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I grew up believing in Santa...really believing in Santa...even when I knew the truth my mom always told me that I wouldn't get any presents if I said he wasn't real.
I very quickly became an anti-Santa fan...no Santa Clause would be in our house. I wanted our children to know the real meaning of Christmas. I wanted them to know that it is way, way, way, more than just getting gifts.
It was easy for the last few years to avoid Santa...our kids were little...they had no clue.
But wouldn't you guess the mom that dislikes Santa would have a daughter who is 100%, completely over the moon about the man in the big red suit and everything Christmas.
We talk about the Nativity story...and about Jesus...and the real meaning of Christmas. She knows the facts...
Then came the whole Santa issue...I did it...I looked her in the eyes and proceed to tell her that while St. Nicholas was a wonderful man who lived along time ago, helped children, did great works for God...the Santas we see today are not real...
It was then I was interrupted by... "oh momma your so silly, of course Santa is real."
that was it...my attempt to rid her of Santa...I couldn't continue and take away her joy... I chicken out. Santa is here to stay.
So I guess if you can't beat 'em join 'em...
Do you/will you do the whole Santa thing?
Aww, that's cute. I probably wouldn't have pushed it either. lol We've done Santa for the past few years. My oldest is three and we just decided this year to stop doing it. He's so young, that we can basically just not mention Santa and he doesn't talk about it. Next year, when I'm sure Santa will be a much bigger deal to him, we'll probably handle it just like you did.
So props to you! I think you handled it perfectly! =)
We love Jesus and Santa, we will do Santa in our house and Lydia already loves saying HoHoHo and will grab her Night Before Christmas book and ask for More Santa. It's sweet and fun.
We do Santa and love every moment of it. We also read a bible verse every morning when we do our advent and talk about Christmas celebrated Jesus' birthday more than we chat about Santa. They are only little once and I think adults make it more complicated than it needs to be, but I respect that each family makes a choice regarding the man in the red suit.
We totally do Santa. And I had them completely fooled for years. That said, I now wonder whether my boy still believes or gets that if he doesn't it will mean less goodies.
Such a sweet story. I don't have a kids....so it's not an issue for now. But one day, I hope I have the same problem :-)).
Cheers!!
Reese
http://rambleswithreese.etsy.com
http://rambleswithreese.blogspot.com
I thought our 7 year old was a die for believer and I hadn't the heart to say otherwise. This year she says to us, I have known for years guys...didn't want to DISAPPOINT you... jeez. Now we are all rejoicing (including our 10 year old) in the very true meaning of Christmas ...
good luck to ya!
PS: I do appreciate a good looking santa decoration though ;-) thevillagepressvt.blogspot.com
i've totally been wondering about how i'll handle this when miles is old enough. i have no clue, actually.
It's cute! My friend Samantha was raised exactly the same way that you described here! Being told St. Nicholas was real at one point and time and such, but she never believed in Santa herself! I think it's cute your little girl believes in Santa! :)
Hope you're having a lovely day!
http://annawalker1992.blogspot.com/
We believe in Santa. We still do in a way. ;) So will Miss Mila (but she kind of seems like a skeptic) so who knows for sure! xo
We do Santa. Well, actually I push St. Nick. He was/does help(ing) spread God's love. By leaving sweet gifts. I decided that Santa would leave gifts that would promote spiritual growth.
Ha ha! Aww... I think I will do it but not really make it AS BIG A DEAL as other things. I want my kids to focus on Christ!
To cute of your daughter. I probably would have chickened out too! I think it is great that you are talking so much about the true meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate it! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier!
we do santa, we do elf on the shelf. but we also make a happy birthday jesus cake every year, talk about it allllllll month long, and as he was praying yesterday he said "and thank you for my gift. you and jesus." so he gets it.
when he starts asking questions, we will tell him about the real st nick, and the truth about "santa." but we will keep the fun forever, and the magic. :)
I grew up not believing in Santa. We still liked to "pretend", but my parents just didn't feel right lying to us. I don't think there is anything wrong with your kids believing in Santa...but I grew up with out it and don't feel deprived. I will probably do the same thing with my kids.
I *try* not to do Santa. I don't encourage it in our house but he is seen more as God's "helper" and i refer to him as St. Nick. it is hard because they see it everywhere, so I'm not a stickler about it but just try to keep it low key :)
I believed in Santa until I was 13, my brother believed in him until he was 11. I got a wake up call when I just happen to pull back a sheet my mum had next to her bed, and saw presents with 'from Santa' on them.. that was how I found out. (she later told me she kept them in the attic before that).
I loveeed beliveing, it was like Christmas was real then, now as i'm older, it's not the same. But when I have kids, I will most definitely tell them about Santa! You get to bake cookies and set them out for Santa, it's fun! That's what Christmas is about, it's about believing, and I the birth of Jesus.
♥
It is a tough decision.... But I think we will stress the importance and real reason for Christmas...but let them enjoy Santa too.
I never grew up believing in him and felt like I was missing out on the fun of Santa. So I let my kids believe but I think my daughter suspects that he isn't real.
We do Santa. We visit him at the mall, we talk about him bringing gifts, we have the elf on the shelf. But my 3 year old already knows that is not why we celebrate Christmas. I think it's good to have a mix of both Jesus and Santa. I grew up believing in him but my parents also never put a huge emphasis on him. The purpose of Christmas was always to celebrate the birth of Jesus. My favorite thing my mom did each Christmas morning was make coffee cake then stick a candle in it and we would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. I don't remember the gifts I received but I do remember singing to the Lord each Christmas morning. I hope my kids remember that too.
I think I'll handle it exactly how you did :)
me and the hubby were just talking about this... like for awhile the other night. i didn't like the feeling as child when i found out it was all made up.... i guess i thought too much even then but i just remember not liking it and i dont want to invent thing for child to believe in when i only need them to believe in the real stuff.... but then would that make me a crazy mama that ruins childhood traditions..?? who knows. i guess once i start having my little ones God will lead us.
OH my goodness how cute is your little girl! I think I'll do the santa thing but then when their old enough, have a real sit down talk and explain the real things about Christmas..there is a great letter on pintrest that helps explain that santa is in our imaginiation but the true meaning is in our heart...something like that. But your sucha good mom for being a trooper about santa!
Thats adorable, I love how kids always assume they know best. When I have children I'll be doing the santa thing, I always found it so magical when I was little so want to share that feeling as much as I can :) xx
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