What? What's this about Santa Claus being a lie? You mean all those magical night-before-Christmas thoughts have no place in a child's life?
I still remember trying to go to sleep on Christmas Eve when I believed in Santa. It was the most wondrous thing in the world. I thought the morning would never come, and when it did, it was always magical. Nevermind that my parents' handwriting seemed to be on some of the presents that Santa brought, and never mind that there seemed to be Santas in every mall, and never mind that we didn't have a chimney. I believed, 100 percent, and I'd never want to take that away from a child.
Is it disappointing when you find out that it's a generous, loving myth passed down through the ages? Sure, if it's not handled right. But I remember being enlisted to help create the magic for my little sister and brother, and that seemed special in its own way as well.
I do feel badly for parents who decide that, for whatever reason, they choose not to participate in holiday myths. I can't think of another parenting decision that would be so roundly difficult to make and enforce, simply because the child lives in an entire world set up to encourage it. It's an interesting thing to think about.
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What? What's this about Santa Claus being a lie? You mean all those magical night-before-Christmas thoughts have no place in a child's life?
I still remember trying to go to sleep on Christmas Eve when I believed in Santa. It was the most wondrous thing in the world. I thought the morning would never come, and when it did, it was always magical. Nevermind that my parents' handwriting seemed to be on some of the presents that Santa brought, and never mind that there seemed to be Santas in every mall, and never mind that we didn't have a chimney. I believed, 100 percent, and I'd never want to take that away from a child.
Is it disappointing when you find out that it's a generous, loving myth passed down through the ages? Sure, if it's not handled right. But I remember being enlisted to help create the magic for my little sister and brother, and that seemed special in its own way as well.
I do feel badly for parents who decide that, for whatever reason, they choose not to participate in holiday myths. I can't think of another parenting decision that would be so roundly difficult to make and enforce, simply because the child lives in an entire world set up to encourage it. It's an interesting thing to think about.
October 28, 2008 - 5:07pmThis Comment
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