Our Santa Stance- Revisited

It's been about 4 years or so now since we made our decision as a family not to do the 'Santa thing' at Christmas time, and I figured it might be time to check back in on our stance and given an update to how it has gone over.

Tessa is 6 now and Charley is 4 going on 5 and we have never played out the whole Santa story at our house. We've never told the kids that he is coming down the chimney, watching their every move, or brings them presents for their good behavior. There has never been an elf on our shelf, they have never set on his lap at the mall and we've never left cookies for him before bed.

Tragic I know, a true blow to the happiness of their childhood....

Except that....our kids LOVE Christmas and it is just as magical a time for them as everyone else, if not more so. We give each other lots of gifts, and hang up obnoxious amounts of decorations. We have Christmas traditions like going to see The Nutcracker, making a gingerbread house and eating biscuits and gravy on Christmas morning. We pack Operation Christmas Child boxes, write cards to soldiers, and make baked treats for our neighbors. We watch Christmas movies, sing insane amounts of carols, drink nog and hang up stockings.

We do all of those things. We embrace Christmas in it's fullest and most joyful form, focusing on family at every turn. The only thing we don't do is perpetuate a myth about a magical person coming down our chimney.

And it has been wonderful. Year after year.

So how do we explain it all to the kids? Well they simply see him as a made up guy, a cartoon character like Mickey Mouse. Of course they see him everywhere this time of year, including in our awesome collection of Mamaw's chalkware Santas that we proudly display. We talk about how HE WAS a real guy names St. Nicolas, who gave presents to kids. They've seen the Veggie Tales St. Nicolas movie enough times to understand what that's all about.

They know that some families like to pretend that he's real, and that when the kids are old enough their parents will tell them the truth. Charley and I have had many discussions this year about how this is a BIG secret and if I find out that he spills the beans, he will be in BIG trouble....because that is something special that only parents do. He knows that being in on the secret makes him a special boy.

Tessa has asked a couple of times if we can pretend that Santa is real and I said sure...just like you can pretend like Mickey is real or My Little Ponies are real. Use your imagination and have fun.

And when the real discussions about Christmas comes, it all focuses back on Jesus and the Nativity. Second to that is family and spending time together. And lastly giving and being generous to the best of our abilities. Because Jesus gave to us we give to others.

And our kids feel it. The real magic of the season. I see that they understand. And I feel hugely blessed for our decision. 

Is it the right decision for every family? Absolutely not. Every family can decide for themselves what they want to do and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm just happy to know that our 'thinking outside the box' regarding Christmas has turned out well for us. I was nervous about it a few years ago, especially after catching some flack from a couple of family members. But it's turned out well so far. If using Santa as a symbol of Christmas brings your family together and makes you happy, then that's GREAT!

In the end, the path to Christmas joy comes in many forms....and finding it for your family is a great blessing.