So I am very much on the fence in regards to telling my girls about Santa. For reference throughout this post, Anaya is 3 and Breanne is 1. Not quite old enough to fully understand, but one would assume that at least Anaya is old enough to grasp the concept.
Well, either we just don't talk it up enough, or Anaya really doesn't get it. Because she hasn't been asking about Santa. Just like she hasn't been asking for a Bratz doll or anything like that. We're a television free household until Daddy gets home in the evenings. There is the occasional movie and of course some PBS here and there. But all that's done is make Anaya's favorite show "Word World".
I digress. As MarvMan has been wrapping the presents, he's been putting them directly under the tree. Not that he's been wrapping a lot of presents, but you get the idea. Presents come in from his family, and they're directly under the tree. Which leaves me sitting here going...
Have we ruined Santa for the girls?
I remember sitting up when I was younger, staring at the bare spots beneath the tree and willing them to fill up with presents. As though even back then I believed I had some sort of advanced mind control powers. Here's where the whole image gets me, though...
The focus was never on Santa. Where was it? On the question "what am I gonna get?" What's the fat man gonna bring me?
Which - if you've been chatting with me recently, you'll know this already - has been making me question the entire concept of Santa all together. It's not about the altruism of a jolly saint anymore. It's not about being grateful that you've got something - which means you were on the good list. Remember, if you ever believed in Santa, all the anxiety associated with Christmas Eve? You may have thought you were on the good list, but suddenly all your bad deeds of the past year have come back to haunt you. Had you made right on them enough to get that ten speed mountain bike?
Now, every kid gets a present. We can't not give a child a present. Even if they've been a heinous beast all year, we don't want to damage their precious self-image. There's no fear of not getting anything. They see the catalogs and the sales, they hear Mommy and Daddy fighting about the credit card bills. They know this is the one holiday that just might beat out their birthday. And that's all they care about. Getting the next big toy, more toys than their friends, and the "gimme gimme gimme".
The actors may have changed, but the special effects are still just that. Effects and photoshopping and CGI. It's lost all magic, all appeal and, quite frankly, is making me consider not celebrating Christmas at all. Yule would be much more honorific to our German heritage anyway. Santa seems to have become just like gift giving was - over commercialized, over sold, with too much flash and lights.
Gift giving had been wearing me out until I discovered the joy of making gifts for my family members. More on that in another post, though.
Now, though, I've got to close to get back to house work and the wrapping of Christmas presents. But until then, I'm left with more questions.
How can I solve my Santa conundrum?
Is there anyone else out there who feels like this?
I think if you want them to believe, you might want to play it up more. Get you a video or two of Christmas movies to show them, or at least get out with them a little more during the month of December to show them Santa and all the stuff in the stores (lights, displays, etc.).
ReplyDeleteWe don't do most of the presents from us, and Santa brings them that ONE special gift they want.
I know a lot of families have it to were Santa brings them all the gifts, but we don't. The one from Santa is not wrapped, and it's sitting out for the first them for them to see when they wake up in the morning.
Because Brax saw one show where Santa brought all the presents, he wakes up every morning and says "No, no presents from Santa yet." Well, the reason there aren't presents under the tree yet is because the dummy gifts that I put under there just to test to see if they'd be torn into... were found around the house! :) SO.. the presents are wrapped (because of snoopy Kylie) in a bag in our closet.
But yeah, they're still a little young, but I think this year you could probably have a pic of Santa or something and say... "While you were Sleeping... Santa brought...." and then next year play it up more.
Bre will catch on from Anaya eventually! :)
BIG HUGS! It can be really fun once they do catch on! :)
Oh and... Santa makes all the toys.. haha.. even if it's the same toys you see in the store. So we have to make sure they are tag free. Santa also leaves all the stuff in the stockings as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's a personal decision for your own family. This is our take and what we do and have no problems with what others do in regards to Santa - just want to clarify first.
ReplyDeleteWe personally don't do or plan to do Santa because for one that is not the reason for Christmas and we don't want our kids to grow up to think Christmas is all about getting gifts and pretty much all of the materialism that the world has put into Christmas. We do plan on doing gifts, though nothing super elaborate. But not because they are "naughty or nice" - because we love them and as a representation of how God loves us and even though we don't deserve much, he gave us the best gift, his son Jesus Christ. And while we keep that in our hearts every day, it's the day that is chosen to celebrate his birth w/ many others. And we want to teach them it's more about giving than receiving.
They will still know about Santa and will be asked not to spoil it for others because I know many have grown up to enjoy believing in Santa. I did until I found out my mother lied to me and I was actually very hurt by that. But I think I'm just a person who is more sensitive about stuff like that.
But I agree w/ Lisa - if you want them to believe in Santa and be excited about that, it probably should be built up more about "Santa" coming and all that stuff.