Let’s Get Real About… Santa!
We are about to cover a hot topic here, so first thing first, YOU know what’s best for your family. These are just my thoughts on a ~spicy~ topic.
A couple weeks ago, I came across a post titled “One Thing You Can Do so Your Child Won’t Fall Victim to an Abusive Relationship.” As someones who’s been in an abusive relationship in the past, this obviously caught my attention. The one thing it said, was to never lie to children, EVER. I thought,”that’s easy?” Until the next paragraph pointed out something I never thought twice about…
Santa. Easter Bunny. Tooth Fairy. You get the gist.
This got my wheels turning and I did a deep dive into this topic. Here are a few things that lead me to the conclusion of not lying to my girls about anything, including made-up characters:
It can risk the way they view Jesus
I spoke to my aunt, who is very insightful on this topic. She had said, “We want to raise our kids with the focus on Christ, and not on Santa. We felt that if we had to tell them someday that Santa was fake, they may wonder if Jesus was fake, too. We never wanted to mislead our children into thinking anyone, other than Jesus Christ, can behold their actions at all times. No one is powerful like Him.” After looking at it from that point of view, Brandon and I decided it wasn’t worth it to risk the way the girls view Jesus.
It can cause my kids not to trust
I want my kids to always trust me. A woman of the truth, @ruthantherapy, once said that when my girls find out the truth, they may feel like they have to go back over everything I’ve told them and try to decipher what’s real and what’s not! That’s so scary to me! I would hate for my kids to feel like they can’t trust me.
It damages the worldview of faith
The more I researched it, I found this post from @theberenmillenial that pointed out, “Santa damages a biblical worldview of faith.” We teach our children that God is everywhere and knows everything, but so does Santa?? The Bible says we’re not saved by our own works, but Santa labels us good or bad by our works?? It goes on and on. It breaks my heart!
It’s creepy
Lastly, let’s talk about how creepy it really is. This man sneaks into your home? While you’re sleeping? But only if you’re good all year? And it’s just okay? Like let’s just not normalize this.
Now that we’ve given you all this information, think and pray it over with your family! Stay tuned for future blogs with ideas on Santa alternatives and other fun Christmas traditions.