Lately I have seen a lot of "talk" online about Santa - kids looking forward to him "coming", kids taking pictures with him at the malls, kids being terrified of him, parents struggling with the decision of letting their kids believe in him or not, and so on.
For our family there was talk about the Santa or not thing 2 or 3 years ago either just before Abby's first Christmas or while I was pregnant with her. We discussed both sides of the issue as Chuck and I were raised very differently regarding Santa. His family did the Santa thing and mine did not. Neither of us are scarred from believing or not but it was important to us to leave Santa out of the picture. Sorry, Santa.
It isn't just about being a pastor's family that caused us to decide to not "do" Santa. In fact, many people at church ask Abby if she is looking forward to Santa. When she looks at them puzzled (because she doesn't know the term "Santa") we explain that we don't do Santa. They then return the puzzled look. We felt like helping our kids to believe in him would take away from what we wanted them to focus on at Christmastime and all year - Jesus. Oh sure, it is cute to see the wonder and amazement on childrens' faces as they think about Santa, but how much more does it tug on my heart when I see little Abby with the wonder in her eyes as she looks at baby Jesus in the manger of the nativity?
My heart longs for Abby and Caleb to grasp the concept of all that happened long ago when God sent His Son to Earth for them. I cannot imagine a day in life without either of them. I certainly cannot fathom eternity without them and knowing they are praising the God who fearfully and wonderfully made them.
No, bringing Santa into the picture probably isn't all that harmful, but it is something that we have chosen not to do and we will stand by our decision. Even if it means taking a beloved ornament from childhood off the tree for the time being. Sorry, Santa, but if you were born to save the world we'd be all about you. Instead, you'll have to take a back seat because Christmas is about God's love and His greatest gift to us.
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You should read Noel Piper's book on traditions. You can read it for free on the Desiring God website. She talks specifically about why they chose to not "do" Santa. We don't do Santa either, so I totally understand where you are coming from.
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