Ho, Ho, Ho

Let's talk about Christmas.

I grew up with Christmas being one of the biggest times of year that I looked forward to not because of the presents (although that was always a nice benefit) but because I loved spending time with my family. It was the time of year my daddy didn't have to work 80 hour weeks, my mom was happy and joyous, and my sister and I were always off school. Christmas is a religious holiday, but I grew up with it being something different. Christmas was about believing in magic and the power of imagination to what it can do for the world. I was a HUGE believer in Santa, the Easter bunny, tooth fairy, even Leprechauns for St. Patty's day...

Now, I'm an adult. In the summer when I was around the age of 9, my parents pulled me and my sister to the side and told us the reality of the situation. It was them all those years they left us presents and gifts and told us they made up all of Santa and everything. I was completely devastated. I probably was hit harder than most kids because I was a hardcore believer in such beautiful things. Magic. Imagination. The power of believing in what it can bring you (the kids from Polar Express, that was me). Even when I started getting made fun of at school for it, I still believed. But when people you trust your lives to come to you and tell you that up to that point in time they completely made up a whole reality that wasn't even true... what is one left to believe anymore? Who can you trust at that point?


"Why do parents lie about Santa when it's not even true?"



"We wanted you to believe in the power of believing and knowing that no matter what imagination can make any situation better."

I understood this after a while but until recently I started thinking that there has to be better ways to go about this. Imagination comes from curiosity. Curiosity comes from desire. Desire comes from the urge to grow. As long as you inspire ways for your kids to keep wanting to learn and grow, the powers of their soul could be unlimited. When you stop the this urge to grow and learn, much like many of us face when we meet the reality of Santa and you slowly learn more and more about the real world, all else falls apart and we just fill our lives with such busyness, our awareness leaves our minds, curiosity is distracted by chores, and we are stunted forever.

Besides....

Why is it ok to let a fat old man come down your chimney, whom you've never met before, to leave you gifts and presents that he telepathically knew you wanted. This old man sees you all the time (if that doesn't ring pedophile I don't know what else to tell ya....). He comes into your home when you're sleeping away in your beds, hangs out for a while eating cookies and drinking milk... and LEAVES?! Yet, we're not allowed to say hello to the greeter at Walmart or the nice lady standing outside waiting for her ride to come. Hmm....

Not to mention a traveling rabbit whom I suppose travels by teleportation because that was never really explained anywhere (no way can a rabbit hop that fast) who craps out rainbow colored eggs hidden in random places on your property with candy filled surprises and just hops away into some underground lair for the next Easter to begin?

And don't forget about the Tooth Fairy. I mean how creepy is it that a flying fairy knows when your tooth falls out, magically appears in your bedroom while you're sleeping and steals your teeth out from under your pillow. I mean, the idea is sick in itself. And once again, it's looked down upon by many parents to say hello to strangers. And we're told very young to NEVER trust strangers, go away with them, or let them into the house when mommy and daddy aren't there.

Has anyone ever stopped to think that maybe many people develop on a subconscious level a psychological barrier that stops the growth of the human spirit because they're so broken by what the outside world did to them when they were younger? (And that's even putting bullying, bad parenting, and school aside) At least for the believers in Christianity and Christmas.... we experience the shattering of beliefs we lived for at such a crucial time in our development as a person. The hope for something magical and greater than what their eyes could see. When you really break it down and look at it, who's to say God isn't just the next step up from Santa? There's just no higher source to tell believers otherwise.


I say that if you're a parent and you celebrate Christmas every year, don't lie to your kids and make up a whole bunch of crap that doesn't exist. Be honest with them. Teach them that there are other ways in believing in things through passion and creativity. And also, don't let Christmas turn into a contest on who can buy the best gifts because this whole Santa thing has become more of a marketing scheme in the eyes of salesman and saleswomen everywhere to get you to buy more things. Christmas is about family. It's about love. It can be a very romantic time of year too and it should be enjoyed through all the moments of it. Don't let it be ruined by false impulses that are implanted through marketing and peer pressure. Be honest. Live free. Love every minute. And enjoy the people you have in your life because in the next minute, everything can change.