The other day my co-worker and I were engaged in typical, everyday sort of conversation. He asked about my kids and I recounted a story about my morning. I shared that I had a discussion about Santa Claus with my two-year old son. I told my colleague that I was trying to build up some excitement and hype for Santa, since the holidays will soon be upon us. When I was done telling my story, my colleague, in a deadpan tone said "so, you're going to tell your kids about Santa?"
At first I didn't understand his question.... With a blank look, I asked "What do you mean?"
What ensued was a slightly dicey conversation about the merits and pitfalls of teaching kids about Santa and imparting on them a"deep rooted" lie. My colleague is concerned about the disillusionment that the belief in Santa might breed. He also grapples with the idea that we as parents are supposed to be 100% honest with our kids and that perpetuating the Santa myth is at odds with this practice.
In truth, had I not had this conversation with my colleague, I don't think I would have ever questioned speaking to my kids about Santa. Santa to me is an important and magical part of the holidays and a tradition I hold dear. It is something I will certainly pass on to my children. But, our convo did spark some introspection and made me address why I feel Santa is so important. So, without further ado, this is why I am strongly in favor of "perpetuating the lie" and celebrating Santa with my kids.
There are few times/periods in our lives when we have the opportunity to believe in something as magical, jovial and whimsical as Santa Claus. When you truly believe in Santa, you believe in all that is wonderful in the world. You believe ANYTHING is possible. It seems hokie, but I struggle to equate anything else in life to it. Even though it's such a short period in time when you actually believe, there is little that measures up to that feeling. Some of my best memories are of leaving cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve, racing home on Christmas eve from our relatives house so that we could get to bed before he arrived, etc. etc. I distinctly remember one Christmas Eve coming home from my Grandma's house and I honestly thought I saw Santa flying in the sky. In retrospect I realize it was most likely a taillight on an airplane, but boy was I excited! I really feel that are literally no words that can sum up the anticipation, excitement and frivolity that believing in Santa elicits.
There's so much crap in the world and kids are exposed to the harshness of reality pretty early on. I think it's nice if we can pass along just a few carefree and magical (be it naive) traditions. I also whole-heartedly feel that believing in Santa for whatever little time it may be, far outweighs the disappointment of finding out the truth about him.
It's absolutely true that Christmas has become over commercialized, but I think within our own families we can monitor how much stock we put into it. Even if you don't want to get wrapped up in all the commercial hype, you can still sustain the idea of Santa in a more traditional and low-key manner.
I've honestly been racking my brain to think of an adult feeling that is equivalent to or rivals the excitement and wonder that kids feel in regards to Santa. The only thing I can come up with is love... Now some naysayers think love is a sham and I think we could all agree that it can be a giant source of disillusionment. Nevertheless, most of us haven't' given up on it yet. So maybe that should be our take away with Santa. The high and excitement may eventually dissipate, and kids may even feel a bit sad when they find out the truth, but I would say it's better to have believed in Santa and then find out the truth, than to never have known him at all.
* Disclaimer: My joy about Santa has nothing to do with the religious aspect of Christmas. I put them in two separate categories and therefore there is no need for reminders such as "Put the Christ back in Christmas, he's the reason for the season..." Thanks!
