When I was a kid, it seemed like a rite of passage to visit Santa, share my dream gift list and then stay up as late as I could on Christmas Eve hoping to hear Santa’s reindeer landing on my roof. Then we’d wake up early, sometimes before sunrise, to see what Santa left for us. Of course, at some point we discovered that Santa wasn’t real. It was just another step in the rite of passage.
Until recently, I didn’t know that so many people were questioning whether to continue the tradition of Santa, or to tell their children from the beginning that Santa is a fairy tale. Lately, it seems like everywhere I turn, someone has made the decision to tell their children that Santa is make-believe, or is at least trying to decide what to do.
So, I wanted to bring this question forward to my readers to hear your thoughts: Is Santa part of your family’s Christmas tradition?
Vote in the poll below and then elaborate on your vote in the comments. I’ll share my thoughts with you after the results are in.
About Chrystal Johnson
Chrystal, publisher of Happy Mothering, is a mother of two sweet girls who believes in living a simple, natural lifestyle. A former marketing manager, Chrystal spends her time researching green and eco-friendly alternatives to improve her family's life. She enjoys sharing those discoveries with anyone who's willing to listen.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I voted “undecided” because we are mixed. My inclination is to treat Santa as a story, but the way I treat stories from other religions. Some people believe it’s true and others don’t, and it’s not our place to tell other people that it’s not true. We can all decide for ourselves. My husband, however, wants to say that Santa is real just for the fun of it.
Our compromise so far is that I just try to talk about it while refraining from actually saying that it’s true. I’m not going to be a “spoiler”, but I’m not going to lie either. I have a lot of trouble with the lying aspect of it. I definitely won’t be one of those moms concocting elaborite schemes aimed at proving that Santa is real.
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We love the tradition of Santa Claus. I believe as long as my kids know the real reason behind the holiday they can enjoy the story of the toy maker who wanted to bring joy to all of the children in the world.
Hi,
We do not celebrate Christmas with Santa in the traditional American sense. I am American, just to clarify since I stated in the American traditional sense. We do celebrate our Christmas with Santa, but as St. Nicholas, who he truly was, and how the fairy-tale of Santa even began to begin with. My children know that St. Nicholas was a real person, and most importantly they know WHY St. Nicholas gave gifts. We keep ONLY CHRIST at the center of our Christmas celebrations!
I believe Christmas has become so commercialized and the image and idea of Santa so commercialized that they hold no true meaning of value for a Christ-centered Christmas if we do not share the true and real story of St. Nicholas.
That is my personal opinion, and our decision and way we treat it.
Peace and Blessings,
Leigh Anne DuChene
I think you’d be robbing your kids of some special memories if you were to tell them that Santa doesn’t exist from the start. Like the author of this post, I remember the excitement of Christmas Eve as a kid, calling the National Weather Service to see if they’d spotted the big guy on radar, listening to my mom read The Night Before Christmas, and hearing my Dad joking tell us that it didn’t look like Santa came when he went downstairs to let the dogs out in the morning!
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