SemperFidelis07 Posted December 8, 2012 Group: Members Followers: 6 Topic Count: 14 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 41 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 15 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/15/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/10/1989 Share Posted December 8, 2012 (edited) Do you (or will you) tell your little kids about him? I think my wife and I will tell our kids. No harm in a little imagination and fantasy. All kids eventually find out it's not real. I figured it out when I was 7. But my parents really stretched the fun to make it seem more "realistic". They said it wasn't always the same Santa. They said that one retires when he gets too old and looks for a new one to take his place but not just anyone could be Santa. The candidate must be Dutch, must be Christian, must be named Nicholas, must speak every language, and must have the Christmas spirit in his heart all year long and if he has kids, they must be grown up. That's what we'll do when our daughter is born. Edited December 8, 2012 by SemperFidelis07 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted December 8, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 1,022 Topics Per Day: 0.16 Content Count: 39,193 Content Per Day: 6.10 Reputation: 9,977 Days Won: 78 Joined: 10/01/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted December 8, 2012 I see no harm in innocent fantasies like Santa. It's part of a happy childhood. Let them be kids as long as possible. Once my kids were too old for Santa....they BECAME Santa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
other one Posted December 8, 2012 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 29 Topic Count: 598 Topics Per Day: 0.08 Content Count: 56,167 Content Per Day: 7.56 Reputation: 27,891 Days Won: 271 Joined: 12/29/2003 Status: Offline Share Posted December 8, 2012 Santa lives across the street from us.... we couldn't tell our kids the fantasy story for they saw him every day. He's our cities official Santa and goes around all the schools and quite frankly is pretty much Santa all year long... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkBlue27 Posted December 8, 2012 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 2 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 16 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 5 Days Won: 0 Joined: 11/26/2012 Status: Offline Share Posted December 8, 2012 If I had kids, I don't think I would tell them that santa existed or anything. I mean it takes away for the real reason Christmas is observed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdemoss Posted December 10, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 59 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,402 Content Per Day: 0.99 Reputation: 2,154 Days Won: 28 Joined: 02/10/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/26/1971 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. I have told my children about Santa. I told them he does not exist and not to listen to anyone who claims otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Patriot21 Posted December 10, 2012 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 28 Topic Count: 338 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 15,710 Content Per Day: 2.46 Reputation: 8,526 Days Won: 39 Joined: 10/25/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/27/1985 Share Posted December 10, 2012 to me, christmas is about Jesus, not about santa. they will know their gifts didnt come from a fat man coming down the chimney, and thats what I will teach them. Once they get older, I dont mind if they enjoy christmas movies with santa in them (like the santa clause 1, 2 and 3) and stuff like that, but they will know that santas not real-I want my kids to believe in a saviour, not a jolly man riding around in a sled. Im not saying santas evil by any means-but its just not what I want to be teaching my kids, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude22kjv Posted December 10, 2012 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 12 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/28/2012 Status: Offline Share Posted December 10, 2012 Both of my grand daughters will go set in Santa's lap and get their picture taken. The oldest is 8 and the youngest just turned 3. They are going to get gifts under the tree Christmas morning. The little one stayed with us this weekend and I heard her when she was asked about Christmas while she was busy playing, "Oh that is Jesus' birthday!" and went back to what she was doing. Santa and strangers kinda weirds her out besides even though they have a great fireplace , chimney for Santa to come down. They also have a pitbull named Diesel that Santa might not want to encounter in the middle of the night that lives in the house. I think most kids are smarter than the parents give them credit for even the little ones. Even back in the day when I was a kid I figured out unless Santa has a front door key he is not getting his self through that tiny hole in the chimney. Besides if Santa knew if I was good or bad , he should also know my step father kept a 12 gauge shotgun behind his bedroom door that was always loaded 5 shells automatic with the plug out for a reason. He would shoot intruders. Santa weighed too much and the floors squeeked he would not have a chance . I personally think we should tell kids Christmas is about Jesus' birth. The gift giving started with the greatest gift that was ever given to all humanity God gave us His Son to save whomever would believe from their sins. God gave because God is love and God loved us. They gets gifts to our kids and loved ones because they are loved as well. God Bless you all, Have a wonderful Christmas, jude22kjv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenEagle Posted December 10, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 764 Topics Per Day: 0.18 Content Count: 7,626 Content Per Day: 1.80 Reputation: 1,559 Days Won: 44 Joined: 10/03/2012 Status: Offline Share Posted December 10, 2012 I knew from an early age Santa wasn't real. I kind of figured it out on my own and let the beans spill to my younger siblings. My parents always helped us understand that the gifts given to us were from them as a gesture of God's blessings. We were not well off financially growing up so that usually meant one maybe two presents. Perhaps a couple more if grandparents were involved. We were very grateful for our parents sacrifice. Whatever was spent on our family double or tripple was spent in missions offerings or gifts as blessings to others. We played pretend and one person each year would get to be "Santa" to pass out the gifts. The others were the "helper elves." But Christmas was always about Christ's birth, the love of God, giving to others in need, and telling others about our great Savior Jesus Christ. We plan to inspire creativity in our children. However, we will tell them the truth if they ask about Santa just as my parents did for us. God bless, GE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Believer Posted December 10, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 121 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,931 Content Per Day: 0.35 Reputation: 126 Days Won: 8 Joined: 01/22/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 07/13/1955 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Actually, St. Nick (Santa Claus is a corruption of Saint Nicholas) is quite real. The bishop of Myra Turkey, he was born in about 280 to a wealthy or middle class Christian family. He used the inheritance he gained from his parent's early deaths to the benefit of the people with whom he lived. The idea of Nicholas being a jolly fat man is the real myth. He was 23 when he was jailed under Diocletian along with other believers. He was freed when Constantine enacted the edict of Milan. During his time in prison, he was beaten to the point that his skin was raw. (Hence the red suit.) As Bishop, I've read that he often intervened in fights between sailors along the docks, which on occasion resulted in his nose being broken numerous times. Chances are, rather than a fat man, he was probably a thin, wiry swarthy (dark) skinned Turkish man with a badly shaped nose. His most famous act? You might be surprised. At an ecumenical council (Nicea) convened to put an end to the question was "Jesus God or was he less than God?" Nicholas and every bishop of the Church at the time who could make it was there, including a man named Arius. Arius taught that Jesus was not God. The council was allegedly before the emperor Constantine, though some accounts say no. Long story short, Arius got up and began giving his teaching. When Nicholas decided he'd had enough of listening to heresy, he walked across the room... And punched Arius out. Some accounts say he slapped him, others read that he punched him. The bishops ordered Nicholas stripped of his authority (they took away his gospel book and bishop's stole) and he was imprisoned. While in prison, Nicholas prayed to God for forgiveness. What allegedly happened next is interesting. Supposedly, Jesus and the Virgin Mary appeared to Nicholas and asked why he was in jail. He told them he was there for defending Christ as a bishop should. His credentials (the gospel book and bishop's stole) were handed back to him by the Lord himself. When the soldiers came in the next morning, Nicholas had those items, when the soldiers had put him in the cell without them. The Emperor was told of the incident and Constantine ordered him reinstated. Arius was condemned for heresy by the Council of Nicea. (Another account says that the Lord and his mother appeared not to Nicholas, but to the Council's members, and a third account says that both the Council and Nicholas had visions.) Methodius, a bishop who was present at the time, confirms that the striking incident did in fact occur. Regardless of whether you believe the vision portion of things, Nicholas was most definitely reinstated as Bishop of Myra. And he most definitely was real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheya joie Posted December 10, 2012 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 7 Topic Count: 13 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 2,054 Content Per Day: 0.29 Reputation: 351 Days Won: 2 Joined: 03/15/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted December 10, 2012 I can remember as a child lying in bed one night trying to reconcile in my mind what my parents had taught me about Santa (that he was real) with what they had taught me about Jesus (also real). I just could not believe that both could be real, and found it very confusing. I didn't want my kids to go through that, so I didn't teach them that Santa was real, only Jesus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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