Jolly Old St. Nick

While I absolutely love Christmas I have been hung up on Santa for many years (dating well back into my teenage years).  I have always felt that the two stories were in conflict... not historically but because of the consumerism of season and because most people don't focus on Jesus during Christmas.  I cringe when I hear parents bribe their children with the naughty list and threaten that their presents will be taken away.  Noah asks me a lot of questions now and I was dreading my conversations with him.  I really don't want to lie to him and yet I want him to have his own sense of imagination.  Last year we told him Santa was imaginary and he was so crushed that I felt terrible.

I had a friend once who believed in Santa longer than all of his friends.  One day on the bus everyone surrounded him and told him Santa wasn't real.  He still believed.  He ran home in tears and begged his mom to tell him the truth.  She told him and he was so utterly disappointed in her.  Over the next few days he came to believe that Jesus wasn't real either because all he had to go on were stories and didn't have proof.  This was a pivotal moment in his faith.

I have also have friends that have gone to great lengths and continued gigantic lies to their kids to keep Santa real...  One mom made up a series of lies that she had to keep tripping over.

And another friend's daughter is convinced that children on the Angel tree are naughty because they don't get their presents from Santa.  Ugh.

So, this year of course Noah is asking again.  And as the season approached I cringed.  I just didn't know what to say to him.

So, finally when he asked me one day I told him what I believed.

I told him that a long time ago there was someone named St. Nicholas and he gave presents to boys and girls that didn't have presents because he was kind and good.  He had a real sleigh that he drove around in the snow to get to people's houses.  Everything that he gave he gave in secret because he loved to help people.  He gave gifts because he loved Jesus and believed that God wanted him to share his wealth with others.

Noah got very serious and asked why St. Nick would never come to our house.  I looked at him confused and asked him why he would say that.  He replied that we already have a lot of toys so St. Nick wouldn't come to us.   He asked if St. Nick was still alive today.

I told him that St. Nick died a long time ago but his spirit lives on and the Santa that we see everywhere is the magical spirit of St. Nick that is only alive if you believe in it.  That sometimes people stop wanting to do good for others like St. Nick did and sometimes people get greedy and don't want to share or help. But if you always remember that the real "santa" wanted to help because of Jesus then the magic spirit of Santa will always be alive.  And that sometimes as you grow up people stop believing in the magic spirit. But always to remember that St. Nick gave because he believed in Jesus.  

He looked at me very seriously and said:  I will always believe in the magic spirit of Santa, mommy!

So, now it has been really fun.  When he saw a few Santas this weekend he said, I know they aren't real mommy but I want to go and sit on their laps!  We went to a craft fair on Saturday and there was a giant old fireplace.  He ran right into it and looked up the chimney for Santa.  He seems to know that Santa is real for him and loves being caught up in the fun of it all.  It really truly makes me happy to see his joy, to not squelch his enthusiasm, and also to be able to promote something positive, faithful, and sweet.