Christmas is over. I've already taken down the tree and put the decorations away. The only tree that remains is in my two-year-old's room simply because I don't have the heart to take it down just yet. She smiles with joy when she looks at it, so I let her enjoy it for a few more days.
So my daughter is two (25 months if you want to get exact). Since the day she was born when Christmas comes up I am torn. Do we believe in Santa or not? I always go through the same arguments in my head. My husband and I both had Santa and well, I think we turned out ok. But then I start thinking of the spiritual aspects of believing in Santa. I never want her to believe that the holiday is because of Santa. No, the holiday is ONLY because of God's gift to mankind, His Son. I want her to understand that and this year we talked a lot about Baby Jesus and when we prayed we thanked God for Baby Jesus but let's be honest, when you're two at Christmas you're inundated with Santa Claus.
I know many parents who don't teach any Santa at all and they only teach Christ's birth. I know some who teach St. Nick (the original) and how generous he was and combine the two. Its so frustrating trying to discern what is best. So last night I started Raising Great Kids: Parenting with Grace and Truth. (I quickly decided that much more would be learned from the book in a group setting instead of individually. Any takers?) But as I'm reading and thinking how I want my daughter to understand truth and to grow in character so that the values we teach now are still with her when she's 12 and 22 and then when she teaches her own children.
So there has to be an answer a right or wrong... right? Or maybe its what's right for my family and what's right for yours? I don't think we taught anything this year that will stick if we choose to not do Santa or if we choose to do Santa.
I'd love to hear what your family does and why you do it that way. That part is important. So leave a comment and let me know.
2 comments:
We sort of do both. Samuel recognizes Santa and knows who he is, but we don't emphasize that he brings presents to him for Christmas. We try to focus mostly on Christ's birth and the real reason for the season. Samuel will always know that Santa is make believe. We do this somply because we don't want Samuel to get caught up in behaving for a month to insure that he gets presents on Christmas morning and also to present a balance. Simply put, we focus on Jesus, but we bring in a little bit of secular too.
Ellen- Thanks for sharing. I like hearing how other folks do it and it puts my mind at ease that there is a healthy balance.
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