had a theory that there were many Santa\’s and many North Poles. None of these stories have any bearings or relevance to Christmas.
Instead, I would love for my kids to ask me why we celebrate Jesus\’ birth or feel awed by the shepherds\’ magical encounters\’ or ponder over how God promised the birth of Jesus through prophecies many years before he was born. That\’s right. Jesus\’ birth was special and magical, and even though every year, we do some form of advent activity to teach the children the story of Jesus, I fail to make it more exciting than what culminates the day.
When I was a child, my parents never talked to us about whether Santa existed or not. I remember one year they played out the Santa experience, and for a few years as a child, I wondered if that indeed occurred. Most of my Christmas\’s didn\’t have Santa delivering presents. I remember my mom would buy us a pair of new clothes, and we all exchanged gifts with family on D-Day. I loved going shopping with our pocket money to buy presents for everyone.
Growing up in India, we did not wake up to many presents because that was not the tradition. Christmas was not very westernized yet. We all knew that Santa was not real and that the man in the beard was one of the uncles in church dressed up to give us candy. I was a Sunday School teacher, and one Christmas, I still remember being asked to share how the symbols of Christmas came to be. Now that is a meaningful discussion to have – where did the tree come from, why do we hang wreaths, and how did Santa come about? No one hid the truth back then.
I have fond memories of Christmas, and it had nothing to do with Santa. It was the baking together, the family gathering, the caroling, the Christmas concerts, and church on Christmas day where we got to wish friends in person.
This is what Christmas should be. Our kids should feel excited for all the togetherness, the feeling of love and joy that comes from it. It was easier for me to enjoy all these other things around me because Christmas was not about Santa visiting me and delivering presents on Christmas day.
I guess I’m writing this blog to myself to remember to make Christmas magical for my kids because Jesus was born and came to save us all and to teach them that – what matters is the celebration we have of his birth through sharing with those we love and giving to those in need.
May you have a joyful and blessed Christmas, no matter how you celebrate, because that is also what it is all about.
(Disclaimer: This is a perspective I share for my family and is in no way a judgment on what you believe and how you celebrate. There is a place for everyone and their perspectives in this world.)
