and so it wouldn't ruin their thoughts of christmas
2006-10-11 11:47:36 · 29 answers · asked by Bobbi N 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Christmas
and what if they are an only child....they cannot quite play santa to the other kids....then what would i do
2006-10-13 07:52:03 · update #1
When my niece flat-out asked me "Is Santa Claus real?" I answered "If you mean 'Is there a spirit of giving and togetherness that encourages people to be nice towards each other during this time of year?', yes, Santa Claus is very real. If you mean 'Is there literally a guy in a red suit that comes down your chimney and leaves presents under the tree?', then no."
2006-10-11 11:52:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋
Explanations should be given at the age of 10 or 11 years old. In my country, Romania, children are told about "Santa" being mother and father in primary school. Children who know it tell the others and so it would ruin Christmas anyway. But Christmas is the celebration of Jesus Christ and not Santa Claus (which is a distorted pronounciation for "Saint Nicholas").
2006-10-12 07:09:58 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When my daughter asked I told her that there was a Santa at one time many years ago and that now Santa Claus is the spirit of giving.
Now that I'm a grandmother I do wonder if telling a child that there is a Santa is a good idea or not. I'm not saying it's a bad idea either...I just don't know.
2006-10-11 11:53:04 · answer #3 · answered by DeborahDel 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't ruin that for a child. Wait until the child begins to have doubts and comes to you. Do not let the child know that there is not a Santa until you are sure that they are sure. Then expain how there really was a Saint Nicholas and bring the child up to date. And make sure that the child knows not to ruin Christmas for others once they have figured it out.
2006-10-11 15:35:31 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I would try to let them find out on their own. My dad told me and my brother when I was 8 and my brother was 6. We had a new baby brother and he said we could "help" play Santa. My brother said, "Oh, OK" and went out to play. I was devastated. My mom was furious at my dad for telling us and they got into a huge fight. I have always wished he wouldn't have told us.
However, when my son was 7 or 8 I did tell him. I didn't want to but my husband was worried that he would be made fun of at school for still believing. I started out by talking about the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy which I was pretty sure he could accept and then he brought up Santa himself. If I remember correctly he had been asking us about Santa for a while. He wasn't mad at us for "lying" to him. He thought it was a neat thing for parents to do and felt sorry for the kids whose parents wouldn't let them have that fantasy for a few years. We have also always stressed the religious theme in our house and shared the correlation of gift giving with the giving of the Kings.
2006-10-14 16:36:37 · answer #5 · answered by wolfmusic 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Santa is the kind of thing that adults do to themselves that gets them a kick in the butt. You love your kids so much that you really lie to them to make them happy. I wouldn't emphasize a belief in Santa, but if the child already believes in him, you don't want to let them down either by saying he's fake.
Tell them about the origins of the Santa "idea" or how Santa myths began...I'm sure you've heard some tales... some kind man who gave presents to good kids, etc. Tell them that grownups like to pretend just like kids do when they play. Tell them that they get their presents from their aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc and they just like to give Santa the credit (because its more important to give, than to receive).
Just don't wait until he kid is all excited about Christmas and SANTA to break the news PLUS stay away from movies like Miracle on 34th Street or The Santa Claus! Save those movies for after your talk and explain to them that people just love the Santa idea (giving gifts to good deserving children) so much that they cant help pretending.
Good luck.
2006-10-12 17:42:50 · answer #6 · answered by Sue J 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
you may proportion here scriptures along with your grandmother. Ezekiel 18:4 for each residing soul belongs to me, the daddy besides because of the fact the son—the two alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the only which will die. Ezekiel 18:19-20 "yet you ask, 'Why does the son no longer proportion the guilt of his father?' because of the fact the son has finished what's in basic terms and proper and has been careful to maintain all my decrees, he will truly stay. The soul who sins is the only which will die. The son won't proportion the guilt of the daddy, nor will the daddy proportion the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous guy would be credited to him, and the wickedness of the depraved would be charged against him. additionally ask your grandmother the place contained in the Holy Bible does it point out baptizing little ones? i'm a christian and so I understand that your g-ma needs you to have faith in God and Jesus, yet people would desire to be sufficiently previous to make that decision on their own.
2016-10-02 05:05:42 · answer #7 · answered by hobin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
say that santa had to move on to other people and that he knows that the child knows that they will keep the christmas spirit up.
I dont know. starting since age 5 I've found all the christmas presents stash. I've kept it up for like 5 years now.
2006-10-13 08:06:05 · answer #8 · answered by the new cookie cutter style 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I read a story to my kids from a book called "And the angels were silent" by Max Lucado. It had a wonderful chapter on who the real St. Nicholas was and what he did for a family in his village that started the whole stocking and chimney tradition. It helped allot without bursting any bubbles.
I didn't want to lie to them, but to let them know that there really was such a man who did such great things, but he was not all knowing and all seeing and eternal...those belong to God.
By the way, the rest of the book is real good too.............
2006-10-11 20:08:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I will only say this - I NEVER lied to my children, and told them there was a Santa Claus! I told them the REAL REASON that there was a Christmas! I taught them that giving gifts was symbolic of the gifts that were brought to the baby Jesus. It never hurt their feelings, or ruined their thoughts of Christmas, either! They knew who bought their gifts with hard earned money, even when we really couldn't afford to, because we love them! No fairy-tale made up character that got the credit for doing more than their own parents in our house! And it helped to not set a precedent of telling lies, when it came time to teach them about God and Jesus! We didn't have to worry that they were thinking that since we lied about Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny (none of THAT nonsense here, either!), that we were lying about biblical things, too. We were always proud of them when they would hear that made-up Santa stuff and laugh about it, and other kids that believed it.
2006-10-11 12:08:30 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋