[SirCastor]

My girlfriend and I have been having this conversation recently. We don't have kids, but we expect to someday (after marriage) and one of her friends is fixed that her kids aren't going to have Santa Clause. A big part of it has to do with Christmas being a holiday really about Christ, but that's not so much what I want to discuss here. The other part of it is about telling your kids that someone is giving them big expensive presents, rather than just telling them that you purchased the gifts for them, and allowing your children to be grateful to you, rather than a myth.

It's something that I've never really considered before. I figured I would always do the Santa Clause thing. Just because it's fun, and magical, and etc etc.

But after giving it some thought, I'm not sure there's a whole lot of value (other than commercial) in continuing Santa. (Excepting maybe that it would feel weird without him)

My girlfriend did say that if we do Santa, then I actually have to give my kids coal one year...

What do you guys think?

[nonhuman]

If/when I have kids, I don't plan on lying to them. They'll hear nothing but the truth from me: that the world was created in 14 days by a merciless and cruel rabbit who, once a year at the Vernal Equinox, sneaks from yard to yard hiding eggs that, if not found and destroyed, will hatch into evil platypi that kill children in their sleep.

[Wiskedjak]

All hail the merciless and cruel rabbit

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak 

All hail the merciless and cruel rabbit

His name is Floppy.

[Dark Helmet]

Do you think kids give a **** about the background story? All they know is they want gifts and they better get em'. As a kid I didn't care if Hitler came down my chimney as long as he brought Transformers.


If you play it on the whole "teaching them value" level all they will learn is they their friends got presents and they didn't. And naturally they will hate you for it.

[PowerPc = Pwnage]

You honestly think that telling them is a bad idea? You obviously do not want your kids to have any imagination whatsoever if you do crap like that, its ok to lie to them if it will benefit them later when they thank you for allowing them to have a creative mind when they get older, which is what allows for a well rounded person, not just good grades. Like if my friend said he was going to rob a store, I would lie to him and tell him it is open late if it would help him make a better decision, like that, its not cruel. If you don't want to tell them the story of Santa or the Kwanzaabot (see Futurama for reference) or the easter buny etc, you're just lazy and/or don't care.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by PowerPc = Pwnage 

You honestly think that telling them is a bad idea? You obviously do not want your kids to have any imagination whatsoever if you do crap like that, its ok to lie to them if it will benefit them later when they thank you for allowing them to have a creative mind when they get older, which is what allows for a well rounded person, not just good grades. Like if my friend said he was going to rob a store, I would lie to him and tell him it is open late if it would help him make a better decision, like that, its not cruel. If you don't want to tell them the story of Santa or the Kwanzaabot (see Futurama for reference) or the easter buny etc, you're just lazy and/or don't care.

Grow up. It is possible for kids to be imaginative without lying to them. I never remember my parents pushing Santa that much, but I remember my mom writing 'From: Santa' on the tags when I was old enough to recognize her handwriting and know it was her, it was more of a joke by then.

[PowerPc = Pwnage]

You never remember your parents pushing santa so much? Maybe that explains your point of view on the subject, and why you're an engineer, not an artist.

[Face Ache]

My kids get most of their presents from us (duh!), but Santa brings the really cool toys.

[KeriVit]

I think Santa is fun. By the time they know who Santa is- happens to be about the same age they MIGHT actually be thankful for a gift and who gave it to them. Santa is just a way to get through the thankless years. Might as well make them fun.

[mac128k-1984]

I have two issues with satan clause, err I mean santa clause.

First we (my and my wife) value honesty and we both cannot reconcile the fact that we are lying and in a few years we'll have to explain that in this instance it was ok to lie. That doens't seem to jive with us. If we expect out kids to be honest then we need to be.

The second and more important reason why we won't be telling our girls about santa clause and that's because its Christmas not Santamas. The reason for the holiday is to celebrate the birth of Christ and we want to focus on that and not the commercialization, and materialism that is currently Christmas.

[Chuckit]

My parents always told me about Santa, but as soon as I asked them if Santa was real or if it was just a legend, they told me the truth. I think that's a good way to preserve the fun without being dishonest.

[Atomic Rooster]

Christmas is a pagen holiday. Damn Christians took it over and changed it into a shopping extravaganza.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) - Cite This Source
ex‧trav‧a‧gan‧za  [ik-strav-uh-gan-zuh] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1. a musical or dramatic composition or production, as comic opera or musical comedy, marked by a loose structure, a frivolous theme, and elaborate costuming and staging.
2. any lavish or opulent show, event, assemblage, etc.: an extravaganza of new housewares on the twelfth floor.

[mac1896]

So ya wanna tell your kids all about Santa and what a jolly old fella he is, huh.

Go ahead, tell 'em.

But one day this will be your kid, and then you'll have some 'splainin to do !

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by PowerPc = Pwnage 

You never remember your parents pushing santa so much? Maybe that explains your point of view on the subject, and why you're an engineer, not an artist.

Show me more than your own conjecture to back this up and I'll believe you. BTW neither of my sisters are engineers. I took a liking to Legos and Erector sets as a young kid. Those involve TONS of creativity and I really like stuff like that...hence I'm going into Mechanical Engineering.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

As a kid I didn't care if Hitler came down my chimney as long as he brought Transformers.

Hitler did come down my chimnet one year.

He brought me Go-Bots.

So I kicked him in the nuts.

[Railroader]

We are simply explaining it in the historical context of who Santa Claus is originated from. Ask my daughter why we celebrate Christmas and she'll say "It's jesus' birthday." Ask her why we celebrate Jesus' birthday and she'll say "Because he loves us."

We explain Santa to her as a tradition based upon the historical context of a man who gave children gifts based upon their need.

She's three. She has a better grasp on this stuff than most 20 year olds.

[- - e r i k - -]

Stop spelling it Santa Clause for a start, that's a title of a crappy movie trilogy.

[- - e r i k - -]

But you don't explain to her that celebrating Jesus' birthday arbitrarily on December 25th as a tradition based upon the historical context of it coinciding with pre-christian pagan winter and sun celebrations like Yule and Saturnalia by Pope Julius I to ease the spread of Christianity?

After all, she could grasp that better than most twenty year olds I guess

[mitchell_pgh]

Santa only brought me socks and underwear...