Not 'doing' Santa

pulliptears

geoffky wrote: »

The same as poor children..Who have poor parents...

Hmmmm. I'm yet to go into a nursery/primary school where the parent pays for the gift Santa brings. In fact, in all the schools I've known the token wrapped bar of chocolate/car/doll etc is funded by the school.

So that fell a little flat didn't it? Unless you didn't actually read what I'd written.....

OrkneyStar

pulliptears wrote: »

Hmmmm. I'm yet to go into a nursery/primary school where the parent pays for the gift Santa brings. In fact, in all the schools I've known the token wrapped bar of chocolate/car/doll etc is funded by the school.

So that fell a little flat didn't it? Unless you didn't actually read what I'd written.....

No present from Santa at school so far, at toddler group the parent is to choose a book from local book shop, up to value of £5 (if you get more expensive one that's fine but you pay the extra). We missed that session, but then went some weeks to toddlers and not others, so it was not a boycott .
If Santa comes most of the children there know he is a man dressed up anyway, so no big issue.

Torry_Quine

I honestly can't remember my childhood Christmases in the detail remembered by many here. I think that a letter was sent to Santa and we got a big gift unwrapped in a Santa sack and the remainder of wrapped presents from parents.

I use the name Santa Claus as it comes from St Nicholas who did exist!

pulliptears

OrkneyStar wrote: »

No present from Santa at school so far, at toddler group the parent is to choose a book from local book shop, up to value of £5 (if you get more expensive one that's fine but you pay the extra). We missed that session, but then went some weeks to toddlers and not others, so it was not a boycott .
If Santa comes most of the children there know he is a man dressed up anyway, so no big issue.

Thats unfortunate, at my children's schools and others I have worked in a small gift has always been funded by the school.
Must be a lot of cynical kids where you live because the majority of the one's I have seen are wide eyed and full of wonder when Santa walks in right through from the Nursery kids to about year 5.

OrkneyStar

pulliptears wrote: »

Thats unfortunate, at my children's schools and others I have worked in a small gift has always been funded by the school.
Must be a lot of cynical kids where you live because the majority of the one's I have seen are wide eyed and full of wonder when Santa walks in right through from the Nursery kids to about year 5.

The class I worked with today did not seem cynical at all, lots of happy smiling faces, excited about Christmas. The thing is, in small communities, Santa is quite often recognisable under his outfit anyway, as the kids know him.....just the way it is!

jellyhead

shegirl wrote: »

I think the santa haters take everything so seriously they don't see that the whole lot of it is fun,even the 'santa's watching' thing.

Admit it, we all carry on tracking Santa hours after the children have gone to bed, don't we

stargazer59

jellyhead wrote: »

Admit it, we all carry on tracking Santa hours after the children have gone to bed, don't we

My youngest son is 14 and we STILL track Santa:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

jellyhead

Nan63 wrote: »

Is it just me that finds that so sad? The thought of a little 5 year old giving up on Santa?

I am guilty of perpetuating the Santa myth to my grandchildren and will long continue to do so. I've just had a quick straw poll round my office and not one person even remembers when they stopped believing in Santa, let alone being emotionally scarred by it.

I believe!

I don't find it sad, but we're all different. My mum thinks I had stopped believing by 5 and my question about him possibly getting drunk was part of my trying to get a straight answer out of my parents.

My eldest wasn't sad at 7 when he stopped believing. He had never believed in the tooth fairy, but went along with the pretence. He still enjoyed stories and make-believe, but he was very practical and just didn't think Santa was real - that wasn't upsetting for him and it wouldn't have been upsetting for me either. I didn't ever think the Magic Faraway Tree was real but I always wished it was, and even at the age of 9 or 10 I wished magic carpets were real so I wouldn't have to walk to school.

Part of realising it wasn't true was that my very young parents used Santa as a threat to try to get my little sister to behave, but she was incredibly naughty. They told her Santa would know if she'd been naughty even if they didn't find out about it, there were no secrets from Santa. That was clearly a lie because she got the same as me no matter how naughty she was.

ETA: Wouldn't nobody remembering the moment they found out suggest that they were only 6 or 7 anyway? They'd remember if it had happened when they were in double figures, surely?

Nicki

fluffnutter wrote: »

I don't really understand. Why would there be nothing for her? She'll get presents surely? And you just say they're from mummy and daddy, grandma, grandpa etc. Which they are.

Umm? Because most children get presents (sometimes, as with our house, just small ones) from Santa AND presents from family. Some families I know say that everything is from Santa, but not very many AFAIK say that none of them are from Santa unless they have also had the conversation with the child that Santa does not exist.

When this child looks to see which one Santa brought, the answer is that he brought her nothing. Which is OK I guess if her parents have told her that he doesn't exist, but in my opinion a real kick in the teeth for a 4 year old if they have "allowed her to believe" that he does exist.

Perhaps I am slightly coloured by the fact that I still remember the fallout 40 years after it happened when the parents of a neighbouring child decided to tell her Santa hadn't come this year because she was naughty. I was about 3 at the time and the naughty child was a bit older, maybe 6 or 7. I can remember to this day her profound distress, her name, her parents names, etc and we moved house the summer after this happened and I haven't had any contact with this family since, but the trauma that child suffered had such a profound impression on me even at that young age.

I just don't think it is an option for any decent parent to NOT tell the child Santa doesn't exist but also not to leave at least a token present from him.

shegirl

jellyhead wrote: »

Admit it, we all carry on tracking Santa hours after the children have gone to bed, don't we

Too damn right!:D