Holy shit, it's almost Christmas and I haven't even started looking for presents yet D:

[janegray]

I've been hearing people say that teaching small children that Santa is real is horrible because lying to children will destroy their trust in adults.

Right. Lying to children is horrible. 'Kay then, let's all be honest to children.

"Your drawing sucks, those look nothing like me and dad."

Comments

[llybian]

I agree with your logic, and I'm not about to be down on parents who let at the very least quite young children believe that Santa is real... on the other hand, I think I really benefited from my Mom and Dad being straight with me when I asked them, at age six, whether Santa was real or not. But then again, Santa was never a really integral part of my Christmas celebration, so I didn't really feel like I missed anything by knowing he was made up. Because it was never a big thing for me, I don't think I really undestand why parents cling to the whole keeping-the-Santa-magic-alive thing. But maybe I just grew up without a sense of magic and wonder.

No wait... I still believe in unicorns. Strike that lack of magic and wonder.

[janegray]

I completely agree with you that parents should tell their kid the truth is s/he asks and is at least 4-6. Kids aren't dumb, and parents who insist on trying to feed the Santa story to older kids are either delusional or incredibly naive :P

I was referring to the kind of parents who never let their kid believe in Santa. Parents who will tell a 2-year-old toddler that Santa doesn't exist because oh noes lying to children will traumatize them so much they'll lose faith in humanity and become bitter and hateful!

Fuck's sake, people! It's a fairy tale. I feel like asking them "do you begin the story of Cinderella with "once upon a time that never happened because this whole tale is fiction"?

[oddityangel]

I've only just started my Christmas shopping. My family is ridiculously unhelpful ('What do you want for Christmas?' 'I dunno. Surprise me.')

I tip toe through the grey area between 'blatant untruths' and 'soul crushing honesty' quite a bit. I don't like telling kids that Santa is real outright because it does feel a little dishonest to me. That doesn't mean I stomp all over their little hopes and imaginations and say he isn't real, I simply fall back on 'Well, some people believe....', 'the stories say...' and 'what I believe doesn't matter, what do YOU believe?'

Actually, they're the same sort of evasive lines I use when the kids ask me about religion and God...which they do a surprising amount.

[janegray]

'What do you want for Christmas?' 'I dunno. Surprise me.'

Is your family my family? >_>

To be fair, I'm not exactly easy to shop for, either. Because I know all the best ways to get the best stuff at the best discounts, so I hate saying "buy me X" when I know that I could get X for half or 1/3 of its price by waiting for sales and/or doing some internet searching.

For the last few years I ended up asking money. My mother hates it, because she says that money is impersonal... I actually agree with her, but it's by far the most efficient solution... I'd hate for my family to waste money just for the sake of a wrapped box :/

Hey, what you do is both honest and sensitive, that's a good attitude :)

[zimon66]

People who say stuff like that really get off on sucking the joy out of everything around them.

[janegray]

The thing that bothers me the most is that they are doing it to children.

If somebody tells me "this harmless thing that gives you joy is fake!" I can just tell them to fuck off. A child can't stand up to an adult like that :/

[bayonetta]

I say let kids have their fantasies and such. You're only a child once. And depriving a kid of that childhood can have SERIOUS repercussions later.

[janegray]

Yeah, childhood is that single short time in your life when you are not socially expected to struggle. It's just so damn mean-spirited for an adult to take fairy tales away from children.