Much to the chagrin of my sister and mother, I have decided not to perpetuate the myth of Santa Claus with Little Sister. This is a decision that I had come to long before Little Sister was even a twinkle in my eye. Growing up, my siblings and I bought into the Santa mythology hook, line and sinker. I can remember the great anticipation of going to bed on Christmas Eve, unsuccessfully fighting sleep, then eagerly racing to the Christmas tree on Christmas morning to see if Santa had delivered my heart’s desires. These are sweet memories, I’ll admit, but I do not feel compelled to perpetuate this tradition with my daughter.
No, I will teach Little Sister that Christmas is the time when we thank God for sending His only begotten Son to live among women and men. I will teach her that peace and goodwill among mankind are not reserved for a short “holiday season” in December, but are tenets to live by every day.
My reasons for not teaching her about Santa are simple. I work too hard for my money to supply her every need for the credit to go to some dude who is not even real. I know parents use Santa to try to coax their kids into good behavior, but I doubt trying to persuade Little Sister to behave in March for a pay-off in December is going to be effective. Besides, Little Sister needs to behave because it’s the right thing to do – I am not going to go down the path of negotiation to get her to “act right.”
My other beef with Santa is that the myth feeds into the mass commercialization that is now Christmas. I know that’s not Santa’s fault, but he is now being used as a tool to push every product known to man between October and December. Whatever Santa is selling, I ain’t buying.
Some friends and family members have argued that believing in Santa develops the whimsy of a child and to that I say balderdash! My child is plenty whimsical and she has never heard of Santa. We play and read and sing and dance and she is as whimsical as the next two year old. To me, whimsy is when a child uses their imagination to dream up dreams that have not been forced upon them on a foundation of a myth. That’s not whimsy to me – that’s a big, fat lie. And what would Santa think about that?
Not teaching her about Santa is pretty easy now while she is only two. But, I know the real challenge will be when she begins school and all the other tykes are getting hyped up about Jolly Old St. Nick. I guess this will be a lesson in tolerance for her. I will have to teach her not to rain on her friends’ parade by telling them that Santa is not real. At the same time, I will have to make sure that she is not ostracized or bullied for not being a believer. She will have to learn lessons about being different, not trying to make others accept your truth (even if you are right) and the value of living and let live. Which is kind of ironic given that the Santa myth is built around the spirit of Christmas…
