Is Santa Claus Real. . . . .

I liken this to magic.

There are some that will enjoy the illusion, the drama, the play leading up to a crescendo of the performance! It's the mystery, the magic is in belief and wonder!




Aaaand there are those who will always want to know how the magician did it.

And piss on everyone's Wheaties.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

No, and here is were we agree. They have been convinced that they need to buy the latest, greatest, bestest etc. thing(s) for their child because that's what every damn TV show portrays.

I don't think the ideals of children and Christmas and their parents are relatable, at all however.

a reply to: DBCowboy

I always want to know the trick.

But I won't tell anyone how it's done.

a reply to: Phage

You're the one that brought up the legal talk.
I'm just trying to get clarity here.

What other topics should teachers lie (or withhold the truth) about?

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

What's the point of adding a lie on top of the materialism?

Tradition is a lie.
Continuity, is a lie.

I guess.

Fun, is a lie.

So is Christmas.

Humbug.

When my grandfather moved here from Finland, he had to swear that he was not a follower of St. Nick anymore. I have the original document that states that. No wonder some people don't want to say they believe in Santa. They are afraid they will get stuck down at Guantanamo en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: Phage

My daughter came right out and proclaimed when she no longer believed. She was 8 (9?). It made me sad, but proud that critical thinking had kicked in.

Maybe that's part of it ya know?

None of us are perfect, but shouldn't we reinforce dreaming and critical thinking at the same time?

Tell kids it's okay to dream (and snap them out of it at the right age), and celebrate when they show the capacity to do something past that and display logic?

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Tell kids it's okay to dream (and snap them out of it at the right age), and celebrate when they show the capacity to do something past that and display logic?

Neither my job nor a teacher's to "snap them out of it." It's our job to kick their brains in gear so they can figure things out on their own.

Which was my point. I "lie" to my daughter on an regular basis. She's got me wired now, knows my tells. Working on getting her to look at the world and her peers the same way. Critically.

a reply to: Krahzeef_Ukhar

This one is real simple..ask your parents!!

Santa is gone, killed by department stores.

Department stores realized that if Santa didn't make and give away toys, toys would have to be bought from the stores. Killed for profit.

His spirit lives on in those who remember.

a reply to: DBCowboy

I think it's an incredibly complicated topic that's impossible to be right about.

a reply to: roadgravel

Christmas is a good time of year.

The Sun starts coming back to life. Something to celebrate.

Of course, in the tropics, it never really dies.

a reply to: Phage

Thats very thought provoking, cheers

a reply to: Phage

There are plenty of other ways to have fun other than to lie to your kids. I'm going to tell my kids to keep the truth to themselves but I'm not going to lie to them. I will take responsibility for rewarding or punishing them for how they act, not pass that responsibility onto a myth.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: DBCowboy

I think it's an incredibly complicated topic that's impossible to be right about.

Sure. Never teach your kids to dream, imagine, experience wonder and magic.

a reply to: JinMI

The advertisers use Christmas as the foundation. Christmas has been bastardized by consumerism. I can get behind the concept of reward and punishment but I refuse to pass my own responsibility onto a myth.

a reply to: Phage

Fun, is a lie.

So is Christmas.

Humbug.

I'm sorry Phage, Santa is obvisously real.

"Photo or it didn't happen?"

Heh heh, got that covered too . . . .



(Photo shamefully stolen from another thread, which I can't find any more)

Santa is obviously a girl! in case anyone didn't already know.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

I'm not going to lie to them.

Wanna bet?

originally posted by: DBCowboy

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: DBCowboy

I think it's an incredibly complicated topic that's impossible to be right about.

Sure. Never teach your kids to dream, imagine, experience wonder and magic.

When did I imply that?

a reply to: Phage

Yeah I do. How much you wanna bet? I'll tell my kids the truth, even the hard ones.