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Started By
Message
In Our House, There Is No Santa Claus
Posted on 12/11/17 at 7:58 am
Posted on 12/11/17 at 7:58 am
quote:
I was at a holiday party the other night when a friend sighed and declared, “Gotta go home and move the elf.”
I couldn’t help but shake my head a little and sigh to myself, admittedly with an air of righteousness, knowing we’d never say that in my home. My husband didn’t understand the reference, so I explained to him what “Elf on a Shelf” was, to the best of my knowledge.
“So, basically they use scare tactics and bribery to get their kids to behave?” he paraphrased. And I nodded, again with a slight air of disbelief.
quote:
Meanwhile, in our home, my husband and I work very hard to encourage our kids simply to be good for – to quote a popular Christmas song – goodness’ sake. The notion of encouraging my kids to be good in order to make Santa’s “nice” list really troubles me. Not only does it completely undermine my authority, but it’s pure extrinsic motivation.
quote:
But how kids think of Santa Claus represents, for me, all that is not Christmas spirited: receiving instead of giving, greed instead of gratefulness, idle wanting instead of active contributing. And encouraging my children to write letters to him or make Christmas lists or be good because he’s watching encourages all the wrong things for me. I want whatever goodness does come out of my children to be for the right reasons. I want them to be people who are simply good and kind and honest, as I try to be (well, most of the time:).
quote:
This year, now that my daughter is of an age where she could truly believe in Santa and be consumed by the magic and thrill of believing, I wasn’t willing to let him come down our chimney.
My friend with the ever-watching elf thinks I am cruel. She thinks it’s truly sad that I have robbed my children of the magic of the holiday. But I don’t see it. My kids still enjoy reading about Santa – as much as they enjoy reading about Harold and his purple crayon or The Cat in the Hat, magical characters who are not actually real but still capture a child’s imagination. My kids will still wake up on Christmas morning to see a sparkling tree with a modest bounty of presents underneath.
The lights will still twinkle and the decorations still shine. No one needs to sit on a shelf or a keep a list for us. The day will be special simply because it’s Christmas – even if Santa skips our house.
- "Behave or Santa wont bring you gifts," is a pretty pathetic thing to say/lesson to teach your kids
- Children being thankful to "santa" for gifts, as opposed to thankful for their parents who may have had to sacrifice to afford those gifts, is unfortunate
- Santa not the only example of this type of nonsense:
The Easter Bunny - "Easter Hare" originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behavior at the start of the season of Eastertide.
The Tooth Fairy - Parents tend to view the myth as providing comfort for children in the loss of their tooth. Mothers especially seem to value a child's belief as a sign that their "baby" is still a child and is not "growing up too soon".
Posted on 12/11/17 at 7:59 am to Pecker
What do your phone bill run?
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:02 am to Pecker
I fricking hate the elf. The elf is so lame. It's just a marketing attempt.
I still move his arse every night. I just think it's dumb. Kids see them for sale.
Kids know parents buy them. If elf is real, why can't Barbie or Gi Joe come to life. They are all bought at the same store.
Next kid, no elf.
I still move his arse every night. I just think it's dumb. Kids see them for sale.
Kids know parents buy them. If elf is real, why can't Barbie or Gi Joe come to life. They are all bought at the same store.
Next kid, no elf.
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:03 am to Pecker
This post has been marked unreadable!
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:03 am to Pecker
We don't do Santa or the Elf either
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:04 am to Pecker
quote:
My husband didn’t understand the reference
Oh, one of those people.
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:04 am to Pecker
Though "be good or your won't get gifts, is a way older interpretation then our Macy's/Norman Rockwell Santa.
"Be good and St Nick will bring you a present, be bad and the Krampus will get you"
"Be good and St Nick will bring you a present, be bad and the Krampus will get you"
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:05 am to Pecker
quote:
want whatever goodness does come out of my children to be for the right reasons. I want them to be people who are simply good and kind and honest, as I try to be (well, most of the time:).
Yeah, okay. Kids are not this complex. I’m not even mad at this woman for dissing Santa. I’m mad that there’s a “good” good and a “bad” good, according to her.
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:08 am to Pecker
kids believe in santa and grow out of it. a lot of them go on to believe in jesus.
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:08 am to Pecker
Where is the pecker Animal Homage for this month? I'm thinking the reindeer should get the honors.
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:08 am to Pecker
This person is thinking way too deeply about Santa Claus.
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:08 am to Salmon
quote:
We don't do Santa or the Elf either
Keep fighting the good fight
This post was edited on 12/11/17 at 8:10 am
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:08 am to Pecker
Isn't religion just the same thing for adults?
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:09 am to Pecker
There's nothing wrong with extrinsic reasons for kids to behave. Grown ups have a host of extrinsic reasons to behave - they're called laws.
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:10 am to SpqrTiger
quote:That's big of you
I’m not even mad at this woman for dissing Santa.
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:10 am to SpqrTiger
It is proven that kids believe in imaginary beings without being taught about them.
If you take Santa and Easter Bunny away, that means the only imaginary being the kid believes in is the Boogeyman.
That is a shitty childhood
If you take Santa and Easter Bunny away, that means the only imaginary being the kid believes in is the Boogeyman.
That is a shitty childhood
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:12 am to Pecker
we prefer the Belsnickel in our house.
If you were impish, you get hit with a whip
If you were impish, you get hit with a whip
Posted on 12/11/17 at 8:13 am to Pecker
Belief in Santa doesn't force a kid to behave. These people are self-centered lazy fricks who get off on rebelling against norms. Their kids are the victims of their self-righteous attention seeking.
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