Your opinion on Santa Claus, and other stories.

[MantaRevan]

I asked my father, and it turns out that stopped believing when I was five, if at all. I don't consider myself cynical or jaded. Mostly.

 

[Tani Coyote]

As I don't see Christmas as a Christian holiday regardless of its origins, I see Santa Claus as a good way to give it a mystique without implanting any particular religious dogma in their minds. It also is an excellent way to get them to behave!

I think it's nice to give kids something to look forward to. Becoming an adult, while it has its perks, has its downsides as well - you have to work, deal with death, pick up so many responsibilities, etc. Let the kids enjoy their youth, let them dream. Let them think a demigod takes time out of his day to deliver gifts to them, rather than it just being you.

On the flipside, the legend kind of encourages materialism. Poor families have it the best, as they never lose touch with the concepts of love and kindness on Christmas Day. They have the greatest gift of all - eachother.

 

[Traitorfish]

As I don't see Christmas as a Christian holiday regardless of its origins, I see Santa Claus as a good way to give it a mystique without implanting any particular religious dogma in their minds.

That's a logic I'm on board with. Santa, despite the obvious religious element in the genealogy of the myth (Sinterklaas, etc.), is a basically secular figure, more an animistic embodiment of the midwinter holiday than any sort of religion-specific entity. I mean, even the Soviets approved of him (or more precisely, his Russian analogue), and they were about as War-On-Christmas-y you can get.

 

[timtofly]

Not sure, when was the Jesus story made up again?

Didn't a guy name Gregory try to figure that one out?

He did survive a war on Sinterklaas though. When he kicked Calvinist arse. Jesus has not been able to yet to win his war.

Maybe Calvin protested the relationships of Sinterklaas??

 

[GhostWriter16]

I don't think its a terribly huge deal, but I'd tell my kids the truth. More likely they'd believe me on other stuff, and besides, I really don't like to lie. Not to mention I would rather Christmas focus on Christ. That said, not a terribly huge deal either way.

 

[Old Hippy]

Don't overlook the benefits of lying to your kids... Santa, the tooth fairy, Ghost story's, I believed them all at some time, and feel no regret of being lied to, it's given me a healthy skepticism of all great truths and great gurus/prophets