Why do people who don't believe in Santa Claus have to be so belligerent about it?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by alum

We are a family that didn't do Santa Claus with our kids. We wanted a faith-based Christmas that focused on the Holy Family. We had issues with the in-laws who insisted on signing gift tags from Santa Claus. My parents thought we were crazy but went along with our wishes.

We didn't want our kids' faith in the existence of God to be shaken once the myth of Santa, et al was revealed. After all, if we perpetuated the Easter Bunny year after year, how is a child to discern that we weren't lying about God?

I never for a second, once I found out about Santa Claus, thought it had anything to do with the existence or non existence of God. Maybe you think about it that way as an adult, but that doesn't mean your kids do.

If you want to skip Santa and focus on the religious side, that's fine, but it's kind of like you're saying if they see Barney on TV and think he's real, not a person in a suit, once they find out they won't believe in God anymore. That's silly.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I never for a second, once I found out about Santa Claus, thought it had anything to do with the existence or non existence of God. Maybe you think about it that way as an adult, but that doesn't mean your kids do.

If you want to skip Santa and focus on the religious side, that's fine, but it's kind of like you're saying if they see Barney on TV and think he's real, not a person in a suit, once they find out they won't believe in God anymore. That's silly.

I kind of picture this dialogue:

The kids: "So you're the ones who fill stockings and leave presents we find on Christmas morning?"

Us parents: "Yes."

The kids: "And you're the ones who put money under our pillows when we lose a tooth?"

Us parents: "Yes."

The kids: "And you leave the stuff from the Easter bunny, too?"

Us parents: "Yes again."

The kids: "And so did you also create the heavens the earth, and everything in them?"

Us parents: "Ummmmmmmmmmm, that would be a big no."

[purpleparrot]

As a child, I was always really skeptical of Santa Clause and actually went looking for proof that he wasn't real. I was the same way with the tooth fairy and Easter bunny-never really convinced. I finally got that proof around age 6 or 7 when I found some presents in my mom's car that were later put under the tree "From Santa" (I think my parents just gave up trying because they knew I was catching on). Then I am pretty sure I told some friends at school that Santa wasn't real and their parents weren't thrilled. Oops.

[christiangirl]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

The kids: "And so did you also create the heavens the earth, and everything in them?"

Us parents: "Ummmmmmmmmmm, that would be a big no."

AAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I don't really want to tell my future kids that there's a Santa because I still remember the day I found out there wasn't one. I had heard it from kids at school and asked my mom, just knowing she'd tell me it wasn't true. I flipped out when she told me the truth--I gave her the "You've been lying to me all this time, we always promise to tell the truth to each other, how could yooooouuuuu!!!!!" speech. LOL, it was a very dramatic day. I don't want to go through that with my kids. If I can find a way to circumvent that, I'll consider it but I don't wanna just cross my fingers and hope they don't react the way I did. But, if I choose to raise them not believing in Santa, I don't want them rabbitting on about it either. There's nothing wrong with other children believing in Santa and my kids don't need to be the little Grinches who blow the whistle on every parent in the neighborhood!