The subject of Santa and parental lies

[ManaMinori 4,145]

As someone who has never celebrated the holidays, I find the very idea of Santa and his story completely absurd. A magical fat alien, of sorts, who can travel the world in a single night, and goes around leaving gifts for children that he supposedly knows everything about. NSA, anyone?

OK, really.

 

First off, the irony of dismissing "stranger danger" and allowing kids to sit on the lap of a man- in costume, mind you, that they don't know. Would this happen any other time of year, and be OK? I think not. (Same goes for allowing the accepting candy from strangers, on Halloween, when it would be discouraged the rest of the year)

 

I honestly can't fathom why you would want to enforce a lie about an alien with NSA involvement breaking and entering into houses to leave children presents. (God forbid, cops would be called if a random fat guy in a costume actually broke into your home, and left gifts for your kids)

 

Isn't it just easier to be honest, and tell a kid it's a present from mom or dad, because you love them, instead of weaving this whole schtick of magic elves, flying reindeer, and an overweight alien who has the monitoring abilities of the NSA?

 

What do you guys think?

[Megas 27,823]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjpYB_yilQU

 

Jesus Christ you love making small innocent things sound like capital crime don't you? You make Santa sound like a government agent or a stalker

 

It's just an innocent children's tale about a man who wants to make kids happy, heavily inspired by the real life Saint Nick, who was known for working miracles and his habit of gift giving, as well as try to inspire kids to keep up good behavior

 

Parents don't tell the story of Santa Claus to be mean, a lot of it is because they want to keep their gifts as a surprise for their kids, meanwhile kids eventually grow up and realize "yeah it's kind of bullshit" and grow out of believing Santa Claus but for the most part its all in good fun

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

Weren't you the one who made this?

 

https://mlpforums.com/topic/160857-childlike-wonder-do-you-still-have-it/

 

 

So I guess child like wonder and believing in fairy tales as a kid for a little while before life and the rest of humanity attempts to take a dump on all that innocence should be outlawed now?

 

Suck it up kids. The only thing real is death and taxes.

[Mesme Rize 15,687]

Kids are innocent and believe in all sorts of fantasy things. My big brother used to have an imaginary friend, before i was born and my parents weren't like "don't say such nonsense. He dosen't exist." They just joked around and entertained my bigbro with it, because he would grow out of it anyway.

 

Isn't it wonderful that kids can believe in these fairy tales and have such a great imagination? Kids are supposed to grow up innocently. What's the harm in believing in Sandy Claws?

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,873]

So you hate the main thing that kids do on Halloween and you hate the main thing that kids hold close to them for Christmas. Geez. That's a tad rough don't you think?

[Castle Bleck 19,386]

Just tell them he's secretly an OP wizard from the Potter-verse, or something.

 

"NSA" bullcrap solved.

[Catpone Cerberus 23,692]

"A magical fat alien, of sorts, who can travel the world in a single night, and goes around leaving gifts for children that he supposedly knows everything about." It seems you have been told about different Santa than me...

 

But Anyway, back to topic.

 

First off, the irony of dismissing "stranger danger" and allowing kids to sit on the lap of a man- in costume, mind you, that they don't know. Would this happen any other time of year, and be OK? I think not. (Same goes for allowing the accepting candy from strangers, on Halloween, when it would be discouraged the rest of the year)

 

Don't know how it was to you, but I always trusted people who my parents told to be good guys, so allowing Santa never gave me a idea that I should go to sit on random laps. So even if I didn't know who Santa was, he wasn't a stranger. For Halloween I don't have anything to comment because we don't go door to door on Halloween.

 

Going around the world in a night wasn't actually that impressive to me as child because I didn't know world is so big.

 

 

 

instead of weaving this whole schtick of magic elves, flying reindeer

 

I am personally glad that those were a thing, it made my childhood lot better when I was able to think that world was happy and awesome place. 

 

And I don't think it's a "Lie" It's a Story, like all the brave princes of the world and monsters under the bed.

 

Can't really say anything else, since Finnish Santa is different to yours. But, it's tradition and like every tradition, everyone should let others enjoy it. 

Edited December 17, 2016 by The Cerberus

[Ganondorf8 11,406]

There are some things that are sacred when it comes to children, and the story of Santa Claus is definitely one of those things. There is nothing wrong with telling them the story as it makes them excited around this time of the year, and gives them a little hope that something in this cruel world can be deemed magical and fantasy-like. Imagination and innocence go hand-in-hand with children and it shouldn't be taken away from them at such a young age.

Edited December 17, 2016 by Ganondorf8

[Zyrael 1,471]

We don't punish adults for believing in god so why punish kids for believing in santa?

[ManaMinori 4,145]

Kids are innocent and believe in all sorts of fantasy things. My big brother used to have an imaginary friend, before i was born and my parents weren't like "don't say such nonsense. He dosen't exist." They just joked around and entertained my bigbro with it, because he would grow out of it anyway.

 

Isn't it wonderful that kids can believe in these fairy tales and have such a great imagination? Kids are supposed to grow up innocently. What's the harm in believing in Sandy Claws?

I'm all for kids growing up innocent, bit why spin a lie to them about a magical elf, when it would mean so much more to them telling them that the gifts they get are from their loving parents, because they love them? Not some mythical stranger who judges your every action, looking to put you on a naughty or nice list

Weren't you the one who made this?

 

https://mlpforums.com/topic/160857-childlike-wonder-do-you-still-have-it/

 

 

So I guess child like wonder and believing in fairy tales as a kid for a little while before life and the rest of humanity attempts to take a dump on all that innocence should be outlawed now?

 

Suck it up kids. The only thing real is death and taxes.

forgot to multiquote, so see previous post

[Mesme Rize 15,687]

I'm all for kids growing up innocent, bit why spin a lie to them about a magical elf, when it would mean so much more to them telling them that the gifts they get are from their loving parents, because they love them? Not some mythical stranger who judges your every action, looking to put you on a naughty or nice list

The naughty or nice list was always effective, when it comes to children staying good. In germany, we had this folktale about krampus, who put naughty children in a sack and tortured them in hell for all eternity. Extreme? Probably. But the general idea for children that there are consequences for what they do is not bad in my opinion.

 

Also, Children also get stuff from their parents on days like birthdays. Is it that bad if someone comes for once, who gives them presents instead of their Parents? I don't think so.

[cider float 2,538]

I don't see what's the harm with Santa Claus. Let children just be children.

[Unumbra 35]

I personally believe that this lie is simply doing a bad thing for a good reason. One of the few charms of childhood most of us remember and love is the blissful ignorance. The simplicity. This is simply a part of a whole story. If a child refuses to accept this (obvious) lie, then it's their choice.

[\/ 651]

One time I told a four-year-old that Santa didn't actually exist. His response was, "I know, but I pretend so that my parents are happy."

 

That kid is wise beyond his years.

[Randimaxis 8,659]

Okay, I'll bite.

 

Santa Claus.  The idea of such has been flipped, turned, modified and changed throughout the years.  Such is the realm of legends, as their stories may be different than their origins, the story itself (at least in some form) lives on.

 

Legends are, more or less, what help humanity pass along traits like imagination, creativity, and a general feeling of wonder... it encourages the idea that, in this enormous universe, there are possibilities that we can't even comprehend - and stories like Santa Claus are a part of that.

 

True, you could say that Santa is a fraud, and that parents are horrible people for suggesting otherwise... but I don't.

 

When I was a child, I was excited by the prospect of a funny fat man sneaking presents into our house - I wasn't scared, nor did I ever feel like I was lied to; it fostered the want for not just Christmas magic, but it helped me to see the wonder of all SORTS of things.  At the childhood level, it is VITALLY IMPORTANT for a child to have their imagination cultivated and brought to life by a parent - could you even begin to imagine what life would be like without imagination?

 

As a parent myself, I wholeheartedly approve of the idea of Santa Claus, and I have my children believing in him too.  I do it because of that wonder I spoke of earlier - with this world and its' troubles (especially for a family that isn't too well-off), something like this is a beacon of hope and happiness in a veritable ocean of sadness, depression and paranoia.

 

It gives hope.  It gives wonder.  It gives imagination.

 

Yes, there ARE other things out there that can do this - Santa isn't the be-all, end-all of it - but to accuse a parent of straight LYING to a child is a bit harsh.  If it was a self-serving purpose, or meant maliciously, then perhaps... but the story isn't meant for that.  It is a tale meant to give children a magical feeling, and it is simply fun between parents and their children.

 

For what it's worth, I'm sorry that you feel as though it's a lie... but to me, it's magic; I have no designs to tell my kids otherwise, either.

[BlueStreak98 828]

It's weird. I understand the sentiment that lying to kids breeds mistrust later in life, but at the same token would a kid who was never led to believe it from the start feel differently? Like, would they miss that they were never allowed to take part in a large part of childhood?

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

It's simple. Kids love to believe things to let their imagination run wild. That's what kids do. This is how they are taught to defend something they believe in. I think the issue is you're making this a bigger problem than what it seems like others have noted. Santa is truly based off of St. Nicholas who sought to give back and make children happy with his heart of generosity.

[They call me Loyalty 1,949]

Your usual overblown perception of things is rather enjoyable.

But labeling popular costumes as a lie, won't make the subject any more polemic.

You require more subtlety, otherwise you risk losing credivility in this parodic representation.

[Celtore 2,770]

I understand the sentiment, but it's blown way out of porportion. Think of it from this perspective: it teaches children critical thinking. While yes, they may originally take the story at face value, they eventually learn the truth for themselves and they learn the importance of validating facts and not just accepting everything told to them by an authority figure. Plus, it's a part of childhood and just a nice feel-good legend; the parents get to bring Santa to life and the kid gets to temporarily enjoy believing in their parents' innocent little illusion.

Edited December 18, 2016 by Celtore

[cider float 2,538]

Let's just tell kids everything. Let's stop lying about how a stork brought the baby to our house. Let's just tell kids about how they were really made. And no holding back got to start from the beginning to the end of how two lovers meet, the special contact and then the exit.

Edited December 20, 2016 by cider float

[BlueStreak98 828]

Let's just tell kids everything. Let's stop lying about how a stork brought the baby to our house. Let's just tell kids about how they were really made. And no holding back got to start from the beginning to the end of how two lovers meet, the special contact and then the exit.

To be fair, I never heard the stork story until I was much older.

[cider float 2,538]

To be fair, I never heard the stork story until I was much older.

Neither did I. But I didn't ask about how kids are made really as a child. 

[Leave a Whisper 703]

I never got the whole stork story. I just got sex education when they offered it at middle school and sorta I guess from watching nature documentaries.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Leave a Whisper

[EpicEnergy 23,227]

I don't really understand the reason why parents let their kids believe Santa is real, when they are the ones who have to spend their money to buy the presents and letting Santa get the credit for doing it. Regardless, I still think it is fine for kids to believe in Santa and for parents to tell their kids that Santa is real.

[Oblivion 20,271]

My gosh, OP must be real thriller at parties!