Santa is Dead

[PuritanCovenanter]

Just for you alls entertainment and encouragement. This is something I usually post around this time of year. It has been a few years so here it is again......

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/1/449483_21b0b56836.jpg?v=0
I love this pic....

And to put it into some context I will also share an old story of mine again. I posted it a few years ago on the board. I also think it is humorous and goes along with the picture.

Before I was married I purposed in my heart to never lie to kids about St. Nicholaus. My reasoning was if I told them a lie about Santa who is to say that I am not lying about Jesus. So when I started having children I told them the truth. St. Nick was dead but that he lived in heaven with Jesus. I told them about the fables and myths and said it was wrong to make Santa Claus have characteristics that only God has.


Well, one Christmas we were in a department store and the cashier asked my two boys (probably around 6years old) if they were good and if Santa was going to come to their house. To which my oldest looked at her and said, "No, Santa is dead." You should have seen the look of horror on that ladies face. It was great. I then explained to her that we believe that the real St. Nick is alive in heaven with Jesus because Jesus died for the Bishop's sin, and that we wanted our son's to know that their parents always told them the truth. They could trust us when we said Jesus was real.


It is a great witness.

 

[Leslie]

Neat story.

 

[Solparvus]

Just for you alls entertainment and encouragement. This is something I usually post around this time of year. It has been a few years so here it is again......

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/1/449483_21b0b56836.jpg?v=0
I love this pic....

And to put it into some context I will also share an old story of mine again. I posted it a few years ago on the board. I also think it is humorous and goes along with the picture.

Before I was married I purposed in my heart to never lie to kids about St. Nicholaus. My reasoning was if I told them a lie about Santa who is to say that I am not lying about Jesus. So when I started having children I told them the truth. St. Nick was dead but that he lived in heaven with Jesus. I told them about the fables and myths and said it was wrong to make Santa Claus have characteristics that only God has.


Well, one Christmas we were in a department store and the cashier asked my two boys (probably around 6years old) if they were good and if Santa was going to come to their house. To which my oldest looked at her and said, "No, Santa is dead." You should have seen the look of horror on that ladies face. It was great. I then explained to her that we believe that the real St. Nick is alive in heaven with Jesus because Jesus died for the Bishop's sin, and that we wanted our son's to know that their parents always told them the truth. They could trust us when we said Jesus was real.


It is a great witness.

Fantastic teaching opportunity! I'll have to do something similar someday, if the Lord wills it

 

[Frosty]

LOL. Love the story. Your boys saying with confidence to an adult, "No, Santa is dead."

 

[Edward]

I thought this was going to be an update about Santa being shot in DC Man in Santa Claus Suit Shot in DC With Pellet Gun - ABC News

 

[Miss Marple]

I always just taught them that Santa is a game people play. We'd go along with things as if at a game. It seemed to work out.

 

[Jack K]

This is something I usually post around this time of year.

I've always liked that that story, probably because my kids too have explained to well-meaning adults that Santa is dead. I think I've shared that before on this board, just as I remember you doing. We had to teach our little ones that many families like to pretend Santa is still alive, and that it's not nice to spoil their fun by telling other kids that he isn't.

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

When the boys were little I asked them to be discreet about telling other kids in an offensive manner and that it was the other children's parents responsibility to teach or make believe what they wanted to. I never had any parents show up at my door to scold me. Christmas has always been a solid family time in our family. None of us go to Church on the 25th or think it a Holy Day per se'. We don't go to Easter Services as though Easter was a Holy Day per se' either. We go because it is God's day. At the same time the so called holiday season is a special time for our family to think about the Incarnation and be grateful for life just as it is everyday. We like putting up decorations and listening to Carols and Handel's Messiah. It does tend to be more of a social seasonal thing since society has some attachment and seasonal focus.

Today we all met at my Mom's, ate, spent time talking, and playing games in a more relaxed atmosphere than usual time affords. I love being with my family without any structure or overtly focused situation. As I have grown older those times are harder to participate in since we all have responsibilities that seem to hinder these kind of times when we can all gather together around the table and recreation. I like the holidays. As I have matured in the faith some, one problem I have is, what should I call this time of year? It isn't Holy like the Sabbath. In Europe the term Holiday has been prostituted to just mean vacation time. It is more of an Epistemological or vocabulary problem for me than anything else. What do I call this time of year? So I just use the normal phrase Christmas with some cringing because it seems it might be taking the Lord's title of Christ and his commission to the Church of being sent out into the world in vain.

 

[MichaelNZ]

I wouldn't identify Santa Claus as St Nicholas of Myra. The bishop was one of several sources of the modern Santa Claus, along with the Norse "god" Odin and the British Father Christmas (who nowadays is identified with Santa but had quite a different origin). Check out the Wikipedia article on Santa Claus for more details.

I agree with the OP's idea of not telling his children that Santa Claus is real. It isn't just one lie - it's a full-blown deception and kids do a very good job of evaluating the planted "evidence" such as the missing milk and cookies. I think it is far better to focus on Jesus and Him being the incredible gift God has given to sinful mankind.

 

[THE W]

His grave lie next to the tooth fairy and the easter bunny.

 

[Edward]

His grave lie next to the tooth fairy and the easter bunny.

No, the Turks and the Vatican are fighting over the bones.
LOCAL - Turkey requests Santa Claus

 

[Free Christian]

Actually there was a movie on where I live recently where they blew Santa up in the end. So at the end of that movie Santa was... dead.