How do you approach traditional characters..such as..Santa Claus and others ? Do you feel they conflict ?
2007-12-04 10:33:32 · 16 answers · asked by Eartha Q 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
This was a hard decision for us. This is what we did. We told our child about the real St. Nick, his generosity and that Santa Claus nowadays is make believe. We told him that Jesus' birth is why we celebrate Christmas and we give gifts to remember the gift God gave us in Christ.
He knows it's Christ's birthday just fine, but nobody can convince him Santa isn't bringing him the gifts.
I don't think they conflict, but I think that Santa, the Easter bunny and all that can detract from the holiday if that's the main focus. I know it's fun though, so we let the kids have fun and supplement it with traditions that talk about the meaning of Christmas. For example, we're not Catholic, but we have an advent wreath and each Sunday we light the advent candle and read scripture about what the candle is symbolizing. We bake a birthday cake for Jesus. We talk about the nativity scene we set up and stuff like that.
2007-12-04 10:50:09 · answer #1 · answered by MikeM 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
As a child who grew up in a Christian I was allowed to believe in Santa Claus and others. But I was also taught about the meanings of Christmas and Easter, and so on.
2007-12-04 10:46:57 · answer #2 · answered by ~Niecey~ 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They do not conflict. The character of Santa Clause is based on the real life Saint Nicholas, a Bishop in 4th century Turkey.
2007-12-04 10:44:27 · answer #3 · answered by 9_ladydi 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I feel like you can totally blend the two... You can tell your child the entire story of christmas... mary and joseph and all that. and you can incorporate santa into it.. like.. jesus sends santa to bring gifts to children.. my parents did that with me and my sister.. as a child.. i knew the real meaning of christmas... but i also knew about santa! i believed in santa til i was about 8 or so.... santa is such a magical thing for a child.. don't take that away!
2007-12-04 10:39:46 · answer #4 · answered by Jason 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
One of the worst abuses of puritanism is making war on Christmas. Sure, we don't know Dec. 25 was Jesus' birthday. Sure, it was once a pagan feast. Sure, there is actually no magical Santa elf who brings presents down the chimney.
So what?
Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ. What better way to celebrate than to feast and give thoughtful gifts to others? What better way to give gifts than to take no credit for them by ascribing their origin to Santa?
Here's what Jesus said in Matthew 6:1-4.
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Santa is an application of "don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing." And the true Christmas spirit includes not just family and friends, but people in need.
Cheers,
Bruce
2007-12-05 06:16:23 · answer #5 · answered by Bruce 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
We simply told the kids the truth. But it didn't go well with parents of some of their friends. For some reason most people feel the need to keep this myth going. Why not simply exchange some small gifts in the family and enjoy the meal together?
2007-12-04 11:34:52 · answer #6 · answered by Mutations Killed Darwin Fish 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you can just tell your kids from teh beginning.. Santa was a real person...he lived hundreds of years ago, rode on a horse-drawn sleigh and passed out peppermint sticks to the children of Russia. and yes, it's true. So, therefore you're not lying...but when they see the dude in teh big red suit, you don't have to come up with an explanation on the spot.
2007-12-04 10:37:22 · answer #7 · answered by Mrs. Cullen 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely, I never teach such things because they take away from Jesus and the true meaning. Just tricks of the devil to further rob God. I believe and feel it is a sin. I tell my son that we give him presents because the wise men and Shepard's gave baby Jesus presents.
2007-12-04 12:12:50 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
As adults we know the truth about false/made up characters... but children love imagination, and as long as they know the true meaning of Christmas, then i believe it is ok to let them believe in the fantasy of Santa...
besides you are Santa
2007-12-04 10:38:49 · answer #9 · answered by wva_butterfly 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
As long as you tell them the true meaning of Christmas. I think it is ok to tell them about the Santa story.
2007-12-04 19:02:00 · answer #10 · answered by Faith 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋