Santa Claus: RIP

Via the San Jose Mercury News we learn that not only does Santa bring great pain and suffering for children with different cultural and religious beliefs - they're left feeling like "bad" children when he doesn't show up, as Santa only visits the "good." Also, the additional pain and suffering of the visited children when they finally find out Santa Claus doesn't exist may well scar them for life. It sets them up for "disappointment and self-doubt."

In 1897 it was a newsman with the New York Sun, Francis Pharcellus Church, who penned what has apparently become "history's most reprinted newspaper editorial" in response to a letter to the editor from eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon: Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus.

One can only marvel at how far some of today's media outlets have progressed.

Then there's the demographic diversity of Silicon Valley, home for people of all sorts of religious beliefs, many of whom don't celebrate Christmas.

A former child care director, Fry wrote the piece "Old Saint Nick Needs a Modern Makeover: You Better Not Lie, I'm Telling You Why." There, she explains that she's witnessed firsthand the "pain and suffering" experienced by some non-Christian kids when they hear about Santa visiting the homes of "good" children, but not theirs.

And in the multicultural, multiracial, multi-faith Bay Area, Fry says an increasing number of children end up feeling excluded.

"The Santa myth," Fry says, "sets children up for disappointment and self-doubt."

So Fry — who does celebrate Christmas — came up with the "Santa Game," which she says the preschool parents also have embraced. She talked to the kids about the differences between pretend and real, and then told them "different families play different games." Some families believe Santa is real and others don't, she teaches, adding that she told the children it wouldn't be nice to ruin anyone's family game.

Comments

[Fred Beloit]

I wonder if she was fired: "A former child care director, Fry..."

And here is more good news. Google aims to give up half its political searches to other search engines. Google will let people like Harpo decide what articles will be given top display. As far as political or history searches are concerned, I say adios to the big G.

[Cj]

Yes, Santa is on life support and liberals put him there. Maybe Obama's Chicago buddies can auction off his seat?

[Fred Beloit]

Oops: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/12/googlewashing_revisited/

[SilentWatcher]

Silly billy. All she had to do was tell them the truth: Santa is for Christians. If you want Santa, your family has to be Christian. Jeez, can't we even tell the truth about simple stuff? If these public school cows weren't mooing against mentioning Christianity in schools, they could actually teach children the truth about Christmas and how Santa has come to be a symbol of it.

[Fred Beloit]

Do re mi mi mi:
Oh Weihnachtsbaum, oh Weihnachtsbaum,
Your glory days are numbered.

Ah yes, Armonk, NY, "home" of the Clintons. A quaint little village loaded with the loaded. They have allowed their town government to be taken over by the deeply insane.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=83620

[Fred Beloit]

Well sockpilewatcher, Santa does mean saint, doesn't it.
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=35

As soon as an imitation Santa can freely roam the streets of Mecca, Madina, etc, etc., changes should be made here. I'll be for it then.

[Jake]

"...Christianity in schools, they could actually teach children the truth about Christmas and how Santa has come to be a symbol of it."

That and how, in the name of Santa, people get stomped to death. Hell of a Christian message.

[RickyBobby]

@Jake>> Or how Muslim children, in the name of Allah, instead of getting gifts from Santa they are taught to strap bombs to themselves and kill dozens of people? Hell of a religion of peace.

[Jake]

RickyBobby,

Thank you for the enlightenment. I had no idea all Muslim children are taught to strap bombs to themselves and kill dozens of people. Sorry stuff. It's a wonder there aren't sniper squads in every Muslim town and city to snuff the little bastards out before they can toddle off across the border.

[Lilo]

Dan,

My class had a total of 32 children for the first 6 years, until I was lucky enough to be sent to middle school where there were well over a hundred, then high school where there were over 300 on the day we graduated. Admittedly, we had no practicing Muslims- but we did have a few Jewish families- all of which took part in the gift giving season.

For 18 years, I went without Christmas, as my folks were Jehovah's Witnesses. Santa did not come to my house, although every year he visited the houses of EVERY other child I went to school with. I never once felt like Santa had put me on his naughty list, and therefore had avoided my house.

The problem with this particular article is that it assumes that those who don't have Santa coming to their house actually are lead to believe by their religion of choice that there IS a Santa. It's complete bullshit. Just as Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in Santa, I'd be willing to go out on a branch and say that few Jewish/Muslim/Whatever your God of Choice is folks teach that he's real either.

Children can not be saddened, or lead to believe that they are 'bad' because a symbol that they DO NOT BELIEVE in didn't bring them presents. Never once in my childhood did I awake to expect to find presents under the tree- mainly because A) we didn't have a tree and B) I was taught a different way of believing things.

If these children are sad, I'd say it has less to do with the lack of Santa in their life, and more to do with them wishing they had some jolly fat guy bringing them gifts in their religion.