How many ban Santa in your homes?

[Chucktshoes]

Knowing that the modern idea of Santa was an invention of Coca-Cola in the late 1800's as part of a marketing campaign combined with my distaste for the overly commercial/consumerist manner in which Christmas is celebrated and my reaction to discovering that Santa wasn't real at the age of 4 was "my parents lied to me" has led me to ban Santa from my home. I am catching a lot of flack from some relatives (especially the in-laws) who say that I will be robbing my newborn daughter of childhood fantablah blah blah.

Just curious as to how many of y'all abstain from celebrating that particular fantasy, or plan to abstain once you have children.

[Mike.357]

Can't imagine banning santa. Santa is not from the north pole though.

I am pretty sure i met him in knox at the gunshow today

[kb4ns]

I'm with you on being tired of what the Xmas season has "become," but I'd not keep my child from experiencing it. I think there could be a middle ground of telling her the truth when she's the appropriate age (whatever that age may be for each child). But just telling her from the get-go would rob her of a really fun experience. I can't imagine it'll scar a kid for life when they learn the truth. It didn't scar me.

[R_Bert]

Let hope and innocence of childhood prevail as long as possible.

For me, Santa didn't get banned. He banned me. Too many years on the "naughty list"

B.

[LazyAce]

Santa is like the Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, Cupid and the Great Pumpkin. They give the kids something to live for. In this scary age we live in the kids need all the help they can get. If you don`t like it just deal with it for a few years and then it`s over.

[laktrash]

Santa, Easter bunny, Tooth fairy, etc. all are the joys of being a child. I can rember the excitment and feeling these things brought me and certainly wouldn't want to deprive a child of this. Don't wish you could get that same feeling again as an adult.

BTW I don't think it really qualifys as a lie maybe a fairy tale.

Ya just a little quicker Lazyace LOL

[mikegideon]

Santa is welcome in my house, but has to bring his own beer. I'm much better at picking my own Christmas presents than he ever was.

[Guest bkelm18]

Can't imagine how dreary and dull my childhood would have been without looking forward to Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the others. It's part of being a child. Was I upset when I was told they didn't exist? Nope. My parents told me when I had become mature enough to handle it.

[Dad03]

Santa's not real?

[laktrash]

Santa's not real?

Don't pay any attention to them. They don't know

[LI0NSFAN]

My wife and I are struggling with this too. We have 2 kids under 16months so we can't tell one with out the other finding out. We are leaning toward teaching them the real meaning of CHRISTmas ,sorry cap lock got stuck ;-) They will still get gifts from Santa but it will not be pushed that he exists. I think that the older one would figure it out on her own in a couple of years anyway.

[Guest drv2fst]

Research the real story behind Santa Clause (Saint Nicholas). It's much better than the fairly tale. I let my kids believe in Santa until they start asking the question. Then I sit them down and tell them the real story behind it. There are MANY true and touching stories that Saint Nicholas inspired. His influence has lasted centuries after his death. That's a much better story than a magic elf. I just tell my kids the Santa Claus fantasy is just a make believe version of the true story of Saint Nicholas. That way it's not a lie, it's a story with two versions, one true, the other make believe.

Here is one example from wikipedia

In his most famous exploit,^[17] a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a properdowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in absence of any other possible employment, would have to become prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man's plight, Nicholas decided to help him, but being too modest to help the man in public (or to save the man the humiliation of accepting charity), he went to his house under the cover of night and threw three purses (one for each daughter) filled with gold coins through the window opening into the man's house.

One version has him throwing one purse for three consecutive nights. Another has him throw the purses over a period of three years, each time the night before one of the daughters comes of age. Invariably, the third time the father lies in wait, trying to discover the identity of their benefactor. In one version the father confronts the saint, only to have Saint Nicholas say it is not him he should thank, but God alone. In another version, Nicholas learns of the poor man's plan and drops the third bag down the chimney instead; a variant holds that the daughter had washed her stockings that evening and hung them over the embers to dry, and that the bag of gold fell into the stocking.

[ls3_kid]

Can't imagine how dreary and dull my childhood would have been without looking forward to Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the others. It's part of being a child. Was I upset when I was told they didn't exist? Nope. My parents told me when I had become mature enough to handle it.

I agree with this. My cousin isn't letting her kid's do the whole Santa thing. I feel like the kids are missing out, I mean I remember being so excited my heart was pounding as I ran down the stairs at 3-4AM. Anyway I told my cousin she was Communist for doing this. That didn't fly well, but I still call her Stalin.

[NRA]

This is a very sad idea. I would have really missed this whole Xmas thing as a child if my parents did not "lie" to me as a child. How could anyone ban Santa?

[Guest drv2fst]

From what I recall, the Santa Claus character is based off of a character created during the civil war.

Early Americans had brought the Saint Nicholas story and a tradition of giving to children at Christmas over from Europe. In many towns parents would give gifts to a adult without kids. He would dress in a disguise and come into town to distribute the gifts from Saint Nicholas.

In the Civil War, A Union General tasked one of his men to find a way to cheer up the troops. The soldier was an artist and created the Santa Claus character as a fictional version of the historical figure of Saint Nicholas. It boosted morale and many soldiers took the (now fictionalized) Santa Clause home with them. A few years later Coca Cola picked up as their symbol to sell more sugar water during the holidays.

[Murgatroy]

We don't ban Santa, but we don't embrace him the way a lot of modern consumerism devout do.

We do a strict one gift rule in our home. This year our daughter is getting a bicycle, and the things that go with it.

My wife and I do the same.

The way we play Santa is that she tells him what she wants, and he tells us.

[gr8smiles]

My kids are 23 and 20. They both still love Christmas and all that it embodies. I agree that the commercialization has gone 'over the top.'

Yesterday, I witnessed what Christmas represents. While checking out at a local Wal-mart, I saw two ladies pull 4 carts of toys to the register and handed the clerk what looked to be a 'sales tax exemption' card. A gentleman asked the ladies if they were buying for a charity. The ladies told him that all the toys were going to Ft Campbell for the 'Wounded Warriors' program. The man thanked them for their generosity, opened his wallet and gave them a 50.00 dollar bill and walked off. Just a random act of kindness that is far too lacking in this world.

Santa might be a mythical fantasy, but the spirit of giving and generosity that he represents is needed in this world now more than ever. How you present him and how you ultimately reveal him will determine how your kids react. My mom told me that Santa was 'the spirit of love' back in the 70s when I was much younger. At 49, the magic of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day never goes away.

[NRA]

I might add that once the kids were old enough to know better we explained to them that Santa was real. That he was inside all of us and it was the spirit of giving to others, some who may need more than you have.

[NRA]

My kids are 23 and 20. They both still love Christmas and all that it embodies. I agree that the commercialization has gone 'over the top.'

Yesterday, I witnessed what Christmas represents. While checking out at a local Wal-mart, I saw two ladies pull 4 carts of toys to the register and handed the clerk what looked to be a 'sales tax exemption' card. A gentleman asked the ladies if they were buying for a charity. The ladies told him that all the toys were going to Ft Campbell for the 'Wounded Warriors' program. The man thanked them for their generosity, opened his wallet and gave them a 50.00 dollar bill and walked off. Just a random act of kindness that is far too lacking in this world.

Santa might be a mythical fantasy, but the spirit of giving and generosity that he represents is needed in this world now more than ever. How you present him and how you ultimately reveal him will determine how your kids react. My mom told me that Santa was 'the spirit of love' back in the 70s when I was much younger. At 49, the magic of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day never goes away.

Well stated! I also participate in the shop with a cop program. It kills me every year when someone makes the evil comment that if all you folks are here who is protecting the county. Then I tell them we are all volunteering our time to help those less fortunate than we are and enjoy watching their faces drop from embarrassment.

[Guest jackdm3]

With respect: YOU CHEAPA$$ BASTARD!

Bet you'll let them do Halloween, though?

[Chucktshoes]

With respect: YOU CHEAPA$$ BASTARD!

Bet you'll let them do Halloween, though?

I didn't say that there wouldn't be gifts, there will be. But they will come from us, as opposed to Santa.

[Guest jackdm3]

That's not how this werks! Kids get their parents' gifts to them. THEN they get gifts from Santa. And thus, you have a real CHRISTMAS!

Edited December 10, 2011 by jackdm3

[Guest jackdm3]

And take 'em to late-night mass on the eve.

[Mike.357]

I think you ought to rethink your stance.

Yeah you had a bad experience with it when you found out, I dunno why.

I don't remember how old I was when I found out, certainly not four. Maybe the third grade so 8 years old.And I do not recall it as being very traumatic when I found out. I never thought of my parents as liars.

Kids are only little once. Doesn't seem fair to take away the magic of Santa.

Ya Grinch

[Mike.357]

And take 'em to late-night mass on the eve.

That would be called Midnight Mass you heathen