by jwfacts 41 Replies latest jw friends
JWfacts,
My daughter is a realist; at 3 she even doubted when we explained that Santa would come down the chimney and leave gifts. But she still tiptoed out to check that Christmas morning, and one of our happiest memories is how she rushed back in to wake us, full of excitement to share.
20+ years later the kids and I still share Christmas with all the trimmings. Christmas is a special family time and chilren like your son make it magical.
Enjoy!
Your son is so adorable, love his good head of hair!
I wonder how many good JWs go to Disneyland and take their little kids to see Mickey Mouse, Goofy, etc. How many go into explaining to a very little child that there is a person actually in the costume? They, too, just make the day fun and get into the fantasyland of it all. It's just fun for the little ones, and older ones too.
Back in the centuries past, there was no Disneyland and good DVDs, tv, for little ones to enjoy. Fortunately, they could look forward to holidays like Christmas. A Magic, feel good, fun time so special for children.
I am thinking that often 'make believe' and 'magic' and 'fantasyland' helps ones to develop a degree of creativity in their mind. When children grow up to 'short-think' all things into black and white, I suspect creative thinking skills could be slowed.
This is a nice Santa video that can be personalised for children (or adults)
Santa is real. My wife has grand kids and some still believe, others know, while some aren't sure because of kids at school. When they ask me
if Santa is real or if they tell me Santa is not real; I tell them Santa is real.
I ask them if they believe in Jesus. Their answer is yes. I ask if they have ever seen him. Their answer is no, but they have seen pictures. I remind them that Jesus looks different in different pictures, because no has ever really seen him, just like no one has ever really seen Santa clause.
Just like Jesus means different things to different people Santa too means different things to different people. Just like Jesus is in your mind and your heart, that is where Santa clause is and he can mean anything to you that you want him to.
One final point I tell them. If you don't think Santa clause is magical to adults; Just watch how big a smile adults get on their faces when Santa clause walks into the room.
You mean there is no Santa??
Keep the fantasy alive for him! He will figure it out eventually as he gets older (8 or 9)? When you know that he knows, then it's time to "come clean" and answer his question. He will be just fine with an honest answer as he continues to enjoy family traditions you have made.
I think the idea of Santa is wonderful and fun. Why not let him have a childhood and believe in fun and fantasy? It is normal for kids to believe in fantasy, even a lot of us adults love it. No harm comes to him. As others have said he'll find out eventually and he won't care b/c Christmas is for kids.
bttt for some US imput
I raised my kids telling them "Santa is bad", take the "n" and move it to the end and what do you have? I wish I could take that back.
I was raised with the story of Santa, it was fun and magical, I don't remember exactly when I discovered he wasn't real, but it was a gradual putting things together, my parents never tried to insist he was real and carry on the myth, they just let us enjoy it and grow up and grow out of it.
One Christmas I remember our family together at an aunt's house and hearing noise on the roof and shortly after that Santa made his appearance, it was amazing for us little ones.
Another Christmas I remember my sisters and I leaving cookies and milk out for Santa and sugar cubes for the reindeer. I suspected my parents were the culprits who made them disappear by morning.
It is sad that as a Witness I put a wicked twist on the fun and innocent things that my parents brought me up with.
Balance is always the key isn't it. Let your kids have their fantasy.
Reminds me of Paul telling some congregation how much he wished to tell them more mature stuff but they were not ready yet ...
I think that fantasy, innocent world in which children operate is there also to protect them from the world of the grown ups ... my children are 14 and 13 now, I have let them live their own life cycles and "seasons" ... and I can't ask for better children, all for the glory of God!
I don't have kids, but I think kids have such imaginations that even if you said there is no Santa he'd still think there is one for a few years. He is so cute and you sound like such a good dad
