Not 'doing' Santa

jellyhead

As I said on the other thread my son came home from nursery at age 4 full of excitement because the teachers had told him about Santa. He WANTED to believe, so I let him. He decided when he was 7 that he didn't believe in Santa, but he still tracked him on NORAD when he was 9, and his baby brother was only a few months old so it wasn't for the baby's sake, it was because he wanted to pretend to believe because it's magical and exciting.

He said then that he wished I hadn't admitted the truth back when he was 7, even though he gave me no choice. He said he wished that I'd lied to him for a few more years.

I love that episode of Peppa Pig where she wants a yoyo for christmas and that's all she gets. Nobody needs huge piles of presents. When my eldest was 5 he told Santa that he didn't need anything, but could we please have a pair of roller skates in adult size so I could go roller skating with him. Bless his little heart, he's just not materialistic. Youngest always wants something, but not a huge long list like some children write. Somebody yesterday was saying they'd limited their child to ten things on the list!

katiejones

In our house, we buy the presents and send them to Santa. He checks them, makes sure they are ok and brings them back at Christmas. My children (19,10 and 6) all know that we always bought them, so there was a limit to spending. This is the second year the 10 year old hasn't believed but she has never looked at having been lied to, in fact she thinks its part of the magic so she still talks about Santa with her little brother. However the 19 year old is coming home for Christmas so that he can get his stocking from "santa" . So who knows................he may be real xx

Person_one

Judi wrote: »

How do you explain to a child who has very few presents why Santa has left their friends loads more?

Who in the right mind would come down a chimney when theres obviously a gas fire stopping him?

I wanted my kids to be able to trust my words rather than fill them with a pack of lies. To me, Christmas is the nativity.

Oh the irony! :rotfl:

Those questions are easily answered by a parent using a bit of imagination. We never had a chimney but were told that Father Christmas had a magic key to get in houses without them. Several people in the thread have shared their ideas about explaining things like present discrepancy.

katiejones

Person_one wrote: »

Oh the irony! :rotfl:

Those questions are easily answered by a parent using a bit of imagination. We never had a chimney but were told that Father Christmas had a magic key to get in houses without them. Several people in the thread have shared their ideas about explaining things like present discrepancy.

Lol, i agree. Our "magic key" gets hung outside when we put the reindeer food out xx

JimmyTheWig

jellyhead wrote: »

I love that episode of Peppa Pig where she wants a yoyo for christmas and that's all she gets.

If this is what Christmas was billed as then I think most children would be happy.
I remember the first Christmas our eldest was old enough (almost 3, I wuold guess) to know what was happening (i.e. that Father Christmas comes and brings presents). We'd gone over the top (as we always do, and can't help ourselves) with presents downstairs, but before that they opened their stockings in our room. Stockings in our house are always just an apple and an orange, a few sweets and a few small, cheap bits. Our son was well chuffed opening this. Father Christmas had brought him some wind-up chattering teeth. He didn't know about all the stuff downstairs, but was perfectly happy.

Person_one

katiejones wrote: »

In our house, we buy the presents and send them to Santa. He checks them, makes sure they are ok and brings them back at Christmas. My children (19,10 and 6) all know that we always bought them, so there was a limit to spending. This is the second year the 10 year old hasn't believed but she has never looked at having been lied to, in fact she thinks its part of the magic so she still talks about Santa with her little brother. However the 19 year old is coming home for Christmas so that he can get his stocking from "santa" . So who knows................he may be real xx

I'm 27 and my mum stil asks me "What do you want Father Christmas to bring you this year?" :rotfl:

OrkneyStar

notanewuser wrote: »

Inspired by another thread........

DD turned 2 in October. DH and I don't intend to ever do the Santa thing with her. We are atheists and intend to handle it in the same was as religion, i.e. it's something others believe, which is fine. If Granny or Grandad want to take her to see Santa then that's okay, as it would be if they wanted to take her to church (as a one off).

We hate the materialism that Santa seems to being to proceedings, and the thought that lying to DD is in any way 'magic'. Xmas for us is a winter festival and time for spending together, not splashing the cash.

We know others that have taken the same approach, and their children have grown up without serious psychological damage. :rotfl:


No doubt I shall be hung, drawn and quartered for daring to stray from the party line!!!

We ARE Christians, but also don't do the Santa thing.
I have simply said a lot of people believe in him (who knows, he might exist lol), and they think he brings all the presents at Christmas. I stress that that is ok, and that we don't all have to believe the same thing. We give and receive Christmas presents though to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Again I stress that not everyone believes this, that is up to them.
Also not planning to do the whole tooth fairy thing.
Fundamentally I cannot bring myself to lie to my son, if I am honest.

pulliptears wrote: »

No, I haven't misread you.

You intend to take away a pivotal part of childhood, a part which to most kids (and adults) is magical and special and part of the fun of growing up.
I have no religious belief either but I left it up to my children to make up their own minds, I certainly didn't put my beliefs on them and that actually involved me grudgingly sitting through a church service or two.

I know Muslim children who believe in Santa Claus. Its a story, a magical story and a huge part of childhood for a vast majority of children.

Personally I think its cruel. For the sake of the 6 Christmasses or so you have left before your child finds out the truth is it really such a big stretch to play along and make the kid smile?

Santa is not a pivotal part of childhood, pivotal things include being loved, being cared for, having fun, having time spent on you, being cuddled, being taught, and so on.
It makes me sad that 'Santa' is seen as so important. Why why why?

For the record, my son has a very healthy imagination, makes up all sorts of stories and the like, and has loads of fun!

katiejones

Person_one wrote: »

I'm 27 and my mum stil asks me "What do you want Father Christmas to bring you this year?" :rotfl:

I always buy seperate tags and they are all from Santa ( written with my non-writing hand) xx

pulliptears

OrkneyStar wrote: »

Santa is not a pivotal part of childhood, pivotal things include being loved, being cared for, having fun, having time spent on you, being cuddled, being taught, and so on.
It makes me sad that 'Santa' is seen as so important. Why why why?

Your opinion, to which you are entitled, but it is just that, YOUR opinion and certainly not mine.

Of course all those other things matter, but magic IS a pivotal part of childhood, it encourages imagination and excitement be that a fat man in a red suit or hunting for fairy rings in the garden.

OrkneyStar

pulliptears wrote: »

Your opinion, to which you are entitled, but it is just that, YOUR opinion and certainly not mine.

Of course all those other things matter, but magic IS a pivotal part of childhood, it encourages imagination and excitement be that a fat man in a red suit or hunting for fairy rings in the garden.

Magic ISN'T a pivotal part of childhood, as a statement of fact, it is YOUR opinion!
Just as you say my opinion is mine, surely that is yours?