What's Your Opinion On Parents Who Celebrate Christmas, But Don't Do "Santa Claus"?

I applaud them. I don’t see the value in lying to children, even if it’s a seemingly innocuous thing.

@BBSDTfamily lol I don’t know, just fine I guess, never really particularly addressed how I feel about that particular group of people, why would it be bad for a parent to do this?

I’m not of the school that believes lying is always wrong, so I think that either option is okay as long as the kids are happy. I don’t have any examples of kids and their non-Santa Christmas celebrations to provide, though. I’m sure Christmas is just as fun without Santa. My parents always told me that Santa filled the stockings but that they brought the presents. It made it more believable for me, I think. It was so weird when I saw movies where Santa brought the presents and I remember saying “but Santa doesn’t bring presents!”. lol…I was not particularly warped by being told Santa was real. It’s stupid to assume that it will negatively affect every child; it won’t.

We already had this discussion, but I don’t think it’s ever appropriate to lie to children, regardless of how much “fun” it is.

I suppose it’s up to the parents, my mother never wanted to lie to me about santa, while my dad had always told me that he was real, eventually.. i kinda figured that he was fake, but pretended to believe that he was real anyways. lol.

@ABoyNamedBoobs03 I wouldn’t say it’s “bad” but I think that taking the added fun out of it for children is pointless… I don’t think children hold it against their parents for pretending there is a Santa; I think they are glad they had that childhood experience. Don’t know if you ever did Santa at your house, but it was the best morning of the year for me and my sister growing up. We’d wake up at the crack of dawn and jump in our parent’s bed showing them what Santa brought.

I think it’s a fine idea. I remember hearing Santa was fake from some of my classmates. And I was a little disappointed that my parents would lie to me for so long. Imagine going 10 years thinking something was real only to find out it was a complete lie.

Christmas is not about Santa Claus.. so good for them.

@ItalianPrincess1217 10 years is a long time to believe in Santa! I’ve never heard of anyone not kind of figuring it out on their own by then. I do know a couple kids who pretended to still believe up until 13 or 14 so their parents would still do it though! lol

@kheredia I agree it’s not about Santa at all, but for a child who can’t understand the deeper meaning, I think it’s a fun thing to do.

@BBSDTfamily

In that line it’s not about presents either. Santa and the presents usually go together. Christmas has two sides: secular and religious. I was always immersed in both. Nativity scene, going to church on Christmas, told what it was really about, and the fun of the decorations and presents and all that jazz. I don’t understand why people act like the two can’t exist together harmoniously.

@BBSDTfamily I see what you mean. We did santa in my house too, and like most kids I found out he wasn’t real when I was 7 or 8, when you’re between 4 and 10, everything, that involves presents is the most exciting thing on the planet, whether it be your birthday, Halloween, christmas, or what have you. when I found out Santa was really just a very sleepy mother who ate my cookies even though she hated sweets I wasn’t really upset at all, I just thought it was dumb to make something up.

I mean, kids don’t get excited about santa, they get excited about having more toys.

@BBSTDfamily I found out much earlier than that but I don’t think it’s unheard of to be 10 and still believe in Santa. I know my youngest brother did.

I think this is silliness, the fact that talking about Santa as true would be lying to a child and oh my gosh that is so horrible. This is just plain silliness.

Perhaps you are unaware but encouraging a child to believe in make-believe and use their imagination actually helps their minds grow and helps them become more intelligent. It is an integral part of child development. I’m not suggesting that those who don’t believe in Santa are worse off but I am suggesting that by encouraging such make-believe you are helping your child’s mind develop.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200011/make-believe

@DominicX I am confused… did I say something that made you think I don’t believe the two can co-exist? Or were you just making a statement? I do believe and see how the two can go together quite well

@BBSDTfamily

I was just making a statement. Brava that you think they can exist together. A lot of people think they can’t.

I’m defensive of Christmas. I just absolutely love it and I always have. I love the red, green, silver, and gold holiday. I get it from my mom. :)

I wouldnt touch this question with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.

Every child should be allowed to have some fantasy in their lives. I don’t consider it lying any more than I consider books of fiction to be a pack of lies. You may as well forbid them to watch television, movies, and read books.

While you’re at it, don’t let them dress up for Halloween. Take away their dolls and toy cars, too; they’ll start making up their own lies if you don’t.

@RedPowerLady Agreed!

@mrentropy GA!
@BBSDTfamily TY!

I wasn’t disappointed when I was told Santa Claus wasn’t real because I had had suspicions for a while by then.
Santa Claus isn’t really a lie parents tell their kids; it’s more like a game that they play with their kids until they grow out of it.
Also, as to the comments that “Chrismas isn’t about Santa Claus,” who says it isn’t? Christmas is different for everybody and celebrated for different reasons by everybody. Santa Claus was fun when I was a kid. If you don’t want your kids to believe in Santa Claus, that’s fine too. Just make sure they don’t go to school and tell everybody he’s not real or it’ll spoil the fun for them. Like that one kid in 1st grade.

@mrentropy Ha ha good point!

@BBSDTfamily I disagree about Christmas not being about Santa at all. For me it was about Santa. I didn’t care as much about the presents as I cared about what amazingly kind hearted person brought me the gifts. It was magical. At least it was until I discovered the truth.

Christmas without Santa can be exactly like Christmas with him. The only difference would be that you wouldn’t be lying to your children. Oh, and your children would know that it’s you who really care for them, not some guy who gives presents to everyone.

@RedPowerLady it’s not that most people think it’s horrible in any way, I don’t think. It’s just, in my case at least, it just seems unneeded, what does it really accomplish? kids like Christmas regardless, Santa doesn’t really amp them up much more than just the thought of presents.

@holden I think almost every kid found out the truth by that little rugrat in 1st grade! There is always one who loves to spoil the fun and be a know-it-all!

Uh, then they wouldn’t get gems like this It’s one of the best parts of being a parent, duh.

I think it’s a personal choice. But for us, Santa is something fun and we do it…and we disregard the religious part. It works for us.

When I was a kid, my parents put “from: Santa” on our gifts, but it was in mom’s hand writing; I don’t remember believing that Santa was real. We (my wife and I) have not tried to tell our children about Santa; we focus more on the birth of Jesus Christ. We never sat our kids down and told them that Santa was a lie or gave them lectures on the “lie” of Santa…We just never talked about it. Christmas is a great time for us and the kids have a blast – they are not missing out.

I think that there are parents who are more interested in making a big deal out of Santa than their kids are…The kids don’t want Santa, and mega toys—they want YOU.
sorry if I got off the subject a bit.

@Ivan I knew my parents cared about me, but not because they bought me presents. (I got presents labeled “from Santa” as well as “from Mommy” or “from Daddy.” It was an elaborate game we played.)

@ABoyNamedBoobs03 I just provided a fantastic link at what it can accomplish. Did you read it? I’m not arguing that Santa is needed, everyone is free to make their own choice on how they raise their children. I am stating that make-believe does actually accomplish a well thought out goal. And that helping your children believe in Santa is not lying to your child.

@Ivan Having Santa Claus in no way leads kids to believe their parents don’t really care for them… most of the time kids get presents from both parents and Santa. It’s just extra fun for children, and some parents like making their child’s life as good as possible.

@BBSDTfamily naw, I wouldn’t let him spoil it for me. I’m a believer.

The way my parents handled that with me and how I plan to do it with my children is as follows. It was like a game of make-believe that I was in on, just like if my friends and I played house, I knew it wasn’t real, but it was still fun. No lies, no loss of fun.

I don’t understand the line of thought that says making children think Santa is real = a fantasy. If they think it’s real, it’s not a fantasy. It’s only a fantasy if the children are using their imaginations as well.

My parents told me Santa wasn’t real from the beginning, and I got in big trouble at school for telling the whole kindergarten class the same thing. I was fine with knowing that my parents actually bought the gifts.

My sister and I had SO much fun waiting up and spying around the house for Santa Claus… I know for a fact my childhood Christmas would not be the same without Santa Claus

Actually, putting a bit more thought into it I think I’ll add that if you want to take Santa Clause (or the equivalent) out of the equation then you should take the presents out, also.

Gift giving during Christmas is a relatively recent development and really doesn’t have anything to do with Jesus or God, either. Emulating the three wise men by passing gifts just elevates the person getting the gift up to Godhood (or Messiah). I’m pretty sure that’s a no-no.

Lying to children does not make their life good.

@RedPowerLady I did, Dorothy Singer wrote a book on precisely this that I read last year for my adolescent psychology course, it’s called “The House of Make-Believe”, and is based on the study you’re link describes. In it she discuss make believe more in the context of social playing with other children, the sort of every day play that they have with eachother and with their parents, they don’t mention the concept of santa very much in it at all so I don’t think it really pertains to this thread.

@Ivan If I hadn’t been a child who was thrilled at the excitement of Santa, then maybe I would believe you. How do you really think you can make that call for everyone? You are saying you know that children’s lives aren’t bettered by Santa Claus? Really?! Ask a child who believes in Santa if it makes their Christmas experience any better.

I just don’t think this is worth debating. Do what you want to do. Your kids will be fine either way. If your kids are messed up later in life, it’s probably not going to be Santa-related…

@ABoyNamedBoobs03 Any kind of make believe counts. You said it directly, make believe with their parents. You cannot pick and choose what applies and does not apply. Santa is a form of make-believe and thus sparks the same type of cognitive development as any make-believe. How would it be any different?

@Ivan
Nurturing their sense of wonder and imagination does. By your logic we shouldn’t ever read fables or learn mythology because it’s fictional.

@DominicX I agree. This is so silly. Me and hubby are laughing about it. I am still drawn into the debate. But it is pure silliness.

@ABoyNamedBoobs03 Here’s another specifically on Santa as make believe and how it is helpful:
http://pb.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/28/12/455

We always told our kids that Santa was a real feeling, just not a real person like their friends next door. That seems to have worked out all right, especially since we have gone on as a family to do something nice for someone else every Christmas. Sometimes we do “Adopt a Tree,” sometimes “Toys for Tots,” and sometimes other things. That way the kids can see that Santa is more what you give than what you get.

@BBSDTfamily

lol, you are making the same exact statements in reverse.

W/O reading the above comments

I don’t give a fuck. They can do as they please. It’s none of my business.

wow, this thread has generated a lot of responses. I knew Santa Claus was popular, but my…

Why is the idea of not teaching kids about Santa Claus so controversial?
45 quips in 30 min suggests this topic is important to a lot of people.

@Darwin I really like that. I may steal it.

@Ivan The difference is I start my comments with “I don’t think” etc. to show it’s my opinion instead of making statements as if they are facts. Opinions are different than facts, fyi.

@casheroo – Feel free.

@Darwin I like.

@RedPowerLady did I not say that in the book/study she doesn’t discuss santa very much at all, I wasn’t picking and choosing, I was saying that the link you used doesn’t really pertain to this thread because this conversation is about something that isn’t mentioned in the study you said supports you. I’ve read the book, they don’t say Santa helps or hurts at all, it’s moot.

and did you read through that article? they essentially say that they have no idea whether what they said in the first half of that article is actually accurate or not. I understand where you’re coming from, I do. But you misunderstand me, I’m not saying it’s hurtful or helpful what so ever, all I’m saying is that it’s not essential at all, I mean, have you ever stopped to think what taoist children do without Santa? the same percentages of Taoist children grow up perfectly normal as christian ones, yet they lack a real Santa-esque figure.

Again, all I’m saying is that Santa isn’t needed to raise a child correctly, not once did I say it hurt a child’s development.

This is almost as heated as the spanking vs non-spanking debates!

Life is so much easier when you only have dogs! (who by the way do get presents from Santa on Christmas, heheheh)

@ABoyNamedBoobs03 Again I never said it was essential. What I said was that it can be helpful. And your argument that just because Santa isn’t mentioned in the article it does not apply is not how research works. She does not have to mention every single form of make-believe that exists for it to apply. Santa is make-believe therefore it applies. I also topped it off with an article that very clearly states how belief in Santa himself/itself can be helpful. So Again I never said it was essential, I said very clearly parents have a right to make their own choice. What I did say was that it is not harmful and there is clear evidence to the contrary. That make-believe helps a child’s cognitive develop, for which I have provided two very upstandable resources.

If you don’t think it is detrimental i’m not sure what we are even debating. My points have always been that:
A. Santa is not lying to your child
B. Belief in Santa is make-believe and make-believe helps a child’s cognitive development so Santa can actually be quite beneficial.

i just edited, may want to refresh

@RedPowerLady in that book, they make a point not to address holidays, no christmas, no easter, no halloween, etc etc etc, and the reason for that is because they don’t know if it helps or it hurts. that’s exactly what I’ve been saying, when a parent submits the Santa myth they take a chance, when the child discovers santa isn’t real, some shrug it off and it has no ill effects, others, and a pretty similar percentage, view it as their parents lying to them and in some cases develop trust issues.

So yes, in some cases, it is harmful, both the upstanding sources you mentioned confirmed as much.

@BBSDTfamily

Haha, yup. From now on I’m going to preface every single thing I ever say in my entire life with “I think…” so that everyone knows it’s my opinion, and not a fact.

@Ivan Or, if someone misunderstands you, just say “I meant that as my opinion”. No biggie.

@ABoyNamedBoobs03 What the articles clearly demonstrate is how make-believe helps a child’s cognitive development. They suggest that some children may not like this make-believe being taken from them, what could be perceived by some as harmful. In that case they suggest you weigh the risks vs. the benefits. If we do the same ourselves we will clearly be able to see that children do not grow up as serial killers or even as petty thieves because they believed in Santa Clause at one time and discovered it was make belief. But children do grow up to be in intelligent professions which are a benefit of their cognitive growth.

Having said that there are always those who fit outside the general rule. There may be a child or two who do really have issues with any form of make-believe being taken away from them. But then again that is true for anything a child endures growing up.

The short end of this debate is that make-belief is quite helpful to a child’s cognitive development and in the end, given the research (not our personal beliefs and sentiments) we can see that the cognitive growth outweighs the possibility of harm, which when it does occur is likely to be quite short-lived, and as the article suggests a rite of passage into adulthood.

I never believed in Santa.. I always knew my parents were the ones who bought the gifts.. and I never had a problem with that.. in fact, it made me love and respect my parents even more.

“For some, Christmas symbols are displayed too early and too often. The wreaths, lights, decorated trees and presents all advertise the spirit of Christmas, though some voice concern that Santa’s bounty reinforces materialism and greed. Adults may recite the mantra that ‘Christmas is too commercialised’, and shops rush the season by promoting gifts as early as September. One consumer expert, Russell Belk, criticises Santa as ‘[encouraging] the views that the world is full of good things and that if one simply deserves it, material wishes will come true’. It is obvious that material goods are little substitute for parental attention and that it is risky to attempt to purchase desirable behaviour from children. Many parents do make efforts to counter advertisers’ promises that product possession brings happiness and friendship. Teaching children how to distinguish want from need helps them to become wiser consumers and more balanced individuals (Meyer, 1997).

While most agree that honesty is usually the best policy, the reality is that we all may be, to some degree, less than completely honest in our day-to-day lives. This is a personal matter. Most of us tell children tales we consider to be harmless, like Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. Some parents believe that even this storytelling is dishonest in a dichotomous world of truth and untruth. Some psychoanalysts believe that Santa is a harmful lie that threatens a child’s trust and that confiscating Santa once a child believes in him is like stealing his transitional object. In deciding for themselves, each parent must take ‘The White Lie Test’, i.e. will they thank you for caring or feel betrayed if they discover you lied?”

these two paragraphs state, quite clearly, that while some psychiatrists think Santa helps, plenty others view is as detrimental. This is a scientific article, they always acknowledge both sides of a theory, and address that both have gumption to them, this article, in short says “There are some aspects of the Santa myth that help children develop, though we recognize that there are some aspects of the Santa Myth that harm them.” both of you’re links have either not addressed santa, or pointed out, as I’ve said, that santa can hurt or harm, not just one.

@ABoyNamedBoobs03 Thanx for quoting the same passage i’ve been talking about all this time. Perhaps now that you know i’ve read it you want to go back and re-read my previous post. I assure you it is much better articulated than this one because repeating myself just because you post the same argument again does not suit me. It seems now you are talking in circles.

I suggest that there is always research on both ends of the debate. You can pick out the small bit that covers the possibility of harm, and good for you for finding it. But when you look at the overwhelming amount of research that suggests how beneficial make-believe is and compare that to the reality of life, children just don’t grow up ‘messed up’ because they once believed in Santa, then you will find that the benefit of cognitive development outweighs the possibility of risk. As I said before anything you do with or to your child has risks involved. I think the research is compelling. Make-belief helps cognitive growth. Some kids do not like it when they find out Santa is not real and that may temporarily ‘cause harm’ but it is evident that such ‘harm’ (if it does exist) is not horribly detrimental to the child, and as the article suggests is more often a rite of passage into adulthood. Not all things are easy and many difficult things come with positive side effects, say increased cognitive development.

Now I see no reason for us to go back and forth stating the same arguments repeatedly. You believe what you want and I will believe what I want. And everyone else can do the same. Regardless of that I think it is important for parents to know the benefits of make-believe in cognitive development. They can choose to acknowledge that or not, it is their children and their choice.

I think it is pure silliness, as stated before, that anyone would think that Santa is somehow a threat to their child because of a lie involved. Make-belief occurs in many areas of children’s lives. Santa is just one of those areas. What really gets me is this idea that it is ‘lying’ to your child and there are no benefits involved in make believe. Again I suggest that both are not true. There is the possibility of cognitive growth. And I suggest again that it is make-belief and not a lie. Please feel free to rebut at your desire but I am not tired of debating about Santa Claus and am off to bed.

Thank you for the debate, you had some really good points, it is always fun to challenge myself. Take care and good night.

apologies for typos above, as I said i’m tired, in addition there is a ‘not’ in there that shouldn’t exist

Santa isn’t a myth in our home, as we teach our son about Saints. Santa happens to be one we celebrate.

Like @ItalianPrincess1217, I believed firmly in Santa until the age of ten. I had question the validity prior to that a bit, but I had a single mom and knew she couldn’t afford the things Santa brought me.

We love x-mas,too. My husband keeps bringing up the fact that Christmas Carols will be on our cable music channel at the beginning of next month.

We celebrate life & family traditions throughout the year and especially at each holiday.

—-hmmm makes me wonder when that Scarecrow Fairy will bring a present this year—

We’re thrilled to be able to enliven our son’s imagination. He loves fairy tales, make-believe and his imagination (which he tells us is made of “thoughts swirling inside of his head).

Whoa!!! Hold your horses… SANTA IS FAKE?!?

@SpatzieLover Do you guys make up additional characters for the children? If so, how do you keep it real sounding to them when none of their friends have heard of these characters?

I don’t think either way is wrong. Like @DominicX said, as long as the kids are happy. When I was little my parents did the whole Santa thing and when I eventually found out he wasn’t real I didn’t resent my parents for “lying” to me at all. I was always made aware of the important meaning of Christmas and although the religious side wasn’t rammed dowm my throat I was always aware of that too.

I think, when it comes to things like this there are no rules where it comes to good parenting. Santa Claus is not a decietful lie and I can’t imagine it will scare the child for life providing the parents are honest about the things that really matter. On the other hand, Christmas can be fun without Santa too (if a kids getting cool presents I’m sure he doesn’t care where they come from really!!!).

The one thing I would worry about if I told my kid from word go that Santa wasn’t real is that they would go to school and be “honest” with all the kids that do believe in Santa! We had one kid like that at our school he was mean!

@rooeytoo my dogs get presents from Santa too but the Jack Russell can see right through my little act, she knows Santa isn’t real and keeps trying to spoil it for the Retrievers and the Staffi who, according to her, are stupid and believe anything!!!

@BBSDTfamily – I know you aren’t asking people who don’t celebrate Christmas. While I don’t celebrate Christmas at home, I do celebrate it with extended family. I chose not to teach my son about Santa, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy… but I did make it very clear from the time he was very young that other children believe in them and it would be wrong of him to tell them otherwise. That made sense to him and has worked for our family.

We gave the kids one unwrapped gift from Santa, and the rest from us. We did the cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer, the whole bit. Presents for other people went under the tree early, but presents for the kids from us went out with the Santa gift. We celebrated Christmas on Christmas eve, after going out for dinner. They never questioned it, or thought we lied to them. Figuring out how everything got under the tree was fun for them.

I hate my parents for lying to me about Santa. It has caused me so much emotional pain throughout my life. I’m 38 now and I still can’t forgive them. What terrible parents I had! ~

That’s a lot of answers. Here’s my 2 cents. I was pretty against the whole Santa thing, I don’t want my kids believing in magical mystery men because it just sets them up to believe in religion. So I really wanted to not do Santa stuff at all. Unfortunately my wife completely disagrees with me on Santa. So I have a three year old and he knows about Santa, but I don’t know if he thinks he’s real or not. We do all the usual Santa stuff, except we’ve never done milk and cookies. I’d like to keep it that way. My current plan is basically to just run with it, but not to make any effort to pretend that Santa is real. Like if he asks how does Santa fit down such a small chimney? Maybe I’ll say something along the lines of, well, it’s just pretend, he doesn’t really come down the Chimney. Then how does he get in? He doesn’t, we put the stuff in your stockings, Santa is just a symbol of the spirit of giving, he’s not real. Uh-oh, this could be a problem. But by the time he gets serious about these question I’m hoping he’ll either have figured it out himself or be old enough to take it. I remember when I found out Santa wasn’t real. Found the toy stash before Christmas, and then those toys came from Santa. I wasn’t shocked or upset or anything, I think I must have suspected this whole story was fishy. Beside, he once gave my sister what I had asked for and me what my sister asked for. He has a magic list that says who’s naughty and who’s nice but he can’t keep the presents straight?

@The_Compassionate_Heretic I think it is so controversial because Santa Claus is a memory most (not all) people cherish. Speaking for myself, Santa Claus was an amazing thing, and I had zero hard feelings when I found out he was make believe. The thought of withholding this fun time of their life from children makes people upset.

@J0E exactly!

@The_Compassionate_Heretic Why is the idea of not teaching kids about Santa Claus so controversial?

It’s not the idea of “not teaching kids about Santa”. I could care less if someone doesn’t want to teach their children (or lie) to them. What upsets me is when someone tries to tell me that what I am doing is wrong or bad. I respect their decision, why can’t they respect mine?

@Leanne1986 – My dogs know that I am Santa and that I give them special treats all the time. In our house, as far as the dogs are concerned, every day is Christmas.

The cats know Santa doesn’t exist but they don’t care. As long as I serve them they way they wish they have no reason to tell the dogs it’s a fairytale.

WAIT!!! ARE YOU SAYING THERE IS NO SANTA CLAUSE?? My parents LIED to me???? Never mind all the wonderful things they did for me to help me get where I am today. Never mind that they always did what they said they were going to do, and never lied to me about anything “else”. Never mind that we had the most FUN with Santa Claus and all the magical things he could do, and the grand stories my Dad would tell about him,and all the letters they took from us to mail to him! They lied to me so my faith in my parents is shattered. I suppose they lied to me about the tooth fairy too. And I suppose when my dad pulled pennies out of my ear and told me it was for real, he was LYING to me. I gotta get some counseling.

In answer to the question, though, that’s fine to leave Santa out, although IMO, it takes a lot of the fun out of it. But parents make the best decisions they can, without a handbook to guide them.

@Val123 Brilliant! I hate to use such a cliche but I did actually LOL

@Val123 Please don’t mention the Tooth Fairy! You ask a question about an exciting milestone in a child’s life and this is what happens.

@jonsblond I went I saw, I commented. Party poopers in every crowd!!

@BBSDTfamily He’s four and home schooled. Other than dance class & a few social outings, no kids are able to bruise his imagination. Many kids aren’t as into fairy tales like he is so he’d probably just shake off whatever comment they’d make anyway
However, he has cousins that do not get “lied” to (their parents words not mine) and have been taught that Santa is a myth just as the tooth fairy is. We told him those that don’t believe don’t get, because Santa & fairies don’t have time to spare trying to make non-believers change their opinions.
He is getting pretty sophisticated, and now asks why they don’t “do” Halloween and why they don’t decorate their house for x-mas. We have told them they choose not to have fun

@Val123 damn poopers. Enough with the laxatives!

@SpatzieLover You sound like you are the same type of parent that mine were- the kind that make a big deal about it being fun for the children. I plan on being the same way. :)

My parents played it straight and I appreciate it. No bullshit, no confusion, no trauma.

@BBSDTfamily Yes, that describes us to a Tee. There is pageantry & tradition for each holiday, season and sometimes just because.

Trauma? How do fairy tales, imagination and traditions cause trauma?

Not the fairy tales, most definitely not the imagination, for traditions it depends, but I meant that some kids are really sensitive to finding out they were lied to for so long. Even if it was for their benefit.

Santa Claus as such is not fake. Saint Nicholas of Myra is a historical figure and he had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him.

The fake part is related to the North Pole and the crawling down the chimney when it’s actually the parents who are buying the gifts. Interestingly, the German Santa Claus doesn’t live at the North Pole and he visits German homes on December 6.

@mattbrowne He visits German on the 6th? Well THAT answers a lot of questions I’ve had, like, how could he do the whole world in one night??!

@mattbrowne We celebrate St. Nick night, too. ;)

@mattbrowne I think some people celebrate St. Nick day on the 6th in the U.S. also, I know my family does. It’s considered more of a purely religious holiday than Christmas is.

@Val123 – Well, he did when I was young. He magically reappeared when my kids were young. Now he’s on the move again. Last thing I heard he’s headed for Kansas. So if your kids are nice, well, let’s see…

@J0E and @SpatzieLover – I guess some immigrants kept the traditions. First time I heard about Santa Claus crawling down a chimney was in some Hollywood movie. It’s interesting how the dubbing to German is sometimes quite inconsistent. In English there’s Santa Claus and St. Nick and in German there’s der Weihnachtsmann und Nikolaus. But very often the translations don’t match…

@mattbrowne He’ll never find us!!

@mattbrowne Southeastern WI was largely settled by German Immigrants. People that don’t celebrate St.Nick here are the “odd” ones ;) We still use a lot of German words in our family though few speak German (see my user name;). Milwaukeeans are known for speaking in “backwards” sentences and having a harsh accent

@Val123 – He’s got GPS.

@SpatzieLover – Na dann wünsche ich Euch für den nächsten 6.12. einen wunderschönen Nikolaustag!

@mattbrowne – Ich auch!

@mattbrowne Well, but, Kansas doesn’t exist!!

@Val123 – Santa’s quite resourceful. He’ll create Kansas for you.

@mattbrowne Does he take requests? Like for mountains and stuff?

@Val123 – He does if the kids are well-behaved. Mountains in Kansas will take a while, though. And the kids need to tell him if they want him to break the north American tectonic plate into two and push them against each other or if he should tap into the heat trapped right beneath Kansas and light up a volcano. Would be quite a show and when it’s over you get your mountain. Great for the economy… tourism is a booming business.

@mattbrowne I’ll send him an email right now!! Actually, there is a major fault in Missouri (Madrid had a 8.5 earthquake in the 1800’s) and that would be a good place to start!

@Val123 – This was a so-called intraplate earthquake. They are not well understood, but it’s almost certain that despite regional tectonic strain they don’t create mountains (well, Santa might have a workaround). You need continuous movement for that. The indian tectonic plate for example moves towards Himalaya at a speed of about 2 inches per year.

Alright, I’ll send Santa to Missouri to turn up the heat…

Christmas is about jesus being born and Easter is when he rose from the dead. To make it fun for children they made christmas in the winter not the original date (summer).Christmas in the winter sounds right. Snow ,Santa, and so on…. And ya’ll all know what’s Easter is all about! But i did like Santa when i was growing up, it was fun. :)) Do what you feel like and make your children happy. But don’t forget to teach your children about what Christmas really means… I don’t if you believe in Jesus, but good luck.