Why We Don't Celebrate Santa (Part One)

DISCLAIMER:  The following blog post is going to be controversial, and many people reading this are going to disagree and maybe even think that we have made a bad decision. Oh, well!

 If you ask a child what Christmas is all about, unless they have been prepped, they will usually say: getting presents, playing with new toys, and, of course, Santa.  I remember as a kid being so excited to open presents on Christmas morning and then literally becoming depressed and sad when it was over.  In so many ways, Christmas day represented the end of a huge buildup and an even bigger let down.  There was a strong emphasis of Christ in my family and church, but still in my eyes, Christmas wasn't about giving; it wasn't about celebrating; it wasn't about Jesus!

 Two Christmas' ago, as our oldest son was 3 1/2, we decided not to make a huge deal about Santa. It wasn't that we avoided Santa; we just didn't over emphasis it. This year, as Webb is older and more aware, we have let him know that, like Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and all the other characters that he likes, Santa is fun to talk about, read about, etc, but he is not real, either! We decided that we weren't going to be like so many parents who literally go out of their way to convince their child to think that Santa, in all of his glory, is real. 

 These are some of the reasons why we made this decision: 

1. The purpose of Christmas is Christ. This is highly ignored in our culture, mostly through the substitute of Santa.  We decided that if we believe that, then we need to reflect this in the raising of our kids.  Remember, we have not barred Santa from our house, but we refuse to let him be the center of our Christmas celebration in word, thought, or practice.  
2. It is more healthy to teach giving than receiving.  Giving reflects love, compassion, and the practice of considering others before ourselves.  There is no individual lesson of giving that we can learn from Santa.  Santa gives, but we receive, and as I have already noted, the letdown after the gifts are opened is real and weights heavy.   
3. We really feel like Santa has replaced Jesus as the symbol of Christmas.  Look around, Santa is everywhere. He is at the stores, on the TV, and in the minds of everyone we see. This would seem fine to me if it were in a little more moderation, but we are literally saturated with Santa Claus.  So what, you ask.  Here is the deeper message that I think this is teaching our kids.  One, Christmas is more about Santa than Jesus just based on the pure emphasis comparison.  Secondly, if Santa were real (a magical figure who watches over us as we sleep, knows if we are good or bad, and then brings gifts to us and everyone else in the world all in one day), then there would really be no need for Jesus (at least in the eyes of a child). Is that the message that we want to get across to our kids? 

So, what do you think about this? Do you think we are over-reacting?  Maybe stealing the fun and excitement of Christmas away from my kids? We are not going to celebrate Santa at our house! We will include him as a minor make-believe character of the holiday season, but we are not going to make Santa the center of the celebration.  Yet, there is still so much joy and excitement for Christmas.  Webb is still excited about getting gifts (heck, so am I), but he is equally excited about giving and sharing Christmas with everyone he knows and loves.  

I welcome your feedback about this in order to begin a conversation. You can reply here at the bottom of this post, or on my Facebook page at the post link.  Tomorrow I will post part two of this which will tell of the response and backlash from others (mostly strangers) about this decision we have made.  I think it will surprise you and prove my point even more.