get behind me santa

In one of my classes a while back (in fact, I wrote most of this blog back in September but never finished writing it until now), we had to discuss the negative and positive effects of teaching our children the myth of Santa Claus. First of all, I'm annoyed at my professor's presumptions that all people love the myth of Santa and that no one wants to surrender it, even if it's for the better of their children. Further, she laughed upon the idea of any child not believing in Santa. (Just so you know, I was one of those kids. Perhaps my parents were bad liars or I was just too cynical at birth, but I never believed a fat guy came down my chimney--the chimney I've never had.)

There was a lot of discussion and murmuring on both sides of the issue. Disturbingly, though, the only solid reasons people could give in favor of telling your children the myth of Santa was that they would be that one kid in the class who knew the truth, and they may tell other kids that they're believing a lie. Oh, what a travesty! There were no arguments for the benefits of telling them about Santa except that they may not be able to conform to the world at a young age.

All kidding aside, what are we learning by promoting Santa? If you are good you get presents and if you're bad you get coal. This Santa knows what you're doing at all times, knows when you cry and when you laugh, everything. What are we teaching our kids, really? That in order to receive gifts you must present yourself worthy? I would much rather my kids believe they received gifts because they are loved, not because they were "good" enough. No wonder we have a complex over whether or not God loves us. We have been taught since birth that only the "good" kids get shown love and the others get crap thrown at them. May it never be said that God treats His children that way. He loves beyond our disobedience. He is faithful beyond our unfaithfulness. Praise God for He is a good father, very unlike our Santa Claus.