• Replies 182 replies
  • Subscribers 28 subscribers
  • Views 29252 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Is Santa silly?

Arran

I'm writing this as someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas in either a religious or cultural sense. From a young age I was told that Santa doesn't exist and is just a silly hoax that parents play on their kids. It never affected me in any bad way and neither was I expecting to find wrapped presents mysteriously appear on the morning of the 25th day of December. If anybody in my family received a Christmas gift then it was usually opened on the same day. A downside to this is that even from the age of 4 or 5 I went round telling kids at school "Father Christmas isn't real, it's all made up, your parents buy Christmas presents from the shops" which often resulted in me getting into trouble whenever they got upset. I once had to report to the head teacher after completely reducing a classmate to tears.

Is the concept of Santa a silly nonsense or is it part of the joys of childhood? Do you tell your own children the truth or would you prefer to go along with the cultural norm? Is pleasing one's classmates more important than knowing the truth? What about children at school who follow different religions so do not celebrate Christmas - where do they fit in?

Parents

  • Telling children that a fat man in a red suit flies through the air on a sleigh pulled by reindeers and he gives presents to everyone and then coercing them to believe it weakens their mind because logic tells them that it's impossible yet they are being told otherwise and so come to accept a lie, by doing so they lose confidence in logic. It's a minor nail in the coffin along with the tooth fairy and religious miracles, the bogeyman, magic etc... The overall effect is that a vulnerable child with a developing mind has the lines blurred between fact and fiction and can grow up confused and unsure of their own conclusions as opposed to trusting their own judgement based on facts, which help sow the seeds of a wise mind.

Reply

  • Telling children that a fat man in a red suit flies through the air on a sleigh pulled by reindeers and he gives presents to everyone and then coercing them to believe it weakens their mind because logic tells them that it's impossible yet they are being told otherwise and so come to accept a lie, by doing so they lose confidence in logic. It's a minor nail in the coffin along with the tooth fairy and religious miracles, the bogeyman, magic etc... The overall effect is that a vulnerable child with a developing mind has the lines blurred between fact and fiction and can grow up confused and unsure of their own conclusions as opposed to trusting their own judgement based on facts, which help sow the seeds of a wise mind.

Children
No Data