That's just a decision my husband and I made for our family. I don't talk down on anyone who does allow their children to believe in Santa. I don't think there's anything wrong with having Santa, but more than once I've gotten negativity for not choosing to participate.
So I'll explain why Santa is not for us. I AM NOT TRYING TO SWAY ANYONE FROM SANTA, THIS IS JUST AN EXPLANATION FOR WHY WE CHOOSE NOT TO BELIEVE.
Growing up, I did not believe in Santa. Christmas still happened and it was still magical. We put out milk and cookies, and then consumed some it. We went to take pictures with the man in the beard, we just knew it wasn't real. We knew mom and dad bought our gifts. That made us more grateful for everything we got. As a daycare teacher and as a kid, I've heard too many kids complain about what Santa did or did not get them. I heard to many kids compare their gifts from Santa to other kids. And it really bothers me. As a child I knew mom and dad did the best they could, and they did pretty good! But I didn't cry when I never received an American Girl doll, because it wasn't some magical man slacking. It was something my parents didn't get. It made Christmas a little bit more real for me.
Christmas is great without Santa. I believe it is more honest and magical. Full of movies and love. We bake cookies, we paint ornaments, decorate the tree, make gingerbread disasters, and the kids tell me what they want. We even went to a parade this year, where we waved at Santa. We watch movies that have Santa in them. So I'm not anti-Santa. But my kids know he's a "bunch of men that get dressed up for Christmas." Trust me, my kids will have a whole discussion with you about Santa.
Did I mention, I'm really bad at Santa? My children ask questions. Like 5, 10 at a time. I'm not doing it. My husband isn't doing it. I don't know how old Santa is. I don't know why the reindeer fly. I have no clue why Santa doesn't wear a seatbelt! He's up in the air, a seatbelt would be ideal. These are questions I've answered about fictional movie Santa's, it would be so much worse if they believed in him. And that's just not something I want to do, I'd much rather answer questions about Christmas!
Our goal isn't to get my children to ruin Santa for anyone else. We teach our kids to keep the truth about Santa a secret. They know some kids don't know yet, and they are not ruining it for anyone. Our goal is just to celebrate the holidays as a symbol of Jesus' birth and to make memories. Our goal is to avoid dozens of questions on a fictional character and to teach our children to be more appreciative at a younger age. The idea of Santa Claus does not help us achieve that. Although, I do hate not being able to whip them into shape with just a threat of "the naughty list" . I do love that we are sticking with our choice for our family. And the holidays are special and Christmas is magical, with or without Santa Claus. There's no need to try and discourage people for doing what works for their family.
Our goal isn't to get my children to ruin Santa for anyone else. We teach our kids to keep the truth about Santa a secret. They know some kids don't know yet, and they are not ruining it for anyone. Our goal is just to celebrate the holidays as a symbol of Jesus' birth and to make memories. Our goal is to avoid dozens of questions on a fictional character and to teach our children to be more appreciative at a younger age. The idea of Santa Claus does not help us achieve that. Although, I do hate not being able to whip them into shape with just a threat of "the naughty list" . I do love that we are sticking with our choice for our family. And the holidays are special and Christmas is magical, with or without Santa Claus. There's no need to try and discourage people for doing what works for their family.
No comments:
Post a Comment