Well it fits. An age old debate wrapped in a cross pollination scheme to promote a Substack to a different audience. And if you get a few extra subscriptions? Genius! Win win!
Lucky for us CHH is a good writer.
I already subscribe to her. Her Sunday posts about Twitter wackiness is a treat!
I wonder what Grover Cleveland thinks about this.....
Keep the lies coming. Having Santa be a part of the holidays is one of the few (maybe only?) altruistic moments in many people's lives. Any other time, lying is the worst. Awesome post!
100% agree with this article. Parents don't gain credibility with their kids by taking away Christmas magic - you can be appropriately honest with your kids about everything else and still keep the Santa thing going.
Santa is in fact, real. In fact, Santa is more real than any of us currently are, in many ways. First you have to understand that Santa is an identity with several referents, all of them mythological, but their being mythological does not make them unreal. Mythology is in fact the only thing that makes anything meaningful, and thus real.
Santa in his deepest mytaphysic is St. Nicholas of Myra, who is a very holy thus very powerful saint interceding for us. His cult has developed a beautiful rich tradition of apocryphal lore that saturates our culture and inspires both devotion and love for him (which he very much deserves) as well as for Christ our Incarnate God, who was made man in the deepest dark of winter, when the light is shortest.
That’s when St. Nicholas, Sinter Claus in Dutch, or Santa Claus in colloquial tradition, comes being gifts, joy and light to children, to inspire love and gratitude in them, and teach them how to love God and be generous to everyone. Every parent who gives gifts from Santa is acting sacramentally, “in persona sancte Nicholas” in a way that is not meant to deceive, but rather express the profound reality that we all participate in, and gratuitously express our love for each other, just as God loves us. That’s the true meaning of Santa, and there is no deceit or malice in him.
I lie to my kids about Santa because BEING Santa Claus is one of the best goddamn feelings in the world. I volunteered once as a Santa for a toy giveaway for needy kids and... man, walking through that door and feeling that magical response is something I wish everyone could feel just once.
But it's more than that. It's sneaking into your daughter's bedroom while she is asleep and putting that fully assembled Barbie Dreamhouse next to her bed, so she'll see it right as she wakes up because Santa knows some gifts are too special to even wait to run downstairs for. It's spreading the half-eaten carrots artfully on the patio so they can see the reindeer got a treat, too. It's buying your son a dinosaur stuffie at the 11 PM on Christmas Eve as you picked up some last-minute stocking stuffers, and it became his favorite toy ever, and still his best friend.
It's about giving joy, and then stepping back and taking no credit for it and instead just letting yourself feel and experience that joy. Santa exists all right. We all get to be Santa.
We do a lot of that, but Santa only brings 1 toy. The rest come from the parents, they should know where good things come from, but still appreciate the joy of Santa.
We also have the elf on the shelf watching them, and I changed my wife's name in my phone to Santa, so I can show them the text messages of me tattling on them to Santa
My parents never told us that there was a Santa Claus, but they also didn't contradict the cultural lie. So that when angry six or seven-year-old me confronted my mother for LYING to me, she was able to point out that, in fact, she hadn't. Which was good from the standpoint of both trust and giving me the space to realize that I could also go that middle route instead of immediately "enlightening" my younger siblings or true believer classmates.
My father was extremely conscientious about not lying to his kids. He told us there was a Santa, and when I began to question it, he responded that he himself still believed in Santa, and to understand why was to discover a deeper truth.
Ten or twenty years later, I finally got it. St Nicholas is long dead, but his generosity lives on because parents still carry on his work. And that generosity is him, even more than his body ever was. Santa is training wheels for Jesus. First you learn that Santa lives through his Helpers. Then you’re ready to understand that Jesus lives through his church.
For some reason this was a moot point in my house. We did all the Santa and Christmas rigmarole, but by the time he was speaking in coherent sentences, my eldest son slyly asked us "Santa is... a type of legend, right?" I think he was 3 or so.
He has still enjoyed the mythos, and honestly I'm relieved that we are on the same page about it being a fun collective fable we tell each other, winking all the while.
I unwittingly santa-pilled my best friend at age five -- my parents did not raise me with this belief -- and that's where I first learned what the phrase "telling somebody something they don't want to hear" means. (About five years later a friend of mine did me the same favor with God.)
It was also my introduction to a lifetime of learning the cardinal rule of Other People's Parenting Methods, which roughly stated is "we're raising our child to live in an elaborate fantasy world and if you know what's good for you you'll play along."
Fortunately Santa is a pretty fun fiction to perpetuate, and you get to see kids enjoy a brief window in which they believe that the world is a friendly place where unseen forces are conspiring to reward them for their good deeds.
Well, Jeff and CHH...I fell for the grift and subscribed to CHH. Nice work! I'm still a piece of shit, though, being only a free subscriber. I did ask for a gift subscription for Chanukristmas, so we'll see if that pans out.
Why stop at lying about Santa? Let him know field goal kickers control the betting line by strategically missing the goal post, closing pitchers can determine which team wins by having an “off day” and soccer and hockey goalies are the most powerful players in a match because they decide who wins and loses. Then introduced him to Bill Burr and most importantly be prepared for him to be the kid that ruins Santa for all his classmates in the second grade. Merry Christmas love your brain.
Wait... You're telling me YOU write most of the "special" guest columns?
Wow. Thanks a lot. Christmas is officially ruined now.
No, um, er...you see, I have *helpers*, but that doesn't mean, uh...Paula Fox is, uh...
Sorry to bum you out, Syd. But you're still getting the Hot Wheels Mega Garage for Christmas.
Well it fits. An age old debate wrapped in a cross pollination scheme to promote a Substack to a different audience. And if you get a few extra subscriptions? Genius! Win win!
Lucky for us CHH is a good writer.
I already subscribe to her. Her Sunday posts about Twitter wackiness is a treat!
I wonder what Grover Cleveland thinks about this.....
This cross-promotion made sense because I thought my audience would love her and you're validating that belief!
❤️❤️❤️❤️
I really like the concept of two people writing disagreeing essays, first after swapping blogs.
I can call them blogs, right?
They're definitely blogs. And yeah it seems like a rad idea, particularly if it cross-pollinates audiences also prone to disagree lol
We both have people debating in our comments! 😂
im the problem its me
Keep the lies coming. Having Santa be a part of the holidays is one of the few (maybe only?) altruistic moments in many people's lives. Any other time, lying is the worst. Awesome post!
Thank you ❤️❤️❤️
100% agree with this article. Parents don't gain credibility with their kids by taking away Christmas magic - you can be appropriately honest with your kids about everything else and still keep the Santa thing going.
Santa is in fact, real. In fact, Santa is more real than any of us currently are, in many ways. First you have to understand that Santa is an identity with several referents, all of them mythological, but their being mythological does not make them unreal. Mythology is in fact the only thing that makes anything meaningful, and thus real.
Santa in his deepest mytaphysic is St. Nicholas of Myra, who is a very holy thus very powerful saint interceding for us. His cult has developed a beautiful rich tradition of apocryphal lore that saturates our culture and inspires both devotion and love for him (which he very much deserves) as well as for Christ our Incarnate God, who was made man in the deepest dark of winter, when the light is shortest.
That’s when St. Nicholas, Sinter Claus in Dutch, or Santa Claus in colloquial tradition, comes being gifts, joy and light to children, to inspire love and gratitude in them, and teach them how to love God and be generous to everyone. Every parent who gives gifts from Santa is acting sacramentally, “in persona sancte Nicholas” in a way that is not meant to deceive, but rather express the profound reality that we all participate in, and gratuitously express our love for each other, just as God loves us. That’s the true meaning of Santa, and there is no deceit or malice in him.
Wild
I lie to my kids about Santa because BEING Santa Claus is one of the best goddamn feelings in the world. I volunteered once as a Santa for a toy giveaway for needy kids and... man, walking through that door and feeling that magical response is something I wish everyone could feel just once.
But it's more than that. It's sneaking into your daughter's bedroom while she is asleep and putting that fully assembled Barbie Dreamhouse next to her bed, so she'll see it right as she wakes up because Santa knows some gifts are too special to even wait to run downstairs for. It's spreading the half-eaten carrots artfully on the patio so they can see the reindeer got a treat, too. It's buying your son a dinosaur stuffie at the 11 PM on Christmas Eve as you picked up some last-minute stocking stuffers, and it became his favorite toy ever, and still his best friend.
It's about giving joy, and then stepping back and taking no credit for it and instead just letting yourself feel and experience that joy. Santa exists all right. We all get to be Santa.
We do a lot of that, but Santa only brings 1 toy. The rest come from the parents, they should know where good things come from, but still appreciate the joy of Santa.
We also have the elf on the shelf watching them, and I changed my wife's name in my phone to Santa, so I can show them the text messages of me tattling on them to Santa
A little too edgelordy for me... I signed on for wholesome content, not nihilist "no Santa" bomb throwing...
What's this bullpuckey about Santa not being real?
My parents never told us that there was a Santa Claus, but they also didn't contradict the cultural lie. So that when angry six or seven-year-old me confronted my mother for LYING to me, she was able to point out that, in fact, she hadn't. Which was good from the standpoint of both trust and giving me the space to realize that I could also go that middle route instead of immediately "enlightening" my younger siblings or true believer classmates.
My mom told me at 5. I had fun making other young kids cry because I was a trouble maker.
Both our kids 10 and 7 probably still believe, and get excited with the elf moves during the night.
Keep the magic alive I say, adulthood comes soon enough, enjoy being a kid as long as you can.
Mm I doubt the 10 year old still believes. They're probably just playing along still.
Maybe but getting an AI Santa with a custom message sure helps
https://www.synthesia.io/santa-share?videoId=9aa2c62a-5c9a-409c-a367-40e2e1d79a65&share=true
My father was extremely conscientious about not lying to his kids. He told us there was a Santa, and when I began to question it, he responded that he himself still believed in Santa, and to understand why was to discover a deeper truth.
Ten or twenty years later, I finally got it. St Nicholas is long dead, but his generosity lives on because parents still carry on his work. And that generosity is him, even more than his body ever was. Santa is training wheels for Jesus. First you learn that Santa lives through his Helpers. Then you’re ready to understand that Jesus lives through his church.
For some reason this was a moot point in my house. We did all the Santa and Christmas rigmarole, but by the time he was speaking in coherent sentences, my eldest son slyly asked us "Santa is... a type of legend, right?" I think he was 3 or so.
He has still enjoyed the mythos, and honestly I'm relieved that we are on the same page about it being a fun collective fable we tell each other, winking all the while.
I unwittingly santa-pilled my best friend at age five -- my parents did not raise me with this belief -- and that's where I first learned what the phrase "telling somebody something they don't want to hear" means. (About five years later a friend of mine did me the same favor with God.)
It was also my introduction to a lifetime of learning the cardinal rule of Other People's Parenting Methods, which roughly stated is "we're raising our child to live in an elaborate fantasy world and if you know what's good for you you'll play along."
Fortunately Santa is a pretty fun fiction to perpetuate, and you get to see kids enjoy a brief window in which they believe that the world is a friendly place where unseen forces are conspiring to reward them for their good deeds.
Well, Jeff and CHH...I fell for the grift and subscribed to CHH. Nice work! I'm still a piece of shit, though, being only a free subscriber. I did ask for a gift subscription for Chanukristmas, so we'll see if that pans out.
Why stop at lying about Santa? Let him know field goal kickers control the betting line by strategically missing the goal post, closing pitchers can determine which team wins by having an “off day” and soccer and hockey goalies are the most powerful players in a match because they decide who wins and loses. Then introduced him to Bill Burr and most importantly be prepared for him to be the kid that ruins Santa for all his classmates in the second grade. Merry Christmas love your brain.