The Truth about Santa

Before Brett and I got married we discussed our thoughts on Santa vs. no Santa. Now that we’ve been married for nearly 4 years and Hyrum is 2 ½ it’s time for me to rethink the subject. In my mind I’ve seen it as Lies vs. Truth and nothing more. I was never taught to believe in the Big Man and as a child made fun of kids who were ‘deceived’ by lying parents. Brett thinks it’s sad, but I think I was given a healthy dose of truth. Despite what backgrounds Brett and I came from I’ve decided to seek out my real feelings on the subject and record it for posterity.

My biggest argument on the subject has been commercialism and how much Christ is taken out of Christmas, leaving Santa Clause more celebrated and credited for all the joy and spirit of the season. I don’t like it at all. I want our children’s first thoughts when they hear Christmas to be the baby Jesus born under a star in a stable a long time ago. And because of His birth we celebrate by giving gifts like the wise men and putting lights on our house just like the star to light the way. With that said, now I need to give myself a reality check. Hyrum has been going to the nursery in our church for about a year now and usually when we talk about nursery or church, the first thing he says is ‘Toys! Play!’. It isn’t Jesus, Hymns, or scripture stories that come to mind. . . in fact it probably isn’t even the second or third thing he thinks of either. Are we doing something wrong? No. Young children just don’t fully understand circumstance or consequence, they understand instances of gratification. It’s in the first eight years that we teach them habit and right vs. wrong, it’s not until later that the dots of understanding connect the why’s of life. So expecting a child in their first few years to get excited about someone they’ve never met and don’t fully understand might be a bit unrealistic. Santa Clause, however, is a happy grandpa-figure that children can understand. They can sit on his lap and listen to his big laugh and tell him about things that will give them instant gratification. I can see the big appeal. I don’t think believing that there is a person that dedicates his life to giving gifts and bringing happiness is bad. It’s a great example for children to learn selflessness from. I’m okay with introducing this kind of Santa to our kids. I’ll go along with the whole reindeer, North Pole, and chimney elaborations that have been created over time as parents dug themselves deeper into something they didn’t know how to get out of. Basically, I’ve come to the conclusion that I believe in the theory of Santa Clause, and will not be opposed to our children learning and getting excited about him as their hearts and minds prepare to learn and understand more about the true meaning of Christmas.

So, someday when Hyrum comes to me and really wants to know if Santa is real my response will be something like this:

The Santa Claus that you know is a combination of many different legends and mythical creatures. A lot of what we know about the real man is taken from Bishop Nicholas of Smyrna. Nicholas lived in the 4th century A.D. He was very rich, generous, and loved children. People knew him by all the joy he gave to poor children by throwing gifts in through their windows. He was a real man that did wonderful, generous things. When he died no one wanted to forget the happy feelings that he gave, so they celebrated and remembered him by doing the same thing for their children. We still do it today. He doesn’t live in the North Pole or have reindeer, but he does live in Heaven with Heavenly Father. People wanted his life to be celebrated forever and so they decided to celebrate him the same time they celebrated the birth of Jesus, because Jesus made is possible for us to live forever. Jesus Christ made it possible for us to live eternally in Heaven. He gave us the greatest gifts that we can ever get, so it’s a great time to celebrate giving and people who give to others. I believe in Jesus Christ, but I also think that St. Nickolas (or Santa Clause) is just as real. St. Nickolas felt the Spirit of Christ as he gave what he had, just as the Savior gave everything he had. So, is Santa Clause real. . . yes! just not in the way that you thought.