by Vicki Brown

Created on: December 20, 2008   Last Updated: February 19, 2009

Believing in Santa Claus is more than believing a jolly fat man brings toys down the chimney. It's believing in magic and goodness. Think about it a moment. There is a man and his wife who live at the top of the world. They have a toy factory with elves as their workers. The elves are happy so they aren't being exploited. Santa isn't running a sweatshop.

These happy little workers are busy every day making the toys that children like. Now here is where I do take issue with the idea of Santa Claus. It's the naughty and nice list he is said to keep. I went to Catholic schools and the nuns had us believe that God had a similar list. That doesn't foster faith in a loving God. And, using Santa Claus as a way of keeping your kids in line for a month or so, doesn't promote good behavior for the sake of good behavior.

So, back to Santa. He's jolly, he loves children, he has a magic sleigh that can hold enough gifts for the entire world, and he has eight flying reindeer who pull his sleigh through the night sky. There are many other tales that are similar. What about Aladdin and his magic carpet? Or all of the cultural adaptations of Santa. The idea of Santa began long before children went to the mall and sat on his lap to give him a list of what they wanted.

I'm way past the age of knowing that there is no Santa Claus. My children are all in their 30's but they get one gift from Santa and, of course, their stockings are from Santa. Who else would put so much candy in a sock hanging from the mantel? Not me, I'm on a diet. Not my husband, he doesn't like sweets. Not the dogs, they'd eat it bag and all before it got anywhere near a stocking. True story, our Basset Hound ate a bag of Hershey kisses. He left no sign that they had ever been there. Yes, that's what I'm saying, he ate the bag and the kisses and the foil they were wrapped in. And, he didn't even get sick let alone die from a chocolate overdose.

But, I digress. I believe in what Santa stands for and I think that belief is very similar to my belief in God. Believing in Santa doesn't lessen my belief in God. We're talking apples and oranges here. Santa is a myth. God is not. But, they each represent goodness, promote love and giving, and give us hope for a brighter better future.

My children had no difficulty keeping their faith in God once they learned that Santa wasn't real. Most kids find out the truth about Santa when they are eight or ten. There is plenty of time for their faith in God to become stronger and more

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