The Magic of Santa Claus
The magic of Santa Claus By Rexanne Mancini
The magic of Santa is still alive in our home ... Santa has
done such a great job reinforcing his presence all these years,
it's no wonder. :-)
I know this will most likely be one of the last years, if not
the last year, my younger daughter still believes that Santa is
a jolly old fellow with a bushy beard who somehow gets his big
ol' self down the chimney each year without fail. And flying
reindeer? Oh man ... my heart aches thinking this tradition will
be short-lived in our home, although the spirit of Santa will
continue to fill the stockings and leave special presents for as
long as I'm around.
When my children were little, I actually had reservations about
starting the Santa fantasy ... wondering if "lying" to my
babies, who I swore I would always be honest with, would come
back to haunt me. Somehow, this isn't the same as outright
lying. It's creating holiday magic and reveling in the joy that
fantasy brings to children. Santa is hope and love, Santa is joy
and Santa is a big part of what makes Christmas special.
On the page of my Christmas site "Is Santa Real?", the author
explains that Santa is, in fact, very real and encouraging our
children to love and look forward to Santa's yearly visit is
perfectly OK because what we are actually teaching them is the
art of giving and that acts of kindness, good will and
compassion are valuable characteristics to uphold and honor
throughout their lives.
Parents will eventually have to come clean and acknowledge that
there really isn't a big ol' jolly guy scraping himself raw by
dragging presents in a sack down chimneys every year. When the
time comes, try to remember what Santa Claus represents and let
your child know that his spirit will continue every Christmas,
no matter how old they become.
Allow kids the innocence of believing in Santa for as long as
they will. And while they still believe, make Santa as magical
and outrageously fantastical as you can. After all, the spirit
of Santa is what parenting is all about.
Is Santa Real? http://www.rexanne.com/issantareal.html