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20 Nov 2012

On Santa and Christmas


Thank you to everyone who voted for my blog and the soulsistas blog in the Nigerian blog awards. We won we won we won…. Yay!!!! God bless you all! My excitement knows no bounds :)


So I have a dilemma…or I am a bit confused about an issue. Maybe you can help me.

source: google images
A little background, growing up my mum used to take us to see Santa who is commonly known as Father Christmas in Nigeria. We went a few Christmas till my mum got a “rev” that Santa wasn't biblical. So no more Father Christmas for us. By that time I was already bored with the ruler, eraser, biro and exercise book we got every year from Father Christmas anyway so I didn't think much of it.

We also put up a Christmas tree and Christmas decorations every year. It was always fun hanging Christmas decorations and lights as a family. In between it all, including the rice and chicken we ate on Christmas day my mum instilled in us the true meaning of Christmas.

Now fast forward to present day, Bionic’s godfather took her to go see Santa when she was 1 year old. I didn't think anything about it. She had fun and took a picture with Santa. Last year for some reason I felt uneasy in my spirit about the whole Santa thing, who knows maybe I was getting a rev like my mum. Anyway she didn't get to see Santa.

Now this year, the talk of going to see Santa is back and so is the uneasiness. I really can’t place it. 

I make it a conscious effort not to get religious about things but at the same time I can see how easy it is for Santa to replace Jesus Christ in the Christmas story.

Bionic is three now and more aware of Christmas especially in terms of decorations and lights and what have you. I want Bionic to know that:
  • Whether she is well behaved or naughty Jesus still loves her
  • Christmas is about Jesus coming to the world to save us from sin
  • Christmas like any other time is the time to show love to others
  • Christmas is not about collecting presents but sharing
  • Christmas is so not about SANTA but JESUS


Sugarspring wrote in her last post- "The fact that people replace Santa with Jesus on Christmas day and forget the real representation of what that day symbolizes doesn’t mean it is OKAY". I totally agree with her. Her post partially inspired my question.

It's bad enough that Christmas has been commercialized.

Ok so what do you think…? What are your thoughts on Santa? Parents, are your children going to see santa? What Christmas values are you instilling in your children? 

Uncles and Aunties would love to hear from you too. I would love to learn from y'all.

One more thing what do you think about writing or saying Merry X-mas instead of Merry Christ-mas. Where did X come from sef?

Thanks

Aloted

45 comments:

  1. Hmmm, this post is deep! True, most of us have lost the true meaning and essence of Christmas. It has become more about partying and having fun and less about what it really represents. Santa has practically overshadowed Jesus in the lives of our children. For years, I thought Santa (we called it 'Father Christmas' back then) was the essence of Christmas. I had to grow to an extent before understanding the 'Jesus Christ' connection. Sadly, it's getting worse these days. Indeed, we need to rise up and ensure our kids (and everyone else) begin to dwell on the true reason for the season - Jesus Christ. In fact sef, let's ban Santa for the next ten years so we can stamp out the overwhelming influence it has had over the years! lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wouldnt that be great if we could ban Santa forever...lol..
      Geebee thanks for your insightful comment as always

      Delete
    2. This is a very interesting article. I learnt a lot. However, you can also check interesting articles on

      Delete
  2. I'm not sure about the rev. But I completely agree that Santa should not replace Jesus. Frankly Santa has no place at Christmas just like the Easter bunny has no place at Easter but that's story for another day.

    I agree that you should decide what you want Bionic to tie to Christmas and then set forth to instil it. God will help is. As Christians we do swim against the tide.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lol @ not sure about the rev.
      You are right Santa has no place at Christmas
      May God help us all
      Thanks Enii

      Delete
  3. I've never really thought about this, so first of all, thanks for that! Growing up I only went to see 'Father Christmas' once (that I can remember) so Im really don't that fuzzed about it. That said, will I be taking my child to see Santa this year? I doubt it! Mainly cos she's too young to understand it anyway... but then again, I guess it's something I'll discuss with my OH. Like you said, we as parents need to instill the true meaning of Christmas to our little ones and we all know its something that doesn't start during Christmas, its something we teach them everyday so I personally don't think it's something we should 'worry' too much about during Christmas specifically because we are teaching them about Christ everyday but hey, that's just my thoughts...

    Apparently the 'X' in Xmas is from the Greek letter 'Chi'... more info here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Tola... i think back home the father christmas craze isnt as bad as it is abroad..
      i definitely agree with u about teaching our children the christmas story all year round

      Delete
  4. Because we were really embedded in Sunday school as children, it helped that we knew the meaning of Christmas fairly early and before the craze for father Christmas started. I'm Anglican so we follow the whole advent, Christmas, epiphany, etc. I do not have anything specifically against the tradition of a costumed gift dispenser, since there are other traditions surrounding Christmas - which for me as a child included travel to the village, new clothes/shoes/toys, and special rice and stew - but I am also not happy about the excessive commercialization and the cult of the Santa Claus.

    I say cult because parents are guilt-tripped about buying gifts even when they can't afford it and children are fed the whole naughty/nice, cookies and milk, elves, north-pole story as fact instead of fable. When you try to say otherwise, some parents are ready to jump down your throat. To each their own sha...

    Personally, I will teach my children the Christian version of Christmas early enough, and impress on them that Santa is fake. Then, I will not mind taking them to see Santa and giving them the full Christmas experience of trees, food, family and love. No stockings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @Myne you are right..some parents make santa a big deal to their kids and harass you if you say santa is not real...lol
      my children will definitely be knowing Santa na fake fake...
      thanks for your comment

      Delete
  5. I'm with Tola and Myne on this. Growing up, like Tola, I wasn't fazed with the idea of Father Christmas (Santa), probably cos it wasn't an annual tradition for us. Annual activities for us was watching Jesus of Nazareth over and over again, for some strange reason, we loved that story..lol. We also stayed up all night 24th singing or listening to carols and fighting over the chicken legs my mum always laid out for us. We grew up believing Christmas was for family and bonding. Also, thanks to Sunday school like Myne, the foundation and core of Christmas was taught to us, so we always knew Christmas was about the birth of Jesus Christ.

    I think that should be your main concern, having Bionic embrace the true reason for Christmas, IMO, it wont hurt to have her visit Santa, but she should be taught that Santa is not the reason for Christmas, Jesus is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh gosh!we too..we used to watch Jesus of Nazareth...i think also at Easter time as well..

      fun time...

      yes o embracing the true meaning of Christmas is the koko...thanks jhazmyn

      Delete
  6. The bible says “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it”. Teach her the essence of the Christmas celebration; let her know there’s a difference between the Santa story and the Christ story. Let her understand that Christ is the reason for the season.

    I am sure that visiting Santa won’t erode from her the foundation you have laid. However, you have to be comfortable with your decision on whether to allow her visit Santa or not. God will continually direct your path. Happy Parenting. You are a super mom.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks sykik for your words of wisdom....and the compliment...:)

      Delete
  7. As for me, we were always taught that Christmas is about Jesus, it is his birthday so the whole Santa business never had much of an effect on me, I learnt the true reason for Christmas early and this is what I intend to instill in my children, "Jesus is the reason for the season".

    Will I take them to see santa, yes, for me, I think sometimes us Christians can be too hung up on things that probably will not matter to God, Santa is all part of the Christmas fun for children and the make believe imaginative part of upbringing. However like Myne, I will not lie to my children about Santa, once they have the understanding and starts asking question, they will know he did not travel from the north pole or down the chimney :-). Saying that if you have an instinct about Bionic not seeing Santa, then I'd say follow it, you know as parents, 95% of the time, we just gotta follow our instincts, the reasoning will become clearer later.

    Great post. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ya i think the santa craze has become more prominent than when we were young.

      hmm i hear you about us christians being hung up on things that don't matter to God...selah

      thanks Bukky

      Delete
  8. You are really in the Spirit ma. I realised about last week, that I no longer believe in Christmas. It is man-made, has been bastardised and commercialised. It definitely has nothing to do with Jesus anymore. Just people wanting to make money here and there.

    All the Christmas comedy shows, Christmas music shows, etc, in Nigeria, has nothing to do with Christianity, talk less of Jesus. It is just about the money money money.

    Abeg, I no dey do

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hmm @ilola...you are right. Christmas as been commercialised...
      thanks for your comment

      Delete
  9. Never thought about Santa as replacement for Jesus but yea, it seems young people make christmas more about santa and the gifts they receive than about the significance of the season.

    You can take her to go see santa (so she desnt feel she's missing out) but educate her on the real meaning of christmas and the fact that santa is just a human being in a suit and has no significance on what christmas represents.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you for your insightful comment Beulah...

      lol @santa is just a human being in a suit...yes o!

      Delete
  10. I totally feel you on this post. Since two years ago, I had felt that a lot of the "modern" aspects of Christmas that is celebrated in the West is about as far away from the true meaning as can be.

    Even before I became a mum, I gave up the custom of Christmas trees when I read about its original pagan roots. Since then, I've also had the same feelings about Santa who actually had its origins in a simple charitable custom, but has now been totally commercialised and whipped up into a figure that eclipses Jesus as the central figure of Christmas. You know the big, fat man in a red suit, the reindeer, flying round the world, coming down a chimney story that has nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas.

    Hollywood and TV have also done their best to sell the Santa idea so much! Think of any Christmas-themed movie aimed at kids. There will always be a mention of Santa, or how Christmas will be "ruined" if there are no presents. It's all designed to get families spending money to buy, buy, buy and feed the corrupt commercial system of this world.

    (I even read somewhere that Santa is just an anagram of Satan - food for thought)

    Anyway, so to answer your question, I will not be taking my daughter to Santa Claus. We will not be setting up a Christmas tree in my house. Instead, when she's old enough, we'll set up a nativity scene with Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and maybe a few shepherds, that tells the true story of why we remember the one who came to save us. We'll make sure she doesn't watch any crap from Hollywood that promotes Santa.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hmmm @Tolulope i see you have given this some serious thought and you have made up your mind on the way forward. I admire that.

      I am leaning towards this as well. I like the idea of a nativity scene.. lovely

      Delete
  11. In my own opinion,it's all about prioritizing.I always try to remember the most important things and that what will happen when i become a parent.I'll let my kids know that Christmas isn't about Santa,but Jesus,Love,Sharing etc.This is what i think you should do,the rest are less important.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @a-9ja-great...you are right...i should focus on what is important..JESUS

      thank you

      Delete
  12. All I'll say is that the devil is very cunning. The Christmas-Xmas thing still baffles me. Really and truly where did X come from?

    I'd say you should just focus on training her very well. Remember the train up a child in the way he should go scripture... I'm sure she will decipher it for herself when she's old enough but for now just keep training her. Keep telling her about Jesus. SIng carols with her. And as she grows older emphasize that it's Christmas not Xmas.

    May God keep her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mstizzle...you have spoken well.. I will keep up with the training...

      Delete
  13. This post generates a lot of food for thought. It is indeed important that we do not follow tradition/customs blindly, but find out the origin of some of the things we gloss over. It's important to let our children know the true reason for the season-Jesus, and Jesus alone such that, even if you do decide to take them to visit Santa or Father Christmas, they do so with another understanding of what the season truly stands for. Hmm, interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are right...Jesus is the reason for the season not Santa...

      understanding is key

      thank you Unyime-Ivy King...

      Delete
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  15. Hmmmm now I see why you felt so strongly about my using the word "santa"!!!lol
    Well tbh, I've never honestly given it a thought. Guess the equation changes when you have a little one who is @ an impressionable age. I think you're doing the right thing by teaching her the true meaning of Christmas...it's a no brainer, Xmas has been commercialised! Having said that, it is also a time to celebrate(we celebrate our birthdays don't we?) so please do just that and if the Christmas tree must come up, by all means put it up as a matter of fact, I feel it is a task that brings the whole family together:)
    PS if you feel so uneasy about santa, then don't take the lil one. Either that or you see santa the way I see it, a cartoon character from disney world on one hand or one of the angels I can send on an errand on the other!!!lol orks for me;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I got to know about the essence of Christmas at an early age and that's because of sunday school. I also agree that replacing santa with Christ is so not cool because we have forgotten the very core values of Christmas.

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    ReplyDelete
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  18. Hmmm...
    This is something I have thought about too and not just as it relates to Santa and Christmas, but other popular things like Halloween and the Easter Bunny and for me, this really is my dilemma: Raising Godly children in an ungodly world without robbing them of the joys of childhood.

    There is no simple answer or solution and I'm learning to treat each thing that comes up on a case by case basis. On one hand, I am a Christian. My desire is to bring my children up in the way of the Lord, teach them to know Him and Love Him, developing a personal relationship with Him. On the other hand, I want my children to have fun growing up and not miss out on the fun things I got to do as I child myself.

    Balance. That's what I strive for, and every time I have to make a tough choice, like when 4 year old Nathan had to dress up for the Fall Festival costume party at Pre School, (which was Halloween, called by another name), I explained to him that I don't see how dressing up in scary costumes makes us to be like Jesus, so I got him a cowboy hat and boots and he went as Woody from Toy Story. He had a good time and I don't feel like I compromised my beliefs.

    We have a Christmas tree and for the first time, we put up lights this year after Nathan said: "Mum, why is our house so ugly? Can I move to the neighbors house? I'm sure Santa won't come to this ugly house". I was like WHAT?? URGHHH! Chill boy! Two weeks later, I loooove the lights and I look forward to driving them home from daycare and hearing them scream "Yay!! It's gorgeous!!"

    Am I conforming to this world? I hope not. I don't feel like I am though. I don't have a check in my spirit. When we pray at bedtime, I say to them, "tell God what you want Santa to get you". That's my way of letting them know that God, not Santa, answers prayers. We aren't going to see Santa though. Not because I think it's wrong, I'm just too lazy to bundle everyone up and drive to the mall.

    I hope that as I ask God for wisdom every day, He will show me how to get it right, because as they grow older, the decisions become tougher. I look forward to the day I will hear my child(ren) say: "No I'm not going to do that because Jesus won't like it". That is my goal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow!
      I didn't realize It was so long!
      Please excuse my epistle. *covers face*

      Delete
  19. Every holiday in the world today has been commercilized. It is now left to the parents to inform the children what the holidays actually is about.

    ReplyDelete
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I would love to know your thoughts :)