I was in the drug store tonight, when I happened upon this ridiculous display. What you may or may not be able to tell from the picture is that this is a full aisle of Christmas ornaments, Hallmark keepsakes, or whatever you want to call them. The fact is that this store has set aside an entire aisle for the display of Christmas ornaments - in August. Lately, I have been thinking about the myths/lies that authorities peddle to us and that parents sometimes peddle to their children. Some of these myths are thought to be good for us - white lies told for our benefit or to protect us. In keeping with the holiday theme (in spite of the fact that they are still over four months away), I would like to explore the story of Santa Claus, and how people feel about the legend today. Are parents still passing this story down to their children, or has St. Nick become passe? If so, why do parents still propagate this myth, when it will only result in confusion, disappointment, and betrayal later on when they must tell their children that they lied?
When I was a kid, what first tipped me off was the fact that we did not have a chimney in our house; then everything else began to fall into place. I reasoned it out in my head, trying to convince myself that he was real, but in the end, logic won out. What was most difficult was that I did not know how to break it to my parents that I knew Santa was not real, so I pretended for a couple more years!
What were your beliefs regarding Santa Claus when you were young? How did you find out the truth and how did you feel? When you have children (or if you already have children), what will you tell them?
2 comments:
Hi Scripter,
I have 3 sons - 16, 10, and 7. The younger 2 still believe in Santa but I expect that this will be the last year as other children are starting to spread vicious rumours that Santa is a fake!
My eldest son certainly hasn't been pyschologically damaged by believing in Santa and neither have I ! It's pretty harmless fun and I love seeing small children behaving like children and still having the capacity to believe in fantasy.
I feel our modern world forces parents into encouraging their children to become adults before their time. But adult life can be tough; I'm happy for my boys to remain "boys" as long as possible; their innocence (compared to some of their contemporaries) is actually a rather attractive characteristic.
When the time comes to explain, I'll end with ".. and didn't we have fun?!"
I can't see them making any complaints.
I agree with you wholeheartedly about the behaviour of some retailers; ludicrous!
I can't remember how old I was when I realized that Santa wasn't real but what I do remember is that it didn't bother me to much. Kids should be kids. It is ok for kids to believe in fantasy when they are young. I remember how excited I was when I was a kid on Christmas Eve trying to make myself go to sleep so that Santa could come and leave me gifts. I don't have any kids right now but if I ever do I don't know if I would want to deprive them of the little fantasies in life. They will grow up eventually but I say let them be kids.
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