I believe that the time has come to let the Santa myth die. There, I said it. This is probably the most controversial statement that I make to my students each year. But hear me out.
First of all, I think that the story of Santa Claus is great. I really enjoy Christmas movies (especially Rankin-Bass films (even Rudolph's Shiny New Year)). I believe that the imagery is good. The whole idea behind Santa as a benevolent Big Brother figure is comforting. It is the belief in an actual entity bringing presents that I take issue with. Here is why:
The theological difficulty:
When you are a child, you are taught that there is a man who watches you from afar, knows if you are being good or bad, and if you are good will reward you. This description (for many Christian children) could apply equally to Santa or Jesus. Two problems here:
The honesty difficulty:
To get their children to buy into the idea of Santa, parents must lie. And it's not just one lie. It gets really compounded.
The justice difficulty:
"He knows if you've been bad or good." We tell children that they must be good or Santa won't bring them things. Has any parent actually followed through on this threat? They are in the extreme minority if so. By telling our kids that there are consequences for actions and then not following through, we are teaching a very dangerous lesson.
"He doesn't care if you're rich or poor, he loves you just the same." Tell that to the child who asked for an Xbox and got a book instead. They know that their friend down the street got an Xbox. So what did this child do wrong? Poor children know that Santa doesn't treat them the same as their affluent friends. (My mom cleverly got around this problem by telling us that she wrote to Santa specifically to tell him not to bring us any 'brain-rotting' electronic toys).
Commercialism (not an issue):
Actually, this one doesn't bother me. Santa can't be blamed. This is due to our current economic system. Some other character would be found to sell things if Santa ceased to exist.
So there you have it. Belief in an actual Santa is an unnecessary and perhaps even harmful product of our culture. I'm not saying that we should run around yelling out "Santa is a lie!" in the middle of a mall. But maybe it's time to just drop the act and replace it with a more wholesome message for our children.
PS: The whole point will be moot once the polar ice caps melt anyway. Where is Santa going to live then?
*I realize that children are probably not at the right stage of moral development to understand this distinction, but in that case, we need to do a better job of monitoring and assisting the moral growth of our young people.
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| Starting the children early |
First of all, I think that the story of Santa Claus is great. I really enjoy Christmas movies (especially Rankin-Bass films (even Rudolph's Shiny New Year)). I believe that the imagery is good. The whole idea behind Santa as a benevolent Big Brother figure is comforting. It is the belief in an actual entity bringing presents that I take issue with. Here is why:
The theological difficulty:
When you are a child, you are taught that there is a man who watches you from afar, knows if you are being good or bad, and if you are good will reward you. This description (for many Christian children) could apply equally to Santa or Jesus. Two problems here:
- Only one of these persons is real.
- This description is actually a very poor descriptor of Him.
When children come to realize that Santa isn't real, it's not just Santa that they lose. They also lose the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the leprechauns that bring you candy on St. Patrick's Day (maybe just in my family). Isn't it just possible that this sudden removal of magic also damages the faith formation. We're asked to accept God with just as much (often less) evidence than we are given for Santa.
Damage to faith aside, there is also a huge issue with conflating the identities of these two important figures. When we allow children to believe that God is watching us from a throne up on a cloud somewhere, it makes it difficult for them to have a personal relationship with Him. God is right here with us each day. He can be our friend in a way that Santa (even if he were real) could never be.
In addition, seeing heaven as a reward for good behavior on Earth is bad theology*. It's not our good actions that get us into heaven, but God's mercy and love. Yet I have a hard time convincing seniors (who have gone through a lifetime of Catholic school) of this fact. I think some of the blame must be laid at the feet of Mr. Kringle.
The honesty difficulty:
To get their children to buy into the idea of Santa, parents must lie. And it's not just one lie. It gets really compounded.
- Half eaten cookies, reindeer hooftracks
- Mall Santa
- Letters to Santa
- Movies where children don't believe in Santa, but then are convinced by the end that he is real
- Explanations that you can't use science to explain Santa because he is supernatural
And for what?! Such a coordinated, multi-faceted effort needs to have a pretty darn good reason. Do the children need to be lied to? I say no.
Santa (in his current incarnation) has only existed since the mid 19th Century. Kids got along fine before him. They didn't grow up to be monsters (no more than they currently do anyway). Isn't it possible that they could learn more about the Christmas spirit, indeed about being decent people from knowing that it was their parents who got them presents? Parents who gave them gifts, not because they were good or bad, but because they loved their children? Bringing me to the next problem.
The justice difficulty:
"He knows if you've been bad or good." We tell children that they must be good or Santa won't bring them things. Has any parent actually followed through on this threat? They are in the extreme minority if so. By telling our kids that there are consequences for actions and then not following through, we are teaching a very dangerous lesson.
"He doesn't care if you're rich or poor, he loves you just the same." Tell that to the child who asked for an Xbox and got a book instead. They know that their friend down the street got an Xbox. So what did this child do wrong? Poor children know that Santa doesn't treat them the same as their affluent friends. (My mom cleverly got around this problem by telling us that she wrote to Santa specifically to tell him not to bring us any 'brain-rotting' electronic toys).
Commercialism (not an issue):
Actually, this one doesn't bother me. Santa can't be blamed. This is due to our current economic system. Some other character would be found to sell things if Santa ceased to exist.
So there you have it. Belief in an actual Santa is an unnecessary and perhaps even harmful product of our culture. I'm not saying that we should run around yelling out "Santa is a lie!" in the middle of a mall. But maybe it's time to just drop the act and replace it with a more wholesome message for our children.
PS: The whole point will be moot once the polar ice caps melt anyway. Where is Santa going to live then?
*I realize that children are probably not at the right stage of moral development to understand this distinction, but in that case, we need to do a better job of monitoring and assisting the moral growth of our young people.
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