Abby wrote: Seriously, this whole Santa thing burns me up. Why should I spend all this money on gifts and give Santa the credit for them? I want to see my kids’ eyes light up at me, because it’s my hard work that put those presents under that tree.
LOL. I have said very similar things over the years. In fact, when I was young and first learned the truth about Santa, I immediately realized what my mom had done. I remember the conversation I had with her. I asked her if it bugged her that she had to buy the stuff and do the shopping, but then didn’t even get a thank you. Of course, her answer was that our joy was thanks enough. When I became a mom, I thought I’d feel the same way, but. . .um. . .not so much. lol
I have a lot of concerns about teaching my kids about Santa, not just him getting the credit for the best gifts, so I don’t really. I don’t do a lot to dispel anything they pick up elsewhere, but I don’t do a lot to perpetuate the issue here at home. This year, the triplets are three and I don’t tell them Santa’s coming. . .I tell them it’s Christmastime and we’re celebrating the birth of Baby Jesus. I don’t have a ton of Santa type decorations, and I put a lot of focus on the nativity. (And I often find an extra Dora the Explorer or plastic giraffe has joined them in the stable.)
On Christmas Eve, we’ll exchange gifts as is our tradition. We’ll save the one special gift that I’ve selected for each child for Christmas morning. They’ll be excited to wake up to the gift, but the focus will be on Jesus’ birthday, not “look what Santa brought.”
Merry Christmas!
Luke 2:9-12
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
How about you? How do you handle the issue of Santa Claus in your home? What are your special traditions?
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We don’t teach our kids about Santa because of one simple fact: If we lie to them about Santa being real, how will we gain their trust to believe that Jesus is real? That alone, will keep us confident in our decision to learn about St. Nicolas, but not lie to them about Santa Claus!
My husband has been very strict about keeping Santa out of Christmas because he believes that Santa has taken away the real true meaning of Christmas. When we adopted our kids and they were 5 years old, we had a difficult time changing this belief in Santa. They never even heard about it being Jesus birthday. They are now 11 and both of them know what Christmas is all about. I also believe the same. We need to keep Christ in Christmas. Thank you for being open about this subject.