The Santa myth must endure

By Gavin Kirkwood

Some argue that since Santa Claus does not really exist, parents should not introduce this myth to their children and acclimate it into so many holiday traditions. Though in doing so they are neglecting the mythic value of Santa Claus in our society. It is important that we introduce our children to myths. If we don’t, how can we expect to have a generation with a well-fostered imagination? If we only expose our children to the harsh facts of life, then we condemn them to think only within the reality that they grow up in.

Most of us as children believed in Santa Claus, and as we grew older we had to eventually face reality and leave the myth of Santa behind. Even though someone may cease to believe in Santa Claus’s existence, there are things about the myth that stick with us the rest of our lives. For instance, children that believe in Santa are held accountable for their actions by Santa’s judgment. Though this judgment involves material desires it connects to children in a way that they can understand and explains to them that there are consequences for their actions. There are good things that come exclusively from myths that could not come if we became naturalists and only exposed our children to tangible realities. Thus for the mythic value, parents should let Santa Claus live on and continue to be one of the biggest symbols of Christmas in Western culture.

Tell it like it is

By Jennifer Northway

I was five years old when I discovered the truth: Santa Claus is not real. I learned this horrid truth from some kids at school and fiercely argued with them. My beloved Santa had to be real! How else do you explain the presents and the filled stockings, not to mention the milk and cookies? Even the carrots and celery left outside for the reindeer were gone. My arguments were irrefutable, but still doubt lingered. As soon as my backpack hit the kitchen floor and my younger sister was out of earshot, I asked my mom the question. My face was serious and I stood prepared for battle. The kids at school had to be wrong, they just had to be. Reality hit like an atomic bomb and forever changed my world.

The truth is that this agony I had to overcome as a young girl could have been avoided had my parents decided to tell me the truth. That Santa Claus is just a ploy created by commercialism to increase holiday spending, and the children pay the price in their shattered dreams. It is wrong for parents to lie to their children and instill this false hope that can only go downhill, and one day create great emotional trauma for that child.

Though the illusion of Santa Clause creates a mystical world of fantasy in the imagination, children have many other opportunities for mental exploration. Children naturally live in fantasy worlds. Boys constantly imagine themselves as great warriors, while girls tend to lean toward more glamorous or domestic pursuits. Santa Claus does not open the door to the imagination, children have already cleared the way for that. So this year spend this Christmas with family and friends focused on the story of Christ and not on a big man in a red suit.

Have a Merry (Santa free) Christmas!