by Sharon Early

Created on: November 24, 2008

Yes. I think that perpetuating the myth of Santa Claus (if that is what you want to call it) good for children. In the first place Kris Cringle the man who started the "myth" of Santa Claus was a real person who lived in Germany and loved to give handmade gifts to children in his town. He espoused the giving and generous spirit of Christmas and so became a legend. Of course the stories of him and his reindeer flying around the whole world depositing presents under each and every Christmas tree is of course fantasy. There is no sleigh, no flying reindeer, and certainly no "Santa Clause" that says that the finder of the late current Sata Claus and the business card (in the movie The Santa Claus starring Tim Allen) which empowers the finder to take Santa's place. No rudolph with his bright red nose, and no hand carved or hand made toys for little girls and boys.

This is okay. The myth has been perpetuated and often told and added to by individuals for their children. The purpose of the stories and figurines, and all of the Santa Hat hullabulloo is to give Christmas a jolly face, and a non religious, fun charachter to teach them about the joy of giving and not just receiving. Much like the Queen of England, Santa is a figurehead. Like many old stories and legends he has become much larger than life, and extremely marketable. Like the myth of the tooth fairy, yes children will have to eventually find out that these fairy tale creatures do not exist. During the holiday season with Santas on every street corner and in front of every store, our children's wonder and delight in the old stories and traditions that surround the charachter known as Santa Claus, sometimes briefly allows us to forget that there is no such thing as Santa, and reminds us of the wonder and magic of childhood. That is what Santa Clause is all about, he is for fun, he is for children, and he is an integral part of Christmas for good and for all. I am sure that the origional Santa Claus would look upon all of the children sending lists, and setting out fresh baked cookies with amusement and happiness that he can continue to share the magic of Christmas with children from every generation every year.

Soon enough our children will grow up. The magic of the stories and the silly Santa traditions will be lost until they have children of their own. Everyone has a story of how and when they found out there was no Santa Claus and it is a bonding moment in our lives. We perpetuate the myth for our little brothers and sisters and feel really big to be in on the farce after we learn the truth. We understand that as little kids, the magic of Santa Claus and the true meaning of Christmas are wonders that we will not be able to hold onto long in life, so let the Children have their fun, and their games, and the joy of presents from Santa rather than believing that their own desires have eaten into our already tight budgets and that our parents will be paying for Christmas for half of the next year. The former is much more fun an idea than the latter.

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