Santa's Dead

I knew this day would come, I wasn’t sure if I would be prepared, but I knew it was looming like a dark cloud on my seasonal joy.  It crept in quietly last year.  The questions, the matter-of-fact nature, and the loss of childhood all in one moment, but we held it off until this year.  We answered questions with questions, and let him figure it out. “I think Santa’s dead,” was what my almost ten-year-old said as we were preparing our house for Christmas.  Oh, dear child, now, so is Christmas. 

I expected him to figure it out.  I never really believed when I was a child because my family didn’t let us believe…and mind you I’m not saying this to hurt feelings, I have no hard feelings towards my parents for not letting us believe.  My mom softened with my little brother because he didn’t need any help believing…he just did.  My husband, on the other hand, wrote letters to Santa and my mother in law would write back.  She had gifts under the tree labeled “From Santa” and just like every child he stopped believing and the labels were also changed.  When my husband and I were preparing for our little ones, we were at cross-roads.  What do we teach our children?  Santa is harmless, but we know there is more to the story.  So we decided long ago to teach our children the history as truth and whatever they believed was theirs to believe, but one thing was certain we never lied.  The gifts always said “From Mommy and Daddy” and we never told them otherwise.  We would do the magical emails when they were very little we brought them to events that had Santa and we let them get their pictures taken.  We didn’t take away the fun of Santa Claus. 

We always told them the real story; how Santa Claus is really St. Nicholas, a bishop from the fourth century.  St. Nicholas’ story is riddled with gift-giving, and helpfulness and punching heretics, but it is the story.  Every country has a tradition and our American Santa Claus is a hybrid of the “Christkind” which became “Kris Kringle” and Dutch influence fused St. Nicholas or “Sinterklaus” with Kris Kringle and Santa Claus was born anew.  We even celebrate St. Nicholas day on December 6^th by putting candy in our children’s shoes the night before.  It is fun and we don’t feel badly because all of this points to our real beliefs in Advent and the coming of the infant babe, Jesus.  St. Nicholas himself held our beliefs way back in that fourth century, hence the punching of the heretics. 

But what does Santa Claus represent to kids…pure anticipation.  He brings Hope and Joy and represents a brighter side of humanity.  He offers an element of peace and love because as the legends and myths state he’s just giving gifts because he wants to reward humanity for “niceness”.  When my kids are being nice to each other the only words to describe it is “Peace and Love”.  And this is exactly what Advent is, each week leading up to the Nativity and each candle representing something bigger when we light them, first Hope, then Peace, next Joy and finally Love.  How beautiful; if humanity could only truly follow this as a pattern what would be in store for each New Year?

Santa being dead should not spoil our Christmas at all if we can remember why we celebrate it in the first place.  I know my oldest will...don’t worry he told me he wouldn’t spread the news to the “little kids” because in his words “…it’s fun to believe.”  Whatever your beliefs, here’s to Hope, Peace, Joy and Love and a brighter side of humanity!

For a great history resource try this website Why Christmas