Santa Claus

Around the Holidays last year Dan and I knew we wanted to get married. This sparked my thinking about the Holidays for when we have children. Ever since I've been conflicted about Santa Claus. I've read many articles and the history of our Americanized Jolly Old St. Nick. Now that it's been a year of on and off thinking I am still conflicted and am looking for opinions.

Santa Claus a wonderful tradition or a flat lie?

I want to first present the arguments of both sides then give my opinions after. 

Although currently I am leaning one direction, I've tried my very best to present these arguments in a neutral way without my personal bias (hopefully).

Arguments I've read about the good things Santa brings to the table. 

1. Santa is tradition and it brings more fun and joy to their childhood. Most parents probably never thought of not telling their children about Santa. The thrill of the magic of Santa is something you shouldn't take away from your children. The excitement of presents suddenly appearing Christmas morning, making sure you were good so you didn't get coal, spying for reindeer, trying to stay up late to catch Santa, making then leaving cookies and milk for Santa to enjoy during his long flight around the world- it's something that we can all look back and remember doing. It encourages imagination and creativity. It's something most of us look back to and have fond memories of. It's a tradition that brings joy and fun into their homes.

2. Finding out that Santa isn't real won't phase most children. I've read some articles that say children are young enough when they find out or are told that there may be some initial disappointment but deep down they really knew the myth wasn't real. If the children do become upset it won't take long for them to actually get over it.

3. Telling your children that Santa isn't real can ruin it for other kids and parents. I was a kid once, I remember the boy in my class that proclaimed to everyone that Santa isn't real. Some kids believed them, some didn't. If you tell your child, it can risk the relationships with other children and their parents. Nobody would want to be known as the parent that ruined it for everyone else.

Arguments I've read about the bad things Santa brings to the table. 

1. Parents are lying to their kids. We are using our children's innocent trust and faith to lie to them for their entertainment. We teach them good values, one of those being tell the truth but yet we do the opposite because of tradition. Lying is universally known to be morally wrong.

2. Santa encourages children to be temporarily good in order to receive the gifts they want. The threat of everyone else having presents and them having coal can be enough for some children to shape up. We don't want to encourage our children to only be good around the Holidays nor do we want to encourage them to be good only to receive things that they want.

3. There is hypocrisy in telling our children to sit on a stranger's lap to ask for what they want then tell them not to talk to strangers or accept treats from them. There is hypocrisy in telling our children lies about Santa then teaching them to have good values and integrity in all they do.

Articles in which I found arguments for both sides

PBS

Business Insider

Examiner

WordPress

Now onto my opinion and then hopefully yours! But first a disclaimer; no, I do not have children, I am not a mother right now but I plan to be. I realize my opinion might change once I am a mother. I do not believe my opinion is 'right' for everyone nor do I want to tell others what to do or how to raise your children. I realize that every situation and everyone's children are different. Although I do lean one way I do want opinions from others to bring out things I haven't thought about or mentioned thus far. Also, because I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a lot of my reasoning will be backed up with what I believe and almost aimed at those who believe the same because my church is apart of who I am. If that's not your cup of tea, that's totally cool! I still don't know exactly how I feel, luckily I have lots of time to think before we have children!

With that said, I have come to the bottom line for me. Lying is bad. Everyone has been taught that lying is morally wrong and that you should always tell the truth. You can be charged or put in jail depending on what you lie about. Commandment 9 is thou shalt not bear false witnesses. I've always been taught that honesty is the best policy and integrity is an honorable trait. Lying to your children is worse. I know how Christ and Heavenly Father feel about children. When Christ came to the Americas He blessed them while always preaching to become as a little child, humble and meek, always willing to submit to the Father. Christ loves children and when I become a mother and hold that precious baby in my arms I know he or she will be a blessing from God.

I can't help think but about how my Heavenly Father and my Savoir would feel about me lying to my children for their temporary joy that can actually distract from the birth of Christ. How could I use my child's innocence and FAITH to lead them to believe in something that isn't true? How could I teach them to be honest, true, chaste and benevolent when I wasn't being honest or true intentionally? For me, this is the toughest thing to justify.

I can't justify misleading my children for their short term enjoyment or for the sake of tradition. Every time I hear 'it's tradition' it makes me cringe a little inside. It explains in the Book of Mormon that the reason people were wicked sometimes is that because they blindly followed in the traditions of their fathers. The word tradition has a positive sense about it but we need to realize traditions can be good and bad (kind of like consequences but opposite). 'It's a tradition' isn't a good enough reason for me to teach my children to believe in Santa because that is what sometimes lead the Lamenites (or Nephites depending time period) to their wicked ways.

When raising my children I want them to know and believe that there is a God and a Savoir that do exist, that loves them and will bless them if they follow and keep the commandments. If I teach them for 7 or 8 years of their life that there is a Santa that cares about children and will give them presents if they're good, then explain how I was lying, or failing to tell the truth, what is going to keep them from questioning the validity of the gospel? While that may seem extreme, I've seen this exact story happen before where the child was older before they found out the truth about Santa and then questioned everything else their parents taught them. Is the joy they receive from Santa enough to out weigh the disappointment of the myth? And will this small lie jeopardize your trust with that child?

Who knows, it's hard to predict their reaction when Children find out. Is it worth trying so hard to be truthful if your child might be basically unscathed by finding out Santa isn't real? Is it a big deal or not? I honestly don't know. The only hard part about Santa is sneaking around at night without your kids finding out. Other than that it is easier because it's tradition and everyone else around you is doing it. It's easier because even if you don't enforce the belief of Santa their friends and the media will. It easier to not tell your children the truth and go with the flow.

People have told me 'Oh the lie of Santa Claus isn't that big of deal, just do it!" If it's not that big of a deal then why do it at all? I was talking to my brother about this and how our Christmas traditions here in the United States were different. Ryan served his mission in Argentina and they don't really celebrate Santa Claus there. They have Christmas where they celebrate the birth of Christ then sometime later (January 6th) they have Three Kings Day where they receive gifts as Christ did from the three wise men. I love how that incorporates gifts but from a true story!

Honestly I don't want to be untruthful with my children, I think it would kill me inside. I have a pretty active conscious and the guilt will kick in. But I don't want to ruin everything joyful about Christmas. I want to be honest but I don't want to be that parent who's kid ruined it for others. I want Christmas to be all about Christ's birth and more importantly, His life not Santa Claus and elves

Maybe to some Santa Claus isn't something to even bother about. Children will find out and be perfectly fine and move on with life. But for those of us like me, this has been nagging my conscious enough where I can't just let it go. Is there a way to be honest with out taking the magic out of Christmas or without your kids  ruining it for others? Any thoughts, ideas or anything is appreciated! Hopefully when the time comes when we have children old enough to comprehend we have figured out where we stand.

Thanks for reading my novel :)