By

I overheard a fraction of a conversation Norah was having with one of her toys in the Jeep. She was saying, "We believe...d in Santa... the other day."

I got a kick out of the fact that Norah changed verb tense in mid sentence. And, right when I thought she was done speaking entirely, she added, "...the other day." That's when her voice trailed off and that's when I broke into spontaneous laughter.

The picture above was taken at our neighborhood's Christmas party. (See the blog entry for December 7 for further explanation.) You can see Norah in the bottom right hand corner of the photo listening to Santa tell the story "The Night Before Christmas."

We're Christians, so we focus on Christ at Christmas. Go figure. But, we didn't foresee the problems this would cause any child, like Norah, with any set of parents, like us, who live somewhere within, say, the continental United States.

I really don't question parents who include Santa in their holiday celebrations. I don't feel contempt for them and I am not righteous about our sincere attempts to keep Christmas sacred. While I do think Santa is a distraction, I don't treat him like I would if the letters in his name were rearranged and he were holding a pitch fork rather a bag of toys.

Many of my closest friends tell their children Santa brings the toys. Who cares?! I am just venting about how inconvenient it has been for our family because we decided not to. Many people are polite to us, but I have come to resent the others who get terrified and almost step back in horror because our daughter isn't excited about Santa. She loves him like she would Barney. He's big and soft and friendly, but no one ever expects her to believe Barney is real.

She sees Santa as if he didn't have a bag... and to her, he doesn't. He really would have no love from anyone without the bag. No child in their right minds would ever welcome a fat man in a funny red costume to break into their homes while they slept if he wasn't bringing them Ipods and Hotwheels. So, I wish no one would ever pity our daughter. She has plenty of the same superficial, materialistic, fleeting joy other kids have on Christmas morning. She just gives us the thanks... or criticism when she is done opening her gifts.

But, one of the things we said to coach Norah not to question Santa's authenticity in front of the other kids at the party that night was, "Tonight, we believe in Santa."

I guess that worked. Now, she'll have some vague memory and slight confusion about a time when she and her parents did believe in Santa, but then, they didn't all of a sudden...

I think that's great. Just great.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

By
Image
"...the child should have a set time everyday to read for fun. Begin with half an hour for first graders, and build up to an hour of reading time daily... This is an important part of the child's education: it improves his reading skills, teaches him the habit of sitting still with a book, and reminds him that reading is fun... free reading ought to be spent on literature at or slightly below the child's present reading level so that he can simply enjoy himself. The easier reading will help him increase his speed." The Well Trained Mind: The Guide to Classical Education at Home by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
Read more

Andrew Peterson's Songs That Celebrate Marriage and Family

By
Recently, I got to go to an Andrew Peterson concert at the Community Coffehouse in Danbury, CT. My dear friend and I didn't realize the show was sold out when we arrived.  But luckily, the lady at the door showed us pity, let us pay for tickets that didn't exist, and go in. We were willing to stand at the back, but we were able to find space on a bench at the back of the hall. I knew a few of the songs he sang that evening, but many of them were new to me because I have a hard time with new music.  I'd rather sing a song I already know by heart a hundred more times than hear a new song through even once. I know it is a problem that I need to work on if for no other reason than for the sake of my poor husband and daughters who have to hear the same albums everyday for a year. No, really. A year. At least. I have been giving myself permission to buy new music for this reason. So I came home that evening or maybe it was the next day and I purchased three of hi
Read more

Astronomer Shoe Boxes for Challenge B

By
Image
  Avril finished her astronomer shoeboxes for Challenge B.   The Challenge B students have all done research and projects on astronomers throughout this first semester.  Now, students choose two (or more) astronomers in secret and provide clues to the astronomers' identities in their shoeboxes.   For instance, if an astronomer made telescopes, sang opera, played piano, discovered binary stars or Uranus, studied eclipses, lived in a simple, log cabin, or made a map of Washington D.C., you might include some of those items to your shoe boxes as hints.  Student bring in their shoeboxes, and classmates get a chance to guess who the astronomers are based on what's inside the boxes.  Can you guess who Avril's astronomers are based on the pictures above?  Hint: Her two boxes actually represent three astronomers total.  
Read more