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| Santa - courtesy photobucket.com |
Early on my mother told us three children that the stories
about Santa were like a game, and not real.
She told us that the presents came from Mother and Daddy, not Santa.
Mother told us we could pretend and enjoy the fairy tale stories,
and so she took us to the store to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what we
wanted in exchange for a candy cane.
Being the oldest and wisest of the three of us, I told my
brother that the Santa at the store had on a fake beard, because I could see
the green string that held it together.
When it was five year old Allen’s turn to visit Santa, he
bent over and tried to look under Santa’s beard. Santa laughed, and asked him what he wanted
for Christmas, and although startled, Allen told him an electric train.
Santa laughed again, and said, I have been watching you, and
you have been a very good little boy, so I will do my best to see that your
wish is granted. Taking the candy cane that was offered to him, Allen wondered
if perhaps this was truly Santa after all.
He wondered some more when Christmas came, for he was not
disappointed when a smaller version of the electric train that he had dreamed
about was under the tree.
All three of us enjoyed playing with that train and later it
was set up in our basement so Allen could play with it anytime he wanted to.
When our own children came along, we told them that we would
play the Santa game of pretend, but we would not lie to them and tell them
Santa was real. They enjoyed visiting
Santa at the Mall and telling him of their desires - - and getting the offered candy
cane.
I have heard of some children once they discover that Santa
is a story and not true, are very disillusioned, upset and angry at their
parents.
They reason, if Santa is a Fairy tale, then they begin to
wonder if all the amazing Bible stories are true, and if Jesus is real. Some of the Bible stories of miracles and people
coming back from the dead are hard to believe, they think to themselves.
Planting faith in the heart of a young child and teaching
them to believe in Jesus is important!
Who sees us when we are sleeping, and knows when we are good
or bad?
It is not Santa, but Jesus is the one, who knows every
detail of our life.
God does not reward us according to our behaviour, although
many times he expects better things from us.
When a person, big or little invites Jesus into their heart
and life, they will know that God is real and where truth is.
This post has been shared at “Tell Me a True Story”
http://letmetelluastory.blogspot.com/
2 comments:
My daughter was pretty angry with me when she grew up. The reason? I didn't tell her about Santa. I told her only about Jesus and Christmas. When she was in pre-school -- at a church -- I knew she'd hear the other story, but I didn't want it to come from me. She heard it and saw the Santa stuff everywhere and eventually she thought I'd been too picky when I kept all the funny stories away from her. I knew it would happen and it did. BUT she grew to understand my reasoning. YES, I'll do funny things, but only when the Truth is known. [I've been a Grinch performer for 53 years... LONG before it was a movie or animated cartoon ... but the reality isn't taken away by this.]
Glad you and your mom and I are thinking the same way, doing what we can to focus the right direction.
Blessings....
I'm with you. The true story of God in the flesh is beyond anything the human mind could make up! Why would we tell kids a fairy tale when the truth is life and heart altering? Games are good, but life is real and it starts the instant we come from the womb.
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