no santa

[gonzo628]

Genef it was hard for me to tell him and it was harder for him to under stand. your right it is hard for the parent to tell them.but it is harder for the child to under stand.

I don't want to get a bunch of Arvee'ers mad at me, but here is the trouble with the whole Satan Clause ---err  Santa Clause thing.

For Christians, there is and can only be one omnipotent being, the Almighty God Himself.  The songs make santa out as Omnipotent  (He sees your when you're sleeping ....he knows when you're awake...He knows when you've been bad or good)  you get the Idea.  If we read scripture, we find that God is everywhere (sees you when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake).  We also find that God knows the very heart of man (He knows when you've been bad or good).  The song, the mythical man and many other parts of this Commercialized Holiday attempt to get us farther and farther away from the true meaning of the day, the true "Reason for the Season".

And then there is the whole lying thing.  If I am to value truth above all, to hold it in high regard (Jesus is the Father of Truth), what message am I sending to my kids by allowing them to, and even encouraging them to, believe in a lie.  I know, for me, it is difficult to ask and expect my children to do one thing, when I do another.  If I don't want them to lie to me, why would I lie to them.


...If I have offended you with my words, it was not my intention.

[AZsix]

Well if there's no Santa then who has been eating all the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies my kids leave out every year?.............Oh, wait.......that's me....... Nevermind

[pakalolo]

I don't want to get a bunch of Arvee'ers mad at me, but here is the trouble with the whole Satan Clause ---err  Santa Clause thing.

For Christians, there is and can only be one omnipotent being, the Almighty God Himself.  The songs make santa out as Omnipotent  (He sees your when you're sleeping ....he knows when you're awake...He knows when you've been bad or good)  you get the Idea.  If we read scripture, we find that God is everywhere (sees you when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake).  We also find that God knows the very heart of man (He knows when you've been bad or good).  The song, the mythical man and many other parts of this Commercialized Holiday attempt to get us farther and farther away from the true meaning of the day, the true "Reason for the Season".

And then there is the whole lying thing.  If I am to value truth above all, to hold it in high regard (Jesus is the Father of Truth), what message am I sending to my kids by allowing them to, and even encouraging them to, believe in a lie.  I know, for me, it is difficult to ask and expect my children to do one thing, when I do another.  If I don't want them to lie to me, why would I lie to them.


...If I have offended you with my words, it was not my intention.

Gonzo has explained why we don't do it. Because I'm new on the board, I didn't know how tolerant everyone was of religious talk. Anyway, it's a personal conviction based on our understanding of scripture.

[Craigtheretired]

Well, I am 68 years old, (older than dirt), and I still believe in Santa, always will, how else can you explain gifts that show up that I didn't buy?  Lots of unexplainable things happen this time of year, maybe it's Santa and maybe it is someone else acting on their spiritual promptings.

[CajunCamper]

...If I have offended you with my words, it was not my intention.

I was not offended by you expressing your opinion. You have every right to believe what you believe and to raise your children as you see fit.

I am a Christian as well, but have a different take on things.

I see no harm in Santa and don't see the difficulty in explaining to children the true meaning of Christmas with Santa in the mix. My parents taught me about the birth, life, death and resurection of Christ and I never confused Jesus with Santa. When I reached the age that I found out that Santa wasn't real, sure I was a bit disappointed, but I wasn't mad at my parents and didn't feel that they had lied to me. When my kids came along, We taught them the same lessons about Christ and allowed them to believe in Santa and they have never confused things either.

Santa is fantasy, we know that, but so is every movie that we take our kids to see. Even the movies that are based on true stories are usually changed to some degree to make the movie more interesting. So you could say most all movies are a lie, especially childrens movies.

Don't forget about the television shows our kids watch, the books they read and and all the Disney characters they love. All lies.

Could you imagine going to the movies or reading a book and not being allowed to buy into the fantasy for those two hours that Luke Skywalker was real and that he would save Princess Lea from Darth Vader or that that Indiana Jones was real and that he would prevent the nazi's from getting their hands on the Arc of the Covenent.

I believe our imaginations were given to us by God and it is a true blessing and if he gave them to us he must have intended for us to use them.

All Fantasy like Santa, but at some point we understand that they're not real with no harm done.

Here's another lie: In America if you work hard enough you can become anything you want to be. Bologna! In America you can strive to be anything you want, just know, you may or may not get there no matter how hard you work.

Another lie: Money is the root of all evil. Lie Lie Lie. The love of money is the root of all evil.

How about this one: God won't give you anything you can't handle. Big Big Big Lie. If we could handle everything in this life by ourselves there would be no need for God. If we could handle everything on our own we would be able to provide salvation for ourselves.

Okay I didn't mean to go so deep, but there it is.

CajunCamper

[BootheBunch]

My DDs still believe, they are young, 6 and 8.  However, I did buy a picture book last year at our local Christian Bookstore called "Santa Are You For Real?" by Harold Myra. It is about a boy who overhears from some other kids that there is no Santa.  He goes home to his dad, sad, saying all the Santa stuff was a big lie.  His dad tells him the story of the real Saint Nicholas, and how Saint Nicholas loved Jesus so much--he gave gifts (secretly) because Jesus came on the first Christmas to give himself for us.  

I haven't had to pull the book out yet, as they still believe.  I do think it will break my heart more than their's when they find out that a big, jolly man in a red suit doesn't come down our chimney...but, as for now, I am lapping it up!

Happy Holidays!
Lisa

[aw738]

Ok call my family sticks in the mud but I was never told that Santa was real. I am 32 years old and I've only had a Christmas tree three times that I can remember. We do still exchange gifts though. Decorations were never that important to us. For us Christmas was about Christ and family, not twinkly lights and trees.

[GeneF]

I


I see no harm in Santa and don't see the difficulty in explaining to children the true meaning of Christmas with Santa in the mix. My parents taught me about the birth, life, death and resurection of Christ and I never confused Jesus with Santa. When I reached the age that I found out that Santa wasn't real, sure I was a bit disappointed, but I wasn't mad at my parents and didn't feel that they had lied to me. When my kids came along, We taught them the same lessons about Christ and allowed them to believe in Santa and they have never confused things either.


CajunCamper

I liked what you said.

Another benefit of my kid's knowing, is that I no longer have to put on that red suit on Christmas Eve, nor does DW have to explain why daddy isn't here to see Santa.

That was a big tradition at my Mom's house, followed by Midnight Mass.

[Camping Coxes]

If you stop believin', you stop receivin'.
 
When my kids figured it out (probably about 8 for my son, earlier for my precocious daughter), I explained to them that while Santa Claus is not a real person who delivers our gifts, he represents the spirit of Christmas and I explained the symbol and how it ties in to Jesus' birth.  Santa gives us gifts, asking nothing in return, simply because he loves us.  The lights and candles represent the Light of the World, the tree is a reminder of the cross, etc.  It's not hard to do and helps them remember what Christmas is really about, especially in this PC day and age.  
 
Easter is simple to do that way too, although I will admit I read a children's story years ago that helped me tie it all together.   Bunnies represent abundant life, eggs represent new life, etc.

[gonzo628]

I was not offended by you expressing your opinion. You have every right to believe what you believe and to raise your children as you see fit.

I am a Christian as well, but have a different take on things.

I see no harm in Santa and don't see the difficulty in explaining to children the true meaning of Christmas with Santa in the mix. My parents taught me about the birth, life, death and resurection of Christ and I never confused Jesus with Santa. When I reached the age that I found out that Santa wasn't real, sure I was a bit disappointed, but I wasn't mad at my parents and didn't feel that they had lied to me. When my kids came along, We taught them the same lessons about Christ and allowed them to believe in Santa and they have never confused things either.

Santa is fantasy, we know that, but so is every movie that we take our kids to see. Even the movies that are based on true stories are usually changed to some degree to make the movie more interesting. So you could say most all movies are a lie, especially childrens movies.

Don't forget about the television shows our kids watch, the books they read and and all the Disney characters they love. All lies.

Could you imagine going to the movies or reading a book and not being allowed to buy into the fantasy for those two hours that Luke Skywalker was real and that he would save Princess Lea from Darth Vader or that that Indiana Jones was real and that he would prevent the nazi's from getting their hands on the Arc of the Covenent.

I believe our imaginations were given to us by God and it is a true blessing and if he gave them to us he must have intended for us to use them.

All Fantasy like Santa, but at some point we understand that they're not real with no harm done.

Here's another lie: In America if you work hard enough you can become anything you want to be. Bologna! In America you can strive to be anything you want, just know, you may or may not get there no matter how hard you work.

Another lie: Money is the root of all evil. Lie Lie Lie. The love of money is the root of all evil.

How about this one: God won't give you anything you can't handle. Big Big Big Lie. If we could handle everything in this life by ourselves there would be no need for God. If we could handle everything on our own we would be able to provide salvation for ourselves.

Okay I didn't mean to go so deep, but there it is.

CajunCamper

That is exactly right.  God does not promise us that he will not give us more than we can handle.  What he will do is give us enough to break us, such that we need him.  He will never give us more than he can handle.

I wouild agree with you on the other points as well.