NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/misc/kids/29066

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-24 | 1.9 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!psinntp!ncrlnk!ncrhub2!ncrwat!!jim
From: jim@ (Jim Fare)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Christmas question
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 23 Nov 92 18:45:20 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Distribution: na
Organization: NCR Canada Ltd., Waterloo, Ont.
Lines: 30

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tammy Vandenboom) writes:
>
> I need some advice from the net.  My husband is very much opposed to the idea of
...
>My question is, HOW????  Everywhere you look there is Santa this and Santa that.
...
Actually, it's not that hard.  That describes pretty much how I was brought up.
My parents didn't want me to believe in Santa Claus but my grandmother did.
From what I remember, my parents told me about the birth of Jesus being the
meaning behind "Christ"mas and that there was a very good man called Saint
Nicholas who would give money to people who needed it.  Because this was
a good example of the giving spirit, he came to symbolize Christmas.  Of
course he died a long time ago but people still like to remember this giving.
Many people don't think that kids can understand this so they still tell kids
that St. Nick is still alive.  Other kids parents' may tell them that Santa
is still alive so you shouldn't try to convince them that he's not (that would
hurt your friends); they will eventually find out in their own time.

In my family, we still addressed presents "from Santa", my dad occasionally
dressed up as Santa, I still wrote letters "to Santa", I just always
explicitly knew that "Santa" == "Mom & Dad".

My grandmother critisized (sp?) my parents for not keeping the tradition,
but we did keep the tradition, we just threw out the myth part.

                                                          [J.F.]