I am not sure where to post this but since its about the Christmas holiday I picked the religion forum.

We all know the general myths about Santa but what does Santa or St. Nicholas mean for Christmas today?

Do you think people should lie to their children about Santa?

If so, why?

How do you think this might harm your children when they discover they have been duped?

Or:

How do you think it benefits them?

How do you (if you have kids) present or tell them about Santa?

First, you don't have to present Santa. He shows up somewhere every year since the kids are infants. They get used to seeing him, wheter they like him at first or not.
Second, we're not "lying" to our kids, we are showing them joy. Kids all eventually like to see Santa and they get the joy of Christmas.
I don't know anyone who feels badly that they were duped by their parents, they remember the joy. I've played Santa for 33 years now. I played Santa for the kids and now they have grown up and ask me to play Santa for their kids. Both, the kids and the parents experience joy when Santa is there.
It sure is alot better than telling a kid this is the day a very special child was born so we could kill him in 33 years.
Religion will come along a little late.
Merry Christmas and Ho Ho Ho!

DONT WATCH THIS !!! (LOL) : ^ )


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_w_2QH6svM

yeah, fantasies and fairy tales help inspire children and develop imagination


I know of noone that has hard feelings about once being told of the easter bunny or santa claus

Me neither. Although I would have told my daughters the truth a year or two ago, but their father would have a fit. I try not to cause their father fits.

The scriptures speak of people who do these celebrations.

It says do not be afraid of them.. Also they know not to do good or bad.

but it does refer to them as Heathons. contrary to the bible.

Yet many who say they follow this tradition its ok because they say it is.

If we were in other parts of the world and even the forefathers of this country outlawed this celebration. It has been in todays world a day that wether we say it or not teach children it's all about me.

we may take to our roots and say its about giving. Just let a child be at a celebration where they recieve no gifts and see how many of your children see this a a good day then.

It does teach it is ok to lie to those who trust you as long as they do not know any better.

Sounds like WMD's we were lied about. Terror is on our doorsteps they said. Rise up and destroy those who do not understand. we said yes. but in the end who have we destroyed?

Santa would not be so unreliable if it were not we teach peace when thier is no peace, no justice yet we claim justice. No giving when the streets are so full.

Lies.. I see it never affected me.


maybe you were priveleged. Maybe you were good, maybe you were bad.

temper tandrems in the store. Yet all the toys for the spoiled rotten brat.

Who has not seen that?

Our way we are most will say is developed by what we are around for the 1st 5 years of our life.

who's to say what shaped us if we do not know when we been naughty or bad? Shalom...Miles

I dont get all that,,

I doubt Jesus felt he was lying when he told parables

its a fantasy that teaches a moral,,,

it is.

we as a nation as a people teach a fanticy. I agree.

A fanticy we are better than others we see. More suicides today than any other day. why because our childhood fanticy teaches no morals just ME..

are you saying we do not teach Selfishness to children on this day?

some might, others take them out and let them see about giving and charity, and others teach about the blessing of being with family

some teach the religious history


there is nothing wrong with wanting gifts, it is only when there is an imbalance between wanting to receive and wanting to give to others that there is a problem


even the bible says the meek INHERIT the earth, which makes me think getting something good in return for something good is not necessarily wrong or selfish,,,

Ok.

I see this all the time. the scriptures definately teach about family and unselfishness its called the Feast of Tabernacles todays religion will tell you if you keep it. You are in a cult. You are trying to earn something.

These same people have never experienced what the Feast of Tabernacles is.

Yet this is from the OT so it has no meaning today.

Jer 10:1-5

Hear the word which Yahweh speaks to you, O house of Israel.

2 Thus says Yahweh:

"Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;
Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold;
They fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
5 They are upright, like a palm tree,
And they cannot speak;
They must be carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good."
NKJV

Hard to say this written thousands of years ago is not talking of the season we are in.

No Faith Yahweh tells us how to live. No Faith.. Blessings..Miles

this verse seems to imply that we should neither worship nor fear trees,,,,,

Has thier ever been people who feared Trees?

Dendrophobia is the fear of trees or the fear of the forest. It is a real phobia and far more common than most people may think. Unfortunately, it is not talked about often because those who suffer with it also fear ridicule from others.

Very good. Also it wasn't Christmas first so the politically correct form for it would be Yule or winter solstice since that was before Christianity anyway.

As to the OP, I told my kids of Santa as soon as they were old enough to understand that it was an untruth that was spread to make children have a more fun holiday. They were never really lied to except by the social stuff they heard away from me.

very true.


Midvinterblot by Carl Larsson, located in the Swedish Nationalmuseum's stairway (detail march 2008)Yule was an indigenous midwinter (winter solstice) festival celebrated by the pagan Scandinavian and other Germanic people. These festivals were also called Jul, midvinterblot, Julblot, jólablót, and julofferfest. Yule was progressively absorbed into the Christian observations surrounding Christmas.[11] Scholar Rudolf Simek says that the Yule feast "had a pronounced religious character", and Simek cites section 7 of Gulaþingslög, where Yule is described as celebrated "for a fertile and peaceful season" and consists of a fertility sacrifice. Simek says that focus was not on the gods of the Vanir, but instead the god Odin, and he notes that one of Odin's many names is Jólnir (Old Norse "yule figure"[12]). Simek says that Odin was associated with Yule, and that the tradition of the Wild Hunt undoubtedly contributed to the association of the two. According to Simek "it is uncertain whether the Germanic Yule feast still had a function in the cult of the dead and in the veneration of the ancestors, a function which the mid-winter sacrifice certainly held for the West European Stone and Bronze Ages." The traditions of the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar (Sonargöltr) reflected still in the Christmas ham, Yule singing, and others stem from Yule customs, and Simek says these customs "indicate the significance of the feast in pre-Christian times."[13]

Specific dating is problematic. In the 13th century, the Old Norse month name ýlir (attested once) refers to the period of time between 14 November and 13 December.[13] The time of Yule falls within around the time of a month that corresponds with the end of the modern calendar year. Scholar Andy Orchard says that "in practice, it is difficult to specify the yule-tide period more accurately than at some point between about mid-November and the beginning of January."[11] Simek says that the Old Norse timing "offers no point of reference for the sacrificial feast" and that "the identification with the mid-winter time of sacrifice is most likely."[13]

Some scholars theorize a connection between Yule and the Wild Hunt.[11][14]

[edit] Contemporary traditionsIn modern Germanic language-speaking areas and some other Northern European countries, the etymological cognates to Yule are employed for the Christmas. Various traditions are present in these branches, some of which extended from the pre-Christian period. Examples include Jul (Sweden), Jul (Denmark), Jul (Norway) , jól (Iceland), Joulu (Finland) and Jõulud (Estonia).

[edit] NeopaganismAs forms of Neopaganism can be quite different and have very different origins, these representations can vary considerably despite the shared name. Some celebrate in a way as close as possible to how they believe Ancient Germanic pagans observed the tradition, while others observe the holiday with rituals culled from numerous other unrelated sources including Germanic.

In Germanic Neopagan sects, Yule is celebrated with gatherings that often involve a meal and gift giving. Further attempts at reconstruction of surviving accounts of historical celebrations are often made, a hallmark being variations of the traditional. Groups such as the Asatru Folk Assembly in the US recognize the celebration as lasting 12 days, beginning on the date of the winter solstice.[15]

In most forms of Wicca, this holiday is celebrated at the winter solstice as the rebirth of the Great horned hunter god,[16] who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. The method of gathering for this sabbat varies by practitioner. Some have private ceremonies at home,[17] while others do so with their covens.[18]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule

Interesting.. I can see that. Here in oregon go out late at night into the woods and it can be scary.. Not sure if its really the tree's with me or the cougars//haha

yes, when they were carved into false idols and graven images

goodness, well there goes the positive that comes from giving gifts to others,,,and earning things,,,,