A Case for Santa Claus
There used to be a time when fantasy, romance, and whimsy were highly valued, even treasured, by society, especially among our children. Unfortunately, jaded negativity, cynicism, and sarcasm have largely taken their place. Cynicism, in particular, runs deep in our society today. What is cynicism? It’s characterized by a general distrust of others; the feeling that people have an ulterior motive and are therefore only out for themselves. It robs us of our hope and joy and often comes from feelings of hopelessness and bitterness, and it’s not something that happens to a person all of a sudden. Cynicism is insidious and pernicious, gradually taking over a person’s habits and personality, and if left unaddressed, it can destroy a life.
As a result of this growing cynicism and jaded negativity, we are quickly losing our ability to appreciate the beautiful, wondrous, and whimsical in our world. And without this appreciation, all we are left with is what we experience with our five senses. Children, especially, have a need for fantasy and magic in their lives. It should be a natural part of childhood, and believing in Santa Claus is a big part of that. Unfortunately, social media has only exacerbated the problem by exposing children to the pessimistic, sarcastic, and vulgar.
In fact, we all need beauty, wonder, and whimsy in our lives, adult or child. There should not be a time in our lives when we outgrow the need for the qualities that Santa Claus represents; they’re what make this earthly life beautiful and joyous. Parents and children alike can share the joy of Santa Claus, whether it’s visiting Santa at the mall, attending a church event, watching a Christmas movie, playing a board game, or just sipping hot chocolate and listening to Christmas carols.
We must be willing to exemplify the spirit of Christmas and Santa Claus and counteract the cynicism and jaded negativity that have taken root in our society. This is the reason for the existence of the Santa Claus Project. It won’t be easy, but with the help of SCP supporters, we can make a major difference in the lives of families across America, and perhaps even around the world.
The Debate Over Santa Claus
The Truth?
The debate over whether to tell children the “truth” about Santa Claus has raged for decades. Actually, the question of, “is Santa real” is missing the point. Santa Claus is most certainly real, just not in the way most people have been taught to think of him. Santa Claus is a spirit and a feeling, in fact, the very essence of kindness, beauty, love, and generosity.
Claiming that Santa is not real is like claiming that kindness, beauty, and generosity are not real, but we know they exist because human beings embody and express those qualities. There may not be a flesh and blood man or woman named kindness or generosity, but we see them personified every day, holiday season or not, in the works of our fellow human beings.
Therefore, allowing children to believe in Santa Claus helps them develop the character qualities of kindness, love, and generosity, in addition to the benefits of experiencing the joy, fantasy, and magic of the Christmas season. And by extension, this allows adults to believe and experience the same joy along with children.
To say that Santa Claus is not real unless one can prove the existence of a physical man in a red suit with a toy workshop at the North Pole is an overly simplistic argument. This is the view encouraged and formed by young children because they don’t yet possess the maturity to understand Santa Claus in the philosophical sense; but they will, naturally, as they grow up. There is no need to sit a child down at a certain age and “break the news.” The whole idea behind children having the freedom to believe in Santa Claus is that, ideally, they grow up to become Santa Claus, and they don’t grow up feeling betrayed by their parents, quite the opposite, in fact. Children come to exemplify Santa Claus through their thoughts and actions and find joy in the act of giving.
If we start children at a very young age (before five years old) involving them in the giving process, not just during the Christmas season, but all year round, they begin to associate giving with kindness, love, and generosity, the very qualities embodied by Santa Claus. Children then learn that giving is a joyous act of love, and that by giving, they are also receiving their own spiritual gift of love and joy. This is how we grow from children who believe in Santa Claus to adults who personify Santa Claus.