Over on Mama Notes there's a post asking do your kids believe in Santa? This is something I think Brendan and I will have to talk about next year, but so far this year, there's no Santa. I always found that tradition a little weird, a fat guy breaking into your house and watching you while you sleep...I know I probably look too far into it and I should just lighten up and bring some magic into my kid's life, but I don't want to lie to her! No, Santa isn't going to fly around the world and he isn't going to come into our house and he didn't buy you those presents. I made half of them, with you watching, so no, not Santa.
My mom thinks it's sad I never believed in Santa, but I don't feel like I missed out on anything. I vaguely remember driving home from somewhere on Christmas Eve and my mom pointing to a plane in the sky and saying "Look, that's Rudolph!" and being excited, but who knows how old I was, and with three older siblings, I couldn't have been shielded from the truth for too long. What I DO remember was my oldest naughty brother (really, he was horrible as a child!) unlocking my parent's bedroom door to with a toothpick or similar, looking everywhere in their closet for Christmas presents. And the stash of used boxes we kept for wrapping gifts, stuffed up in a crawl space sort of place in our laundry room. And the story of my mom smuggling a Cabbage Patch Kid out of the store in 1985, which was my present that Christmas. Santa never really played into it.
So for Ingrid, I know I won't tell her about Santa, I won't make her sit on Santa's knee and have creepy pictures taken, I won't leave out cookies and milk and carrots for the reindeer. Call me a Scrooge if you must, but I don't see the point. Christmas to me is a fresh pine tree, lots of twinkle lights, sugar cookies, cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, egg nog, and the family coming together to hang out with each other, play games, and eat lots of food, and then bundle up and take a walk out in the snow. To me, that's way better than Santa.
A New Path
11 months ago
4 comments:
Great post! We don't 'do Santa' although sunnyboy is currently convinced that Santa is Homer Simpson - long story, lol. :)
For the sake of social situations with family we have taken a midway approach. We won't and don't lie to the children, we don't DO Santa, and we absolutely protect the kids in every possible way from the "have you been a good girl" rubbish.
But we have told them the stories, like any other stories, done stockings each year (from mummy and daddy) and left out mince pies. The children know that Father Christmas is a game that grownups play - some parents try tell their children that Santa is really real, and it's not kind or fair (and very rude) to argue about it, it's fine to just know something yourself and not tell everyone about it! They also know how to deal with adults who want them to play pretend - smile and nod until they go away! ;)
That is one thing I worried about--Ingrid ruining it for everyone else :) We'll have to teach the nod and smile trick!
And sunnymama--Homer Simpson?? That must be a great story!
We don't "do Santa" at our house either. According to my mother, my oldest sister asked when she was one year old if Daddy was Santa Claus, and that was the end of that game. My mom didn't see the point of lying. I never felt left out for not believing in Santa Claus, but I do have one sister who felt bad about it. Hopefully my own children won't mind...
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