Yeah, so I have post ideas, and then I just never open the Dashboard to write them. I get sidetracked with the kids, and don't comment on blogs as well (but rest assured I still read every post in my Google Reader and open most of them thinking I will comment later). Here is one topic I have been thinking about:
I am glad we haven't done the Santa thing. Reading and seeing things on Facebook makes me really glad we don't want the pictures of the kids with the jolly man. The lines. The grumpy Santas. The kids scared of the big man. Yeah, I don't think it is worth it. Now, there are some good pics of kids with Santa too. But, they are not the majority!
So why haven't we done Santa? Well, there was no way AJU5 would have had a picture with Santa before her first Christmas as she got home from the hospital 4 days before and was still on oxygen. Plus, it wasn't even on my radar that year, as I was still recovering from all the insanity that was her birth.
Then there is the whole lying/hiding/being secretive thing. I just don't think it is worth it. I want the kids to actually thank the person who got them things - and you can't really thank Santa... Okay, you could write a thank you card, but it isn't the same. And I am not great at being secretive anyways, so it would be difficult for me.
And then there is the part where we don't go all out at Christmas anyways. With their birthdays so close to Christmas, we only get them a few things. They get enough toys from family that they don't need more and won't really appreciate it, especially at this age.
And then at this age,t hey don't get it anyways really. AJU5 has been watching Saint Nicholas - the Veggie Tales version - a lot lately. Maybe she has a little idea that there is a person called Santa now. But, before that show she was completely clueless. She saw a few Santa decorations, and she thought they were Noah (since she has a few Noah books and a Noah Little People set). It would be a battle to get her to completely understand Santa even at 3, so it is just easier.
Now I just have to remember not to ruin it for my nephews that still believe. Last year I almost blew it because I was telling my sister how the kids only got a few things from us, including the things in the stockings. Luckily the boys weren't listening closely...
2 comments:
I was not raised with Santa, and that was not a problem for me at all. Due to my Mom's very rough childhood, she swore she would NEVER lie to her children, so Santa was not an option. She did many things to make Christmas a special time, full of fun family traditions, including teaching us about ways Christmas was celebrated around the world. Santa was explained as we were older, but we were advised to not spoil it for our friends, because we would not want to spoil another family's traditions.
We did not "do" Santa with our own children, as I failed to see the point of it. Our kids understand him as a character, much like Dora or Mickey Mouse. We have some pictures with Santa from company Christmas parties, but that is not an annual tradition for us. Some kids are scared of folks dressed up like that, whether it is Santa, Mickey Mouse, or a sports mascot.
This year was the first year I even thought about taking Kyle to visit Santa and then stopped thinking about it in about 2 seconds. He wouldn't really understand and probably be scared anyways. I would rather teach him about the birth of Christ and the spirit of giving...
I wasn't raised with Santa either. My grandparents would always sign our gifts "from Santa" but I knew they were really from them. My husband was raised with Santa. I don't know if he ever really believed in him but his mom has pictures of them on Santa's lap every year and his sister still talks about Santa.
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