Maggyie Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.' "Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? ~VIRGINIA O'HANLON. 115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET. VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. ~ Printed in the Chicago Sun [url="http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/clipping.htm"]September 21, 1897[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pax_Et_Bonum Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 At our parish we have a guy dressed up as a bishop handing out presents and saying that it's all from the love of Jesus. The priest usually reminds everyone that Santa Claus is just a puppet for commercialism and the real stuff comes from our Lord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prose Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 I didn't read the responses, but here is what I do: We follow the Santa tradition, but we always promote Christ more. On Christmas morning we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Plus we watch the Veggie Tales Christmas every year, and read the Biblical Christmas story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prose Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 I also tell them the tooth fairy comes too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrincessKRS Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 Since everyone in the world asks our kids if they're excited about Santa they've heard about him... they don't really get the concept, though. So when they ask if Santa is bringing them presents after some unwitting lady in the grocery store asks what they want Santa to bring them I tell them that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and that Saint Nick/Santa (we use the terms interchangeably) will bring them presents that we bought for them. If they know I've bought something for them and they ask for it I tell them that St. Nick will give it to them on Christmas. They know it's from me and their dad, they just think St. Nick puts it under the tree to celebrate Christ's birthday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah_JC Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I really don't know yet what we will do with our kids. But I remember hating not being able to thank my Grandmother for the gifts she gave us. It was from "Santa". Also, what's up with the threats of coal? If it's dependent on the behavior of the child, it's not a gift, it's a yearly performance bonus. We're considering the gifting looking like this: -Shoes on St. Nick's feast (they'll have to polish their shoes), few presents on Christmas (book or small toy kind of present, and family presents), three presents on Epiphany. I'd like to spread the gift giving out, at any rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 eagleeye said "maybe it's okay if you handle it correctly" and I agree with this. I was raised in an agnostic family with Santa being the ONLY reality of Christmas. I ended up being a Catholic who is discerning a religious vocation, so Santa didn't totally warp me but I would love to have had the truth told to me as a child about Jesus and St Nicholas as well - so I was deprived spiritually, even though I didn't know it. It is a bit like the secular Halloween issue. These secular holidays are a part of our society, and each country does them a little bit differently (I have lived in many countries). I would say that parents should encourage the faith first, and then incorporate whatever parts of the secular holiday they feel comfortable with. Don't forget that kids live in this secular world too, and they will be dealing with friends who believe in Santa. They need to know how to handle this. Perhaps they can be encouraged to tell their friends about the real meaning of Christmas and the real St Nicholas - and be little evangelists without even realizing it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffpugh Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 [quote name='Sarah_JC' post='1689977' date='Oct 31 2008, 01:53 PM']I really don't know yet what we will do with our kids. But I remember hating not being able to thank my Grandmother for the gifts she gave us. It was from "Santa". Also, what's up with the threats of coal? If it's dependent on the behavior of the child, it's not a gift, it's a yearly performance bonus. We're considering the gifting looking like this: -Shoes on St. Nick's feast (they'll have to polish their shoes), few presents on Christmas (book or small toy kind of present, and family presents), three presents on Epiphany. I'd like to spread the gift giving out, at any rate.[/quote] You know, coal didn't used to be a punishment... it was a real gift cause it meant they didn't freeze at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouisvilleFan Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 I'm gonna not only tell my kids about Santa Claus and the tooth fairy, but I'll also reassure them that the boogie man and the monster in their closet are real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princessgianna Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 I think letting lil children believe in Santa is more than fine AS long as they understand the true reason for the season. You are only a kid for like 13yrs (AND that is pushing it) you are then an adult for the rest of it (teen years don't count cause they are WAY too confusing!) When you become an teen/adult all your bubbles suddenly get popped and you realize that the world really IS crazy and all messed up! What is so wrong with having some Christmas' where this nice jolly St. Nick guy gives you free toys. As long as it is in moderation i think it is fine. I agree that our society has gone to far with Santa but a little bit is fine. Young Ladies dream of themselves in white sparkly dresses and their knight in shining armor coming to save them. yea i know that is SO NOT reality but there is nothing wrong to dream a little like that as long as it is in moderation. Let children be children. they will learn the truth about Santa Claus soon enough and by that time they will learn of the real world but by that time they will be strong enough to be in it and not of it. Pax~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Private_Person Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 [quote name='princessgianna' post='1692018' date='Nov 3 2008, 12:28 AM']I think letting lil children believe in Santa is more than fine AS long as they understand the true reason for the season. You are only a kid for like 13yrs (AND that is pushing it) you are then an adult for the rest of it (teen years don't count cause they are WAY too confusing!) When you become an teen/adult all your bubbles suddenly get popped and you realize that the world really IS crazy and all messed up! What is so wrong with having some Christmas' where this nice jolly St. Nick guy gives you free toys. As long as it is in moderation i think it is fine. I agree that our society has gone to far with Santa but a little bit is fine. Young Ladies dream of themselves in white sparkly dresses and their knight in shining armor coming to save them. yea i know that is SO NOT reality but there is nothing wrong to dream a little like that as long as it is in moderation. Let children be children. they will learn the truth about Santa Claus soon enough and by that time they will learn of the real world but by that time they will be strong enough to be in it and not of it. Pax~[/quote] I say we tell our kids Santa is real, but he's an extraterrestrial who uses a transporter like out of Star Trek to transport all the gifts that need to go out into the world to all the good little boys and girls. That's also how he knows if you're bad or good because he has sensors that are always watching you, even in the bathroom. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dauntingknight Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 Sata is ok till the age of 10 then kids will get smart and realize that there is no Santa! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Private_Person Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 All hail Santa Claus [img]http://bp1.blogger.com/_sqDqLALRJJk/R20yKjDo0nI/AAAAAAAAA8U/Yls2fPISKX0/s400/AlienClaus.jpg[/img] I have sensors, so I know when you're naughty, especially in the bathroom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkerlina Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 (edited) I can't imagine a childhood without Santa at Christmas. It would be a travesty. As a child I believed not only in Santa but in fairies, mermaids, gnomes and leprachauns, the latter left M&Ms under my pillow when I was little. I used to go on walks and look for "gnome holes" in trees and I used to scour the lake for mermaids. It was fantastic. I think encouraging imagination is a very important thing for a child. -Katie Edited November 30, 2008 by Tinkerlina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkerlina Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 [quote name='Saint Therese' post='1685454' date='Oct 24 2008, 08:25 PM']It wasn't a typo. I wouldn't tell my kids about Santa jut because, why? The story of the nativity is wondrful enough without some stupid myth.[/quote] I think that telling them the story of Christ is infinitely more important. However, I think we need "mythology" in our lives, it is part of the human experience. Also, Santa is a Christian "myth" based on the (true) accounts of St. Nicolas and is thus compatible with Christianity. -Katie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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