Santa Claus

[blazeingstar]

Because I like to read the vitrolic battles that are Catholic Answers I decided to bring one to Phatmass.

 

We have alot of young families, those preparing to be young families and teens who are learning to speak about things on here.

 

Did your family do Santa?

Do you plan on doing Santa?

 

 

I grew up with Santa but I stopped believing at 4 when Santa brought far more toys to the rich children in my kindergarden class than to the poor children.  I'm not sure that it was wholly developed until 1st/2nd grade but I disliked him strongly.

 

My FI and I have agreed that we will not be doing Santa when the time comes.

[CrossCuT]

What does "doing Santa" mean? Dressing up as him? Or mentioning him at all as part of Christmas?

[Ed Normile]

Wow you were pretty perceptive at 4 years old to notice the excess of the rich kids in your kindergarten class.

 

ed

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

Because I like to read the vitrolic battles that are Catholic Answers I decided to bring one to Phatmass.

 

We have alot of young families, those preparing to be young families and teens who are learning to speak about things on here.

 

Did your family do Santa?

Do you plan on doing Santa?

 

 

I grew up with Santa but I stopped believing at 4 when Santa brought far more toys to the rich children in my kindergarden class than to the poor children.  I'm not sure that it was wholly developed until 1st/2nd grade but I disliked him strongly.

 

My FI and I have agreed that we will not be doing Santa when the time comes.

 

 

I think you should still do the presents though. :) The 3 wise men bought gifts. Maybe one gift from each wise man, and even go one step further and find a novena to the three wise men and say it before choosing which presents. I think the three wise mens names where, Melchior, Balthazar and Caspar. Hope that helps.

[add]

proof

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz2YgjSA8Dg

 

 

 

[blazeingstar]

What does "doing Santa" mean? Dressing up as him? Or mentioning him at all as part of Christmas?

 

Anything that has to with Santa.  Dressing up, going to Christmas towns, watching Santa movies, gifts from Santa.

 

Wow you were pretty perceptive at 4 years old to notice the excess of the rich kids in your kindergarten class.

 

ed

 

Well, when Santa gives some children large presents and many things and everything they asked for, but you and the kid who's too poor to afford underwear got crayons and a coloring book its noticeable.

 

 

I think you should still do the presents though. :) The 3 wise men bought gifts. Maybe one gift from each wise man, and even go one step further and find a novena to the three wise men and say it before choosing which presents. I think the three wise mens names where, Melchior, Balthazar and Caspar. Hope that helps.

 

Gifts yes, but the children will know we give gifts.    How silly to give things and let the children think that some magical person gives them.  What nonsense.  Plus there were not 3 wise men.  There are 3 gifts...thats all the Bible says.  There were probably many more than 3.

Edited December 6, 2013 by blazeingstar

[Lilllabettt]

"Doing" Santa does not necessarily mean lying to children.

Many children enjoy Santa not because they really think he is really real but because they enjoy playing pretend. 

Developmentally, most children maintain a firm grip on reality even as they get deeply "involved" with pretend things - imaginary friends, for example.

I personally chose to "believe" in Santa up until 4th grade; I only stopped because I was getting too much flack. But when I say I "believed" I mean that I enjoyed playing Santa with the world - I liked the game and wanted it to go on. I can't remember a time I truly believed Santa was actually real. It was like pretending magic.

And you know - I still leave milk and cookies out, even though there are no children in the house!

Edited December 6, 2013 by Lilllabettt

[blazeingstar]

"Doing" Santa does not necessarily mean lying to children.

Many children enjoy Santa not because they really think he is really real but because they enjoy playing pretend. 

Developmentally, most children maintain a firm grip on reality even as they get deeply "involved" with pretend things - imaginary friends, for example.

I personally chose to "believe" in Santa up until 4th grade; I only stopped because I was getting too much flack. But when I say I "believed" I mean that I enjoyed playing Santa with the world - I liked the game and wanted it to go on. I can't remember a time I truly believed Santa was actually real. It was like pretending magic.

And you know - I still leave milk and cookies out, even though there are no children in the house!

 

If you look at it, there are white lies about Santa or large lies of omission no matter how careful you are.

 

My fiancee and I feel it is a line that shouldn't be crossed.  He feels that it's becuase Catholics ought not to believe in magical things and encourage children to.  My feelings are that its a cruel trick and one that is inherently unjust to all children as there are the haves and the have nots.

 

The only reason we were hesitiant was to not ruin it for other's children, but we've researched and decided to say that its a game that other parents play with their children in order to give them gifts.

[Lilllabettt]

If you look at it, there are white lies about Santa or large lies of omission no matter how careful you are.

[...]

He feels that it's becuase Catholics ought not to believe in magical things and encourage children to. 

 

Is playing pretend with a child a lie? If you tell a 'true' scary story around a campfire, or pretend your 3 day business trip is really a secret mission to mars, are you and your child lying to each other?

 

A childhood without magic. That's sad!

 

 

The things I believed most then, the things I believe most now, are the things called fairy tales.They seem to me to be the entirely reasonable things. They arenot fantasies: compared with them other things are fantastic. Compared with them religion and rationalism are both abnormal, though religion is abnormally right and rationalism abnormally wrong. Fairyland is nothing but the sunny country of common sense. It is not earth that judges heaven, but heaven that judges earth;so for me at least it was not earth that criticised elfland, but elfland that criticised the earth. I knew the magic beanstalk before I had tasted beans; I was sure of the Man in the Moon before I was certain of the moon.

-GK Chesterton, Orthodoxy

[blazeingstar]

Is playing pretend with a child a lie? If you tell a 'true' scary story around a campfire, or pretend your 3 day business trip is really a secret mission to mars, are you and your child lying to each other?

 

A childhood without magic. That's sad!

 

I've never met anyone who told their child Santa was a pretend game.  My fiancee's stronger on his opinion than I am.  We will not be lying to our children.  His business trips will be business trips.  Any scary stories (which I don't have heart for) will be either given as fiction or truth.

 

I really don't care if my children don't have magic or how pathetic that will make their childhoods.  Children survived for thousands of years withouth being lied to.

[CrossCuT]

My parents still havent told me that Santa Clause isnt real..and Im 25. I dont really see a harm in it; I feel similarly to Lilllabettt.

 

I worked at a daycare for 5 years and there was a time when a kindergartner came up to me upset because an older boy told her Santa wasnt real. I didnt feel it was up to me to decide to make or break her belief in that aspect of the holiday but I just told her that St. Nicholas IS real. He was a Catholic Bishop! She seemed satisfied with this answer and it made her feel better so I didnt break a sweat over it. 

[blazeingstar]

My parents still havent told me that Santa Clause isnt real..and Im 25. I dont really see a harm in it; I feel similarly to Lilllabettt.

 

I worked at a daycare for 5 years and there was a time when a kindergartner came up to me upset because an older boy told her Santa wasnt real. I didnt feel it was up to me to decide to make or break her belief in that aspect of the holiday but I just told her that St. Nicholas IS real. He was a Catholic Bishop! She seemed satisfied with this answer and it made her feel better so I didnt break a sweat over it. 

 

I would not lie to another parent's child.  I would tell them to ask their parents.

 

Lying is lying.  St. Nicholas is real, but Santa Claus is  a disgusting comercialized figure who is quite creepy when you think about it.

[CrossCuT]

I would not lie to another parent's child.  I would tell them to ask their parents.

 

Lying is lying.  St. Nicholas is real, but Santa Claus is  a disgusting comercialized figure who is quite creepy when you think about it.

 

I wasnt lying, I was just avoiding the actual question because of the exact reason you stated; its up to their parents to make or break that. 

[Lilllabettt]

nvm

Edited December 6, 2013 by Lilllabettt

[blazeingstar]

I wasnt lying, I was just avoiding the actual question because of the exact reason you stated; its up to their parents to make or break that. 

 

No, you didn't lie, but I'm stating that I would not even approach a discussion with another person's child, nor would I go along even if the parent asked me to.  I would tell them I was not discussing that.