And then there's Santa

How do I not like Santa? Let me count the ways.

1- He's a myth, and yet the American public try as hard as thy can to convince our children that he's real. Movies and books and newspaper articles are dedicated to proving the truth of Santa Claus. Any one who doesn't "believe" is treated as a pariah, or at least a spoil-sport. But despite all the effort and rhetoric, guess what? He's not real. Why on earth would we lie to our children and pretend that he is? I think it undermines our children's faith in us when we spend a significant portion of our time trying to deceive them. "Yes, sweetheart, the tooth fairy will leave money under your pillow while you sleep. Yes, dear, the Easter Bunny will hide treats around the house for you to gather up. Of course Santa is real, honey, and if you're good he'll come down the chimney and leave you presents, and do the same for all the children in the world. Yes, my love, Jesus and God are real and love you very much. What? You've discovered the tooth fairy isn't real? Not the Easter Bunny, either? Nor Santa Claus? Well, Jesus and God are still real. Why don't you believe me?"

2- Santa bears little resemblance to the original inspiration of the story, unfortunately. The legend of Santa Claus probably has some noble origins, St. Basil of Caesarea and St. Nicolas of Myra. So tell you kids the story of the Bishop of Caesarea, who was born wealthy but gave all his possessions to the poor, or the Bishop of Myra who was noted for his generous donations to the poor, and especially for putting gold coins in the shoes of children. Tell the children how these man of God sacrificed to help those in need and serve the greater good. These are examples to emulate, and examples of Christ-like charity are rare enough in the world. But Santa as he is represented today bears little resemblance to those bishops of old. This Wikipedia article on Santa Claus provides some interesting reading on how the Santa we know today got to be who he is, and a great deal of the influences are not particularly uplifting at all. In a celebration that should be about Christ and his birth, Santa seems to me a very awkward and incongruous participant.

3- Santa provides a poor role model for giving. I've been told that Santa represents the spirit if giving, but if so, I don't think it's a very good representation. How do children learn to give from Santa's example? First of all, Santa is magic and never has to sacrifice to do his giving, so children do not learn the truth that giving requires some sacrifice, whether it be time, labor, or money. Secondly, their relationship with Santa is not a reciprocal relationship. They do not give to Santa to show their love for him, they just learn to ask and expect. You may say that kids are supposed to be good or else they'll get coal, but honestly, when was the last time you heard of a kid who didn't get presents because they didn't behave? In a gift exchange with family or friends, children learn to reciprocate the giving. With Santa, they only have to consider what they want, what they are going to receive. I think, in this sense, Santa simply represents the spirit of getting. Parents are the ones who actually do all the careful consideration of each child's wants and needs, the buying and storing, the wrapping and arranging, and so perhaps Santa represents the spirit of giving to them. I believe the spirit of giving is far better represented in a simple gift exchange within the family. That way children share in the entire process and learn how to give.

My proposal (and personal practice) is to eliminate Santa from the gift giving portion of Christmas. Let him be a mythical representation of giving that we visit occasionally during the Christmas season, not unlike "A Christmas Carol" or "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." And then let us focus on the more certain example of giving that we should celebrate during the season - Christ.