by E.S. Fuller

Created on: November 25, 2010

Back when I was in elementary school, I was used to writing letters to Santa Claus each year. Our letters would get published in our small town's newspaper. I didn't really ask my parents whether or not he existed at all. Nor did they say anything about him, either. With all the cartoons on TV during the holiday season and talk from other kids about him, I just thought that he existed in the first place.

Then when I was in 3rd grade, on our way home from the store, me and my sister had found out about the toys that were in the bags in the backseat of our station wagon. From that point on, I stopped believing in Santa, even though I still watch the holiday cartoons with the same enthusiasm I had when I was younger.

Yet across this country, parents come up with the myth of a Santa Claus for their kids. I have heard some parents say that “if you don't act good, then Santa Claus won't give you any presents.” I used to think that they said things like this so that their children would act better. Then again, the same words might have been said to them when they were younger, too.

The problem with making up the myth of Santa Claus is while it's fun to some, and some children will feel as if they belong knowing they believe in the same idea, it's still make-believe.  Kids are much smarter than we were at the same age, and there is only so much time you can do that without them finding out the truth for themselves. Some might not like it when hearing about it, either.

And perhaps it might be better for some kids if they learned the way that I had. However, who am I to tell someone how their child should be raised in the first place? As long they stay a child for as long as they can, then something is being done right, especially with all the types of images that they see on TV and the Internet, and hear on the radio. We all cherish the good times that we experience as children, because we want to give that aspect to the next generation. Part of recognizing this is shown in the things we do on the holidays. That makes us who we are.

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