The Santa myth: harmless fun, or a myth that harms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Santa Claus as a character and a fun idea is great — meaning the Santa that inhabits the world of some adults because they choose to enjoy him, the way other people enjoy the idea of Batman or Superman or any other of the myriad of available fictional reference points.

Santa as a real person on the order of a divine being with near-omniscience, the power to reward and punish, etc., is not so great, in no small part because there comes a day when kids “figure out” he’s mythical and that they’ve been lied to by the people it is most important for them to be able to trust unconditionally.

I had no interest in the Santa “thing” for our DC. Unfortunately, the school chose to insert it into our lives. I’d rather that hadn’t occurred.

Nobody I know has ever threatened their kids with Santa. You people have lost your marbles.

“He sees you when you’re sleeping;
He knows when you’re awake;
He knows if you’ve been bad or good;
So be good, for goodness sake.”

Coal/switches in the stocking.

Santa has a dark side.

Again, nothing wrong with happy, jolly elves everybody admits are fantasy. But lying to kids is wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Santa Claus as a character and a fun idea is great — meaning the Santa that inhabits the world of some adults because they choose to enjoy him, the way other people enjoy the idea of Batman or Superman or any other of the myriad of available fictional reference points.

Santa as a real person on the order of a divine being with near-omniscience, the power to reward and punish, etc., is not so great, in no small part because there comes a day when kids “figure out” he’s mythical and that they’ve been lied to by the people it is most important for them to be able to trust unconditionally.

I had no interest in the Santa “thing” for our DC. Unfortunately, the school chose to insert it into our lives. I’d rather that hadn’t occurred.

Nobody I know has ever threatened their kids with Santa. You people have lost your marbles.

“He sees you when you’re sleeping;
He knows when you’re awake;
He knows if you’ve been bad or good;
So be good, for goodness sake.”

Coal/switches in the stocking.

Santa has a dark side.

Again, nothing wrong with happy, jolly elves everybody admits are fantasy. But lying to kids is wrong.

Wait, I thought you didn’t believe in Santa? How can he be dark?

[Anonymous]

Threatening kids to be good for gifts? Is that what we want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Threatening kids to be good for gifts? Is that what we want?

Some people do and some people don’t. I guess you don’t and that’s ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Threatening kids to be good for gifts? Is that what we want?

You know Christmas is near when the haters come out in force with bizarre accusations like this.

Next up: the insane Horus and Mithras poster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think Santa is harmful to children? Do you tell your kids there’s no Santa because you want them thinking logically and rationally?

How do we keep our kids safe and logical when Santa keeps threatening their independent and reality based lives with presents and candy we all know he doesn’t bring?

I think its like telling kids that lying is okay, being overweight is okay, expecting and taking free things from strangers is okay, sneaking into other people's homes is okay, discriminating against kids of other religions is okay etc.

However, a lot of traditions in a lot of religions are stupid so why single out this one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Santa Claus as a character and a fun idea is great — meaning the Santa that inhabits the world of some adults because they choose to enjoy him, the way other people enjoy the idea of Batman or Superman or any other of the myriad of available fictional reference points.

Santa as a real person on the order of a divine being with near-omniscience, the power to reward and punish, etc., is not so great, in no small part because there comes a day when kids “figure out” he’s mythical and that they’ve been lied to by the people it is most important for them to be able to trust unconditionally.

I had no interest in the Santa “thing” for our DC. Unfortunately, the school chose to insert it into our lives. I’d rather that hadn’t occurred.

Nobody I know has ever threatened their kids with Santa. You people have lost your marbles.

“He sees you when you’re sleeping;
He knows when you’re awake;
He knows if you’ve been bad or good;
So be good, for goodness sake.”

Coal/switches in the stocking.

Santa has a dark side.

Again, nothing wrong with happy, jolly elves everybody admits are fantasy. But lying to kids is wrong.

So you take one single jingle and try to make it represent all of Santa? I mean, I never misled my own kids about Santa, and my dad was adamant that nobody tell us Santa was real (because apparently it was hard for him to learn the truth). But obsessing about one single jingle is ... bizarre.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think Santa is harmful to children? Do you tell your kids there’s no Santa because you want them thinking logically and rationally?

How do we keep our kids safe and logical when Santa keeps threatening their independent and reality based lives with presents and candy we all know he doesn’t bring?

I think its like telling kids that lying is okay, being overweight is okay, expecting and taking free things from strangers is okay, sneaking into other people's homes is okay, discriminating against kids of other religions is okay etc.

However, a lot of traditions in a lot of religions are stupid so why single out this one.

DP. Do you feel this passionately about the Tooth Fairy? About Halloween, where kids take free things from strangers?

I really doubt you have kids.

[Anonymous]

My husband’s mom didn’t let him believe in Santa, for religious reasons. He still think it’s really lame and judges her for it - childhood is supposed to be special and magical

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Santa Claus as a character and a fun idea is great — meaning the Santa that inhabits the world of some adults because they choose to enjoy him, the way other people enjoy the idea of Batman or Superman or any other of the myriad of available fictional reference points.

Santa as a real person on the order of a divine being with near-omniscience, the power to reward and punish, etc., is not so great, in no small part because there comes a day when kids “figure out” he’s mythical and that they’ve been lied to by the people it is most important for them to be able to trust unconditionally.

I had no interest in the Santa “thing” for our DC. Unfortunately, the school chose to insert it into our lives. I’d rather that hadn’t occurred.

Nobody I know has ever threatened their kids with Santa. You people have lost your marbles.

“He sees you when you’re sleeping;
He knows when you’re awake;
He knows if you’ve been bad or good;
So be good, for goodness sake.”

Coal/switches in the stocking.

Santa has a dark side.

Again, nothing wrong with happy, jolly elves everybody admits are fantasy. But lying to kids is wrong.

Saint Nicholas was a 4th century bishop who was apparently exceptionally generous.

The song you're quoting, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," was recorded in 1934 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus_Is_Comin'_to_Town). Maybe around the same time people started having fun with tales about the North Pole and reindeer.

Are you stark raving mad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think Santa is harmful to children? Do you tell your kids there’s no Santa because you want them thinking logically and rationally?

How do we keep our kids safe and logical when Santa keeps threatening their independent and reality based lives with presents and candy we all know he doesn’t bring?

I think its like telling kids that lying is okay, being overweight is okay, expecting and taking free things from strangers is okay, sneaking into other people's homes is okay, discriminating against kids of other religions is okay etc.

However, a lot of traditions in a lot of religions are stupid so why single out this one.

DP. Do you feel this passionately about the Tooth Fairy? About Halloween, where kids take free things from strangers?

I really doubt you have kids.

Having kids or religion has little to do with criticizing Santa, Halloween, tooth fairy etc.

[Anonymous]

It's puzzling that Santa gives expensive gifts to rich kids, cheap junk to poor kids, coal to troubled kids and nothing if your parents doesn't approve of him.

In theory, its an lovely tradition but details are puzzling and on top of that, consumerism messed it up like other things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think Santa is harmful to children? Do you tell your kids there’s no Santa because you want them thinking logically and rationally?

How do we keep our kids safe and logical when Santa keeps threatening their independent and reality based lives with presents and candy we all know he doesn’t bring?

I think its like telling kids that lying is okay, being overweight is okay, expecting and taking free things from strangers is okay, sneaking into other people's homes is okay, discriminating against kids of other religions is okay etc.

However, a lot of traditions in a lot of religions are stupid so why single out this one.

DP. Do you feel this passionately about the Tooth Fairy? About Halloween, where kids take free things from strangers?

I really doubt you have kids.

Having kids or religion has little to do with criticizing Santa, Halloween, tooth fairy etc.

Pointing out this is the religion forum on a parenting web site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think Santa is harmful to children? Do you tell your kids there’s no Santa because you want them thinking logically and rationally?

How do we keep our kids safe and logical when Santa keeps threatening their independent and reality based lives with presents and candy we all know he doesn’t bring?

I think its like telling kids that lying is okay, being overweight is okay, expecting and taking free things from strangers is okay, sneaking into other people's homes is okay, discriminating against kids of other religions is okay etc.

However, a lot of traditions in a lot of religions are stupid so why single out this one.

DP. Do you feel this passionately about the Tooth Fairy? About Halloween, where kids take free things from strangers?

I really doubt you have kids.

Having kids or religion has little to do with criticizing Santa, Halloween, tooth fairy etc.

So you have no kids and no religion. Which means you're completely unqualified to tell anybody else to junk Santa or Halloween (which btw is about as secular these days as it gets).

You can sit down now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's puzzling that Santa gives expensive gifts to rich kids, cheap junk to poor kids, coal to troubled kids and nothing if your parents doesn't approve of him.

In theory, its an lovely tradition but details are puzzling and on top of that, consumerism messed it up like other things.

Yes, as a Christian I have to agree that the consumerism sucks. None of that, including the gift giving, is in the Bible (except for the three wise men, but that's different). But as for the disparity in gifts, take it up with capitalism.