How Santa Stole Christmas
He's making a list, and checking it twice; he's gonna find out who's naughty and nice. Santa Claus is coming to town! He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake! Oh! You better watch out, you better not cry. Better not pout, I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town!
It’s the day after Thanksgiving and the phenomenon of Black Friday kicks off the Christmas rush. Popular Christmas songs spread their cheer to hurried shoppers in search for those perfect gifts in the door-buster sales. Giant twinkling snowflakes dangle from the high glass ceilings. Large white columns have spirals of red ribbon around them, resembling peppermint candy canes. A sea of bodies must take a detour around bag-laden shoppers who stand in lines flowing out of the stores to make their next purchases. At the center of the mall, a chubby old man in a red suit and pointy hat sits on an ornate golden throne. A small boy sits on his lap tugging at his long white beard, insisting that he has been good and listing all the toys he wants to unwrap come Christmas morning. Waiting in line for their turn to visit this man, Santa Claus, stand some seventy other children, accompanied by their parents. On Christmas, Santa’s name is sure to be on many of the gifts they requested, temporarily bringing them happiness. However, despite how much Santa has given over the years, he has upset families, inspired materialism, conjured up jealousy, and undermined Christmas altogether. As a solution to these demoralizing problems, Santa Claus’ story and virtuous values can be coupled with truth to make an imaginative, yet righteous Christmas.
In his defense, Santa has spread joy and happiness to children and adults of all ages who partake in this festive myth. Parents relish the expressions of excitement and surprise on their children’s faces when the presents are unwrapped. Santa embodies the very spirit of Christmas. His kind deeds of giving to others exemplify what we should do for each other. He motivates people at Christmas time to serve those who are less fortunate. His ever-watchful eyes encourage kids to behave and obey their parents. Being familiar with Santa and his ways, a child knows that his good behavior will be rewarded with gifts and bad behavior will be punished with a lump of coal. In effect, that child may be more aware of his demeanor and strive to be good so that, at the end of the year, Santa will bring him the requests on his wish list. Santa’s magical home in the North Pole, the elves in workshops, the eight flying reindeer, and Rudolph’s glowing red nose all allow children to explore their imaginations. Eventually, a child will outgrow Santa and discover the truth. Although children are disappointed when they come to this realization, adults justify their actions by insisting that the spirit of Santa is needed to make Christmas into the holiday it is.
However innocent Santa may seem, he is guilty of the charges, whether his actions are a conspiracy or unintentional. His questionable ways are set into motion by the parents of young children. Although children are scolded for lying, parents consciously lie throughout the year when they tell their children that Santa Claus exists. Trusting their parents, children explore their imaginations and believe in him wholeheartedly. When a child develops doubts about Santa Claus’ existence, parents will preserve their child’s faith with little white lies. Christmas stories, such as Miracle on 34th Street and The Polar Express, further convince children that adults who not believe in Santa are surely mistaken. Sooner or later, children are bound to uncover the lies that were fed to them all along. A pang of betrayal accompanies this newfound awareness. A child no longer understands the meaning of what it is to tell the truth. It may take some time for trust to regenerate between a child and his parents. When parents present Santa to a child as a real man, it harms the parent-child relationship.
Furthermore, Santa’s promise to fulfill the wishes of every child has negative influences, specifically materialism and additional strain on the nuclear family’s relationship. There have been attempts to remind people that Christmas is not all about presents, such as Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In this popular Christmas story, the Grinch steals all the toys and decorations from Whoville, only to discover that the absence of these things does not take away from the spirit of Christmas. Still, attempts such as these fail to sway children’s focus from the gifts they receive. The myth of Santa Claus conditions children to become bitter if they do not get the gift they really want. Along with this conditioning comes the materialistic view that the more gifts Santa gives them, the happier they are. Children that have grown up thinking in this manner become parents that continue to link material goods with happiness. The promise of gifts may encourage boys and girls to behave throughout the year, but the side effect is a society of excessively greedy people. Santa’s seasonal flow of presents fuels materialism in America. In American homes today, parents feel they need to provide their families with more things to be happy. It is commonplace for both parents to work, not out of necessity, but in order to increase the family income to buy superfluous things. Husbands and wives, both working their separate jobs, lose touch with one another as they increase their workload to get promotions and make more money. With both parents working, family relationships become strained; the fifty percent divorce rate reflects marital relationships that suffer from the strains of excessive working driven by greediness.
Children will also discover that Santa is not fair in his distribution of gifts. When school starts up again in January, kids usually boast about what they got from Santa. By lunchtime on the first day back, some children will discover that Santa plays favorites. Children from families that are not financially stable will not get as many presents as others, no matter how good they tried to be. The playground bully that routinely steals the younger kids’ lunch money always seems to get the best presents. This hardly seems fair to a child that was certain that the bully would only get a stocking full of coal. The truth is, Santa never gives out coal to naughty children. It does not matter how terrible a child is, a parent would not allow Santa to withhold his presents. Children that realize this believe that they are a special exception and can get away with things. In the same way, children less financially fortunate feel they are never good enough. In practice, Santa is not as fair as he claims to be.
Perhaps Santa’s most serious crime is stealing Christmas’ true identity. Christians believe that God the Father sent his Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for them. For centuries, Christians celebrated Christmas day in honor of Jesus’ birth. In recent years, Santa has stepped into the spotlight and distracted Christmas observers from the reason for the season. Instead of a time to celebrate Jesus’ birth, Christmas has become a secular holiday that people have come to believe is just a day to spend with family, exchange gifts, and share good feelings. Not only has Santa stolen Jesus’ holiday, but he has also gradually taken on some of Jesus and God’s attributes. Originating from the legend of Saint Nicolas, Santa Claus has undergone some changes over the years. No longer is Santa the mortal religious man in the legend, but now he has supernatural powers that are very similar to God’s. Like God, Santa is able to do miraculous things, such as deliver Christmas gifts all over the world in one night. Santa knows if children are good or bad and judges them, just as God knows all and judges. Both God and Santa live eternally. The Bible says that the hour of Jesus’ return is a mystery and He “will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Santa, as well, arrives at an unknown time during the night and enters homes through the chimney, like a thief. There are many more comparisons one could make between the two, but it is apparent that Santa has become a counterfeit Jesus and God. Problems arise when a child discovers that Santa is a myth. Because their parents claimed that Santa is real, the story of Santa may inhibit their belief in God. If Santa is a fake, logic justifies rejecting Jesus as well. When the whole purpose of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus, it seems that Santa undermines it. Santa has stolen the recognition, attributes, and believers that belong to Jesus and God.
Santa has taken on a wonderful grandfatherly role in peoples’ childhoods. The values that Santa stands for are virtuous. It is important to be reminded to put others first and obey one’s parents. The spirit of Santa is real in the sense that he lives in us. Our desires to share and bring joy to others are represented through his spirit. Although Santa stands for good, he has evolved into a negative influence. Despite his current tendency to damage Christmas, Santa should not be exiled from the season. As a solution to the problems Santa has created, I propose that, rather than convincing children that he exists, introduce Santa as a legend. It is possible to wrap presents that are from Santa to play along with the tale, but make sure children understand that it is make-believe. This way, Santa does not force parents to deceive their children and children are still able to use their imaginations. Children will understand that there is not a Santa that plays favorites. Because of their similarities, Christian parents can use the story of Santa as a metaphor of who Jesus is. In turn, Santa can become beneficial to the Christmas holiday rather than detrimental. If the focus once again returns to Jesus, not as much emphasis will be placed on presents and perhaps America’s greed syndrome will dwindle. If Santa is able to reform his ways, he should be able to remain as a contributor, not a hindrance, to the Christmas season.
so heres my disclaimer: i myself have not been emotionally scarred by believing in santa and i don't really have much against him besides taking the focus away from Jesus. ba humbug.
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