My morning routine starts with the alarm on my iPhone going off at 7:00 am, me hitting snooze button a time or two, and then finally putting on my glasses and browsing Facebook and the news while I gradually build up the will power to drag my ass out of bed. This morning went much the same as it usually does, but the very first Facebook post I saw was this:
“I don’t understand why so many parents continue to lie to their
children, having them believe in Santa Clause.. My boys (5yr, 3yr & 9
months) have a lot of fun around Christmas time without believing that
an imaginary person leaves presents for them on Christmas. They know
it’s mom & dad and others that give them presents… and we make
sure to teach them that Christ is the reason for this holiday. So much
fun.”
When I first read it, I was bugged. I read it again and glanced at who had posted it, mostly to try and determine if it had been posted in a farcical way or if it was serious. Knowing this friend and the nature of many of his posts, it was evident that this was no joke. Now I was bugged even more. Even now as I write this, I’m fighting the temptation to start a flame war over this.
The thought that someone believing in Santa Claus could be viewed in such an ugly way as a parent lying to their children was borderline offensive to me, and I don’t offend all that easily. I continued to mull this over until I got to work, where I shifted gears into work mode and (mostly) forgot about it. My curiosity got the better of me at break, and I saw that 18 people had responded, mostly in agreement.
Now I get that it’s the parent’s prerogative to teach the child as they believe. I think that the whole point of the Christmas season has been missed, though, if the reason you don’t talk about Santa at Christmas is that you don’t want to be guilty of “lying” to your children. I feel like I can understand the many different reasons behind the choice to not include Santa in the holiday celebrations – keeping the holiday relevant religious premise, avoiding consumerism, etc. But there’s so much more to it than that.
You see, I believe in Santa Claus. Not just the man, but the spirit that he embodies. Is he so different from this Jesus that you hold as your example? Is he any more or less imaginary than the Christ whose birth you celebrate? Is there any more evidence of this teacher you say walked the earth 2000 years ago than there is of a fat man in a red suit with a sleigh? Do they not both teach of giving?
Just for the sake of argument let’s consider from a purely objective position free from belief or judgment that each is a figure of myth and legend. I’m not interested in a theological discussion, and I’m not belittling, demeaning or even questioning the Christian paradigm. I support you in believing both spiritually and temporally whatever you may choose.
That said, at their core, both legends or parables are a lesson in giving. The story of Jesus relates of his ministry of giving – as a teacher, as a healer, and as a savior. The story of Santa Claus is the tale of a man so full of love that he gives to all the children of the world. The two seem to be teaching the same lesson, just with different words.
We call this the “Season of Giving”. Regardless of who you worship, celebrate, believe in or follow, make this your purpose this season: to give.
December 18th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
J, I’ll be honest. This blog entry has me all kinds of conflicted. Last night I wrote up a lengthy response comparing and contrasting Santa to Jesus. But after passing it around to friends and getting their perspective, I decided it wasn’t coming across right. It was a discussion this morning that set me straight as to what two things actually bothered me.
Firstly, I don’t get how you could get so upset at someone REJECTING SANTA IN FAVOR OF JESUS. In your fourth to last paragraph you came across to me as if you were saying Jesus was a fictional character. And that most consider Santa to be fictional. And that they both teach of giving. So your point is that they are equals and they should be celebrated equally this time of year?
Some claim there is no actual evidence to prove the life of Jesus. Regardless, the impact of his story is far from ignorable. I don’t point to the many large organizations that have been formed in his name, but to the teachings which have been credited to him that fill in his reputation. He spoke of nonresistance, acting in the spirit of the golden rule, sharing your example through your good works, resisting prejudice, and living life on a solid foundation. I resist pointing out such things as miracles, mentions of afterlife and deity because the exclusion of them makes it easier to view Jesus as a man and not in the class of a fictional superhero. This fraction of the story of Jesus paints the picture of a philosopher, guru and resistant leader.
The story of Santa can be traced back to many origins. He goes back to the good Samaritan-style story of Saint Nicholas of Myra, or to the mythical figure Odin who was a mythical hunter who exchanged food for his horse for candy for children, or a modern invention of American poems and songs over the last few hundred years portraying him as a giving elf. Regardless of his origin he is viewed in two different lights today. He is either viewed as a selfless man teaching giving, or as a conflict to the celebration of the birth of Jesus. It is easy to see why one would be in favor of ignoring Santa, who is really only celebrated for a form of charity, in favor of celebrating Jesus, who taught charity along with many other things and is viewed by his followers as god and savior of their people.
Secondly, I DON’T GET HOW YOU COULD GET SO UPSET at someone rejecting Santa in favor of Jesus. Aren’t you the live and let live libertarian guy? So some people want to celebrate Jesus and give gifts in their own name instead of invoking some strange reclusive charitable figure. Next are you going to go after other cultures like Mr. Garrison did in favor of getting them in line with Santa (see: Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics)? I don’t get how you could get upset or consider it farcical. I have a hard time putting myself in the category of card carrying member of a Christian church these days, but even for me to consider that Santa is on par with Jesus and should be appreciated and celebrated as an equal is farcical, as many of his friends had.
December 19th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Before I reply, Marques, I just want you to know how much I enjoy it when you and I disagree. I esteem you greatly, and you have always put a great deal of thought and reasoning into your position before formally announcing that you disagree. It gives me the opportunity to further investigate and question my own position, with the added value of having very rational and reasonable tools that you have given me in your argument to do so.
That said, I’ve struggled with this one, too. I mean, I’ve really continued to do some introspection on WHY this one bothered me so much. Does his choice of deity or form of worship bother me? Not in the slightest. Do I care that he chooses Jesus and eschews Santa? Truthfully, no. The only resolution I’ve come to is that I was bothered by what I judged to be his myopic view of one of my own beliefs. I have no way of knowing whether he is narrow-minded in his beliefs, he simply shared a belief of his own and how he chooses to parent.
So really, this one is all about me and my judgement (as I find most things that upset me are), judging him to be less open-minded and less educated and less “enlightened” than I judge myself to be – an arrogant and narcissistic position at best.
Perhaps the comparison between Santa and Jesus is at first glance a bit of a stretch, and I’m certain I could have made my point in a more effective fashion. At the time I originally sat down to write this piece I was still in the heat of the moment, and my first draft was a pretty clear attack on religion in general and Christianity in particular. Ultimately, I chose not to go down that road and made a broad (and much gentler) comparison between these two figures. I have plenty of ammo backing up my comparison of these two figures of legend – there is evidence to support that both Jesus Christ and St. Nicholas were actual men, there is written record of their lives and teachings, and there is much that could reasonably be considered to be mythical embellishment on both accounts. Regardless of any evidence either way, they are both beloved figures in varying cultures and societies around the globe. The point that I ended on, which I believe we can both agree upon, is that this is a season of giving. We may each choose to acknowledge it in many different ways, but when distilled to it’s very essence, this time of year is about giving, and that is what I will celebrate this year.