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While peering over my Missus shoulder,I happen to glance at this article.

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/momentsofmotherhood/santa-harmless-fantasy-or-horrible-lie-2418745/?pg=5#comments

And thought to myself "well,that's just silly...what possible harm can there be in allowing your children to believe in Santa "
However,it appears they're are those who believe it can be detrimental...so,I felt..WTH..bring the matter to the OT forum and see what the collective think tank at Dakka have to say on the subject.

I personally see no harm in a child's belief in Santa Claus and quite enjoy that my children still retain that bit of "Holiday Joy".

Thoughts?

Im with you. I personally think children need that type of enjoyment for as long as they can hold out. Because once they get older, and know what bullies are, and you have to give them the talk about why they dont talk to strangers and the like, it ruins that part of them.
Santa is harmless if you ask me

I think that is just bad parenting to tell your small child there is no santa.
Then, they will go off and tell other people's kids, etc.

I was never scarred when my parents told me Santa wasn't real...well, actually they did it quite tactfully I think. They told me that since I was 10, Santa had to stop giving gifts to me, because I was too old and had to take care of all the new babies and little kids in the world. So, I kinda was allowed to grow out of it....

But, honestly, I can't see a problem with this. Santa has kind of been ingrained into our culture's background in that time of year, and children will be exposed to him whether they like it or not. Might as well make the most of it, and use it to teach some lessons about being good, and what not.

Santa's a great thing. We had santa come in to work today and just seeing a guy in a red suit and a white beard made them happy.

This is the issue though, due to the fact that people want to avoid possible sexual harassment Santa couldn't touch the kids. This is okay except for the fact that kids really, really love Santa and most of them ran up to give the big guy a hug. Santa just did the dance for the Y.M.C.A except he was stuck on the Y part.

Guess that's a good comparison; the kids had no problem with Santa but the parents did. This study is just parents worrying about their kids while the kids enjoy believing in a big guy with a red suit.

Interesting fact, Santa was first used to market goods in the 1840's due to the industrial revolution making goods affordable to the middle and lower class and not just the upper class.

So the next time you hear someone complain about the 'commercialization' of Christmas remember that it wasn't commercialized, but gift giving was made available to the middle and lower classes.

halonachos wrote:Santa's a great thing. We had santa come in to work today and just seeing a guy in a red suit and a white beard made them happy.

This is the issue though, due to the fact that people want to avoid possible sexual harassment Santa couldn't touch the kids. This is okay except for the fact that kids really, really love Santa and most of them ran up to give the big guy a hug. Santa just did the dance for the Y.M.C.A except he was stuck on the Y part.

Guess that's a good comparison; the kids had no problem with Santa but the parents did. This study is just parents worrying about their kids while the kids enjoy believing in a big guy with a red suit.

Interesting fact, Santa was first used to market goods in the 1840's due to the industrial revolution making goods affordable to the middle and lower class and not just the upper class.

So the next time you hear someone complain about the 'commercialization' of Christmas remember that it wasn't commercialized, but gift giving was made available to the middle and lower classes.

Redistribution of Gifts as it were:

My son is 3. He really is enjoying the whole concept of seeing Santa for the first time this year. He was very excited to see Santa and tell Santa what present he wants for Christmas. (John Deere Double Duty Trucks). I can't see anything but cuteness in the whole deal.

Kids like Santa.

Let them be innocent and have a sense of wonder for a while. They'll realize that the world is a huge pile of gak soon enough.

Monster Rain wrote:Kids like Santa.

Teens like Zombie Santa.



Cops Love Arresting Santa.



Frazzled Loves Murdering Santa and Disgusing His Weiner Legions as Santa.

I don't know. Finding out there was no Santa after years of believing prepared me when I learned that elected officials aren't the ones running the nations or setting policy.

Santa should stay.

That article is realy over exageration how children react when they find santa isn't real. By the time they actually find out he isn't real they have started to grow out of him anyway.

Just let them have the fun- thats the whole point of christmas. As you get older christmas becomes less exciting don't make that process happen faser.

4M2A wrote:That article is realy over exageration how children react when they find santa isn't real. By the time they actually find out he isn't real they have started to grow out of him anyway.

Just let them have the fun- thats the whole point of christmas. As you get older christmas becomes less exciting don't make that process happen faser.

Totally agree. Infact for the last 10 years Id say xmas has really been a blah holiday. But my kids are getting REALLY excited to see what Santa gets them (5 and a 2 y/o) so for once, Im really excited to see it all happen this year

I have SO much fun with the younger members of my family every christmas. I think it's important that little kids believe in all that magical stuff- I used to, and I think it did me no harm. I did make me a more questioning, doubt prone teenager, but nothing wrong with that!

Of course there's a Father Christmas! You'll be telling me Hannukah Jewbacca isn't real next!!




"But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a fat bloke in a red suit"
"That's 'cause fat blokes in red suits don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Hannukah Jewbacca is known to do that..."

I don't see what the big deal is. I never really cared whether he was real or not, I thought he was a great symbol regardless. Yeah, I was different...


Speaking of which, St. Nicholas is the Patron Saint of Children, sailors, fishermen, merchants, broadcasters, the falsely accused, prostitutes, repentant thieves, pharmacists, archers, and pawnbrokers.

Prostitutes?! You learn something new everyday.

He isn't real?!?

Depends on what you consider real.

I think Futurama's take on Santa is the way we should start heading personally!

Im with you FITZZ, I have a 4 year old and definately propel the belief of Santa. Eventually she will grow up and figure out that life isnt all that its cracked up to be...so why deprive her of the smallest, simplest joy of imagination like that? Even though im personally on the fence between athiesm and agnosticism, I love Christmas and how it has a tremedous effect and change on family, friends, and even a community (its possible to celebrate and enjoy Christmas without the presence of theism, the same way you can be a genuinely good human being without the presence of religion) . Also, im a huge promoter of creativity and imagination in a child, ive always said its about the only thing that gives us a true, defined identity in this world and it should be regarded as one of the most precious things about life. I encourage my child's imagination and creativity in every facet and capacity.

I have to say, my 7-year old doesn't believe in Father Christmas, and I don't plan on telling any kids me and Mrs. Albatross have that he is real. I'm just going to explain the concept to them, and ensure that they care enough about other kid's feelings not to spoil it for them.

Guess that makes me a bit of a Scrooge, eh?

Nah, I still do the Christmas thing - mainly for the missus, though. She loves it. Me? No so much.