The Santa Clown

[dad]

The way I think Santas in malls and streets etc should be introduced to kids is as a santa clown. If they want to go play pretend and sit on a clown's knee for a minute, fine. 'That is just a man dressed as a santa clown'. They should know there is no real Santa Clause, to avoid disappointment when the truth is found one day.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

If that’s what you want to do for your kids, rock on. With my family, I’m taking a different approach because I don’t think there’s such a thing as being too old to celebrate Santa.

 

[Aussie Pete]

If that’s what you want to do for your kids, rock on. With my family, I’m taking a different approach because I don’t think there’s such a thing as being too old to celebrate Santa.

One of the greatest let-downs of my life was when I found out that Santa was fake. I'd been lied to and I felt betrayed. I would not do that to my kids. "Santa" is simply a worldly, commerce driven ploy to distract people from the real meaning of Christmas. Interesting side note: rearrange a couple of letters and what do you get? Satan. Just sayin

 

[Occams Barber]

Interesting side note: rearrange a couple of letters and what do you get? Satan. Just sayin

Fascinating.
Did you know you can do something similar by re-arranging "D O G"?
Just sayin'

OB

 

[Occams Barber]

The way I think Santas in malls and streets etc should be introduced to kids is as a santa clown. If they want to go play pretend and sit on a clown's knee for a minute, fine. 'That is just a man dressed as a santa clown'. They should know there is no real Santa Clause, to avoid disappointment when the truth is found one day.

OB

 

[durangodawood]

Thread needs a SPOILER ALERT!

 

[MehGuy]

I remember when I was a kid I visited Santa at a mall once. Was a traumatizing experience. The closer I got the more I trembled.. is this really the divine Santa Clause? I started crying and screaming and didn't want to be anywhere near him.. lol.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

What could be so bad about a jolly old man who sees you when your sleeping and knows when your awake, he knows if you have been bad or good, so be good for crying out loud.


I wonder if the NSA ever adopted Santa’s spy network…

 

[dad]

I remember when I was a kid I visited Santa at a mall once. Was a traumatizing experience. The closer I got the more I trembled.. is this really the divine Santa Clause? I started crying and screaming and didn't want to be anywhere near him.. lol.

Might have been a wise decision. Careful who you let your kids get too cozy with.

 

[dad]

What could be so bad about a jolly old man who sees you when your sleeping and knows when your awake, he knows if you have been bad or good, so be good for crying out loud.


I wonder if the NSA ever adopted Santa’s spy network…

A bit like God. Except there is no Santa there is a God. So believing in a false god can be bad.

 

[MehGuy]

Might have been a wise decision. Careful who you let your kids get too cozy with.

Lol.. yeah.. maybe I missed a Michael Jackson type moment.

I also remember my father hating the idea of Santa, because he believed it took Jesus away from Christmas.. I was like three and my father said Santa wasn't real.. and my aunt became real mad at him she was like "you kill joy..".. but for some reason I still believed in Santa for a few more years.

 

[dad]

If that’s what you want to do for your kids, rock on. With my family, I’m taking a different approach because I don’t think there’s such a thing as being too old to celebrate Santa.

Well, if you celebrate Santa, you know that you are playing games and that there is no such person. If you keep kids in the dark about the nature and reality of Santa, then you are promoting belief in a lie.

 

[dad]

Lol.. yeah.. maybe I missed a Michael Jackson type moment.

Yes there could be some bad santas out there hiding behind a costume.

"Best Santa Ever" A Pedophile? - CBS News

I also remember my father hating the idea of Santa, because he believed it took Jesus away from Christmas.. I was like three and my father said Santa wasn't real.. and my aunt became real mad at him she was like "you kill joy..".. but for some reason I still believed in Santa for a few more years.

Well, I guess we all need to chose the voices we believe and respect.

 

[MehGuy]

Yes there could be some bad santas out there hiding behind a costume.

Sadly.. you're probably right.

Well, I guess we all need to chose the voices we believe and respect.

Reminds me of something one of my professors said. He was a mall Santa for a season.. but he said he quit his job because the other mall Santas he hanged out were weird and creepy. He said one mall Santa came up to him and said "we don't all believe we are actually Santa, but we believe one of us is". Lol.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

One of the greatest let-downs of my life was when I found out that Santa was fake. I'd been lied to and I felt betrayed. I would not do that to my kids. "Santa" is simply a worldly, commerce driven ploy to distract people from the real meaning of Christmas. Interesting side note: rearrange a couple of letters and what do you get? Satan. Just sayin

Meanwhile, when I found out that Santa was real, only as a concept where adults of all ages, backgrounds, and countries came together to create something special for others, I was blown away. I remember thinking that it must be pure magic that adults, who seemed to agree about nothing, from politics to sports teams to religion, could mostly rally behind the concept of Santa for no other reason beyond spreading joy to kids.

Heck, I’m 38 years old and I still think it’s really freaking cool. It gives me hope for humanity, honestly.

Sorry your experience was different. Different tactics for different people, I guess. I haven’t told my kids about Santa, but I’m confident they’ve figured it out. Nobody has taken it badly and they all fully embrace the spiriting nature of Santa (and the multitude of other “fictional” people who come to our house with gifts for them).

As for the whole “rearranging letters to get Satan” thing, you shuffle letters of my name around, you get “Jesus.” Being able you find words out of other words makes one great for Scrabble, but not for finding hidden messages in people’s natures.

 

[Strathos]

A bit like God. Except there is no Santa there is a God. So believing in a false god can be bad.

Technically there was a 'Santa Claus'. He was a Christian saint who lived in the 4th century.

He probably never set foot in a shopping mall.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Well, if you celebrate Santa, you know that you are playing games and that there is no such person. If you keep kids in the dark about the nature and reality of Santa, then you are promoting belief in a lie.

And if that’s the biggest “trauma” they will have in their young lives, then I will thank God daily. Our house is the Grand Central Station of “fictional characters,” (Boba Fett stops by on Dec 23 with gifts with several Transformers, my son’s pet tiger Hobbes has a birthday in June, Leprechauns swing through in March, the Easter Bunny comes in the spring, we celebrate “summerween” in July, we have a ghost that lives in our house, an Enderman that lives in the basement, and the Toothfairy is basically here every week). Apparently my kids will have quite the magical upbringing to overcome.

 

[dad]

Technically there was a 'Santa Claus'. He was a Christian saint who lived in the 4th century.

He probably never set foot in a shopping mall.

If he (saint Nicklaus) was told he would be used to create a clown for Christmas that would try to replace Christ in Christmas, he may have been less than amused.
Giving gifts to kids is great I think. Telling them it is from Jesus, because He supplied the parents needs might be cool. Telling them some imaginary clown did it is another story.

 

[dad]

And if that’s the biggest “trauma” they will have in their young lives, then I will thank God daily.

The thing is once they know they were lied to, they start wondering if God also is not real perhaps. They also might think twice about believing a thing that comes out of your mouth, and may even go back in memories thinking of things you taught them also as true, and chucking that out too.

Our house is the Grand Central Station of “fictional characters,” (Boba Fett stops by on Dec 23 with gifts with several Transformers, my son’s pet tiger Hobbes has a birthday in June, Leprechauns swing through in March, the Easter Bunny comes in the spring, we celebrate “summerween” in July, we have a ghost that lives in our house, an Enderman that lives in the basement, and the Toothfairy is basically here every week). Apparently my kids will have quite the magical upbringing to overcome.

Maybe they will find Jesus one day after they realize what is what.

 

[Quackduck]

The way I think Santas in malls and streets etc should be introduced to kids is as a santa clown. If they want to go play pretend and sit on a clown's knee for a minute, fine. 'That is just a man dressed as a santa clown'. They should know there is no real Santa Clause, to avoid disappointment when the truth is found one day.

The Biblical god is as real Santa but much less pleasant.