Do you believe in Santa?

[Amy Sweet]

As a gift-crazed child, I thought Santa was a fabulous idea.

And you turned out OK, right?

I mean, you're not greedy, selfish, overly materialistic, or uncaring of the plight of those less fortunate or blind to the world beyond your own wants and needs. You know that love doesn't equal money or presents.

YOu enjoyed Santa, even reveled in your own developementally apporpriate selfishness and greedyness and then grew up to be a lovely wonderful person and one of the favorites here on the AH.

as abstruse said:

I beleive we don't allow our children enough time to be children, they have to be little adults.
They have too many years to be an adult, they need to know that it's okay to have magic and fairy tales.

I think if your going to be a 'good' adult, you need a little bit of time to really be a child in your childhood. If you've ever met someone who didn't have that, you'll see that, although they may have a lot of practice, they actually have a really hard time being adults.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

One of my earliest memories involves me and Santa Claus.

I was about three and for months had been inundated with information about Santa Claus. For some reason, I woke up in the middle of the Christmas Eve (say 2:00 A.M.) and instead of going back to sleep, got out of bed to investigate.

I had crept halfway down the stairs when I saw a light and heard rustling sounds coming from the living room. (My father had bought several toys with “Some assembly required”). I quickly retraced my steps up the stairs and back to my room.

Regaining some courage, I went to peek out the window into the darkness.

It was a snowy, blowy, night and through the bare swaying limbs of the tree beside our house I was absolutely convinced that I saw a red sleigh drawn by reindeer passing through the sky.

Never since then have I ever been as positive of anything at any time as I was on that night that I had just seen Santa Claus.

By the time I entered Grade One, I knew perfectly well that there was no Santa Claus, but that was merely the result of social pressure.

Throughout my life, I have never been as totally convinced by the proof that there is no Santa Claus, as I was upon that night, that there was a Santa Claus.


These days, my proof that there was a Santa Claus, is the part that I had misinterpreted when I was three. I looked outside, and saw flying reindeer drawing Santa through the sky. Had I continued down that staircase and entered the living room, I would have found my father, at 2:00 A. M. Still working to make my Christmas happy.

Don’t tell me there wasn’t a Santa Claus when I was little.

 

[gauchecritic]

Free speech

I think Gauche is about the wisest bloke on this forum.

Perdita

However much you may disagree with what she says I will defend with her life, her right to say it.

 

[fifty5]

Re: Re: Re: Do you believe in Santa?

Funny you should quote that paragraph- that's exactly how I feel about Chrismas. In fact, before I even read this I posted over in the What do you want for Christmas? thread. I said, "magic, nothing more and nothing less." Then I found this article

I'm glad that it had a positive impact on you. Whatever else happens in this thread- at least I will know that it was worth it in some way to somebody.

Merry Christmas fifty5.

Sweet.

Same to you and thanks again.

 

[Bridget69]

Why of course I believe in Santa. You mean he's not real? LOL!

 

[rydia57]

Hi,

Yes, I believe! There are so many people in the world that you can prove exist, yet most don't give a darn... yet everyone knows Santa, they know what he looks like... so, he motvates a person to do so much! A regular party guy!

 

[Belegon]

People often need a motivator, a reason to do things, a reason to believe things.

Santa helps that . Is he misused? Of course. Name someone with a real impact on children who isn't...

Whether it is a ballplayer, a fireman, a teacher or Santa Claus, heroes are a good thing for children.

Heroes fall from grace. Barry Bonds uses steroids, Santa turns out to be a myth.

But traumatic? Please. Discussing Santa will not be traumatic for me or my eldest boy when the time comes. When I had to pick him up from kindergarten and tell him his beloved grandfather was dead, that was trauma.

Santa is a wonderful thing. Ask lil' Spiderman of Cloudy's. Ask my kids. Ask the kids down the block.

We are steadily ruining childhood with our Politically Correct bullshit. Kids can't play ball in the street, or ride bikes in fields, or go anywhere without a dozen waivers being signed. They are overprotected to the point that they are becoming very adult very soon, but are missing some of the lessons we picked up. Then we wonder why they act differently then we did when finally confronted with something we did not allow them to face earlier.

They are not small adults, they are children. Leave some of the magic alone.

I believe in Santa Claus.

 

[Guest]

Of course Santa is real.

As a family we select a family with kids to help (from all those Christmas trees in the mall?) and do our best to supply needed gifts.

As a family we volunteer to ring the bells for Salvation Army - kids love it. We'll do it again this Monday from 5-7, as a matter of fact.

Our daughter knows the Santa truth, our son is still learning, but I love watching her keep the secret as a gift for him.

I love how they picked out gifts for each other and then worried over the wrapping.

We're making Christmas cookies this weekend for school teachers, Sunday school folk, grandparents and friends - they are very serious about their gifts to others.

In our family we use Santa (and the spirit of Christmas) as an example of the good that still exists in people.

And how this time of year people tend to give more, volunteer more, attempt to be nicer to strangers.

Santa is just a symbol. But an important one.