As I look at children today I can't help but wonder if it is a case where they are just becoming too smart for their own good or if it's just that the big corporations have commercialized the holiday so much that they are making it way too easy for our young to see through the curtains and see the behind the scenes magic that makes this holiday what it is. Have we as parents dropped the ball and taken the easy road out that has allowed ourselves to spoil the magic of the holiday? Has our government and everyday politics overstepped their boundaries with all of this politically correct nonsense of worrying whom will be offended if we allow our children to celebrate or even be educated on such things as Christmas by banning certain words, phrases and traditions from being used in our schools? My opinion, YES! Yes, to all three. Instead of trying to maintain the magic of the season and teaching our children what the holiday is about and who Saint Nick really was and perhaps even teaching them the other holidays that are celebrated during this holiday season we've chosen to turn our backs on the true spirit. We've allowed ourselves and our children to become so engulfed in all of the commercial propaganda that the magic of the season has forever been ruined for us all. Instead of rejoicing, spending time with our loved ones and helping those in need most of us become in our own way a bunch of Scrooges and Grinches and focus only on what deals we can find and what we will receive. I'm telling you people the spirit of the season died back when the day called Black Friday was invented.
Now back to my original thoughts of "are kids today just way too smart for their own good?" Like I said, since last month all of the stores, it seems, have had their Christmas displays up and their Santa's ready. Every time we've stopped at a store or mall for something the kids of course always beg to see Santa. Well back on November 20th my husband and I decided we'd take the kids over to Bass Pro Shops for some holiday fun in their Winter Wonderland and also to see Santa. With pictures taken, Christmas crafts made and a little shopping done we headed home. On the way back our daughter asks "Was that the real Santa?" I replied, "What do you think?" After giving it some thought for a few moments she says "I think that it was just a man in a costume pretending to be Santa." When I asked her why she thought that she explained to me that every year we go and she takes pictures with Santa. Every year the Santa in her pictures looks different. Then she went on to tell me that we also see Santa in different places throughout the holiday season and that at each place he looks different and she doesn't see how he could be in so many different places at once. By the time we reached home (not even a 10 minute ride) she had laid her argument out so well that I have to admit that I confessed to her that yes the store Santa's are just men in costumes there to do a little work for Santa and to bring joy to many boys and girls during the holiday season. This was our first encounter with Santa this year.
(Christmas 2007)
(Christmas 2008)
(Christmas 2009)
(Christmas 2010)
Our second encounter with Santa came on December 5th at my husband's company's Christmas Party. The party as held at The Main Event in Grapevine, TX and let's just say that for a holiday/Christmas party it was definitely lacking in the holiday/Christmas part. At a point during the duration of the party the company set up "Santa" in a private room and gave the children of the employees a chance to sit on Santa's lap, tell him what they wanted for Christmas and pose for a quick photo. Now let me describe this to you. Santa was in a conference room. At one end of the room there were two tables with table cloths and upon them were some tortilla chips, nacho cheese and a basket that contained bags of mixed nuts and cracker jacks. On the other end of the room there was a rolled out gold background with a chair and two indoor tree plants (where Santa was to sit), a digital camera set up on a tripod and another table with a laptop computer, printer and karaoke machine upon it. The part of Santa was being played by one of the company employees and Santa's Elves were his two teenage daughters wearing pajamas and scarves who kept calling him Dad instead of Santa.
As we stood in line to see Santa Cayden of course was excited and Alyssa, well lets just say she started to become a little apprehensive. When I asked her what was going on she told me that it was just some man in a costume and not the real Santa so she didn't want to see him. In the end she did end up going to talk to "Santa" and posed for a picture because she'd decided that it was for fun and because some of the other kids didn't know that it wasn't the real Santa.
(Christmas Party Santa)
Our third and hopefully the last encounter with Santa for the 2010 season happened this past Friday, December 17th. Alyssa's school was holding their annual Reindeer Run that morning which was to be followed by her class holiday party. As we exited the school and headed for the starting point the kids were quickly distracted by Santa standing in front of the school awaiting those whom were crossing the finish line. Here he was, Santa, all decked out from head to toe in one of the most extravagant Santa outfits I have ever seen on a Santa Claus, holding his dachshund whom was also wearing a Santa outfit, and greeting the kids with a wonderfully jolly European accent. ******screeching sound***** "Wait! What?!" Yes that's right Santa had a very prominent European accent. I'm not sure if it was Finnish, German, Russian or what but it was there. So anyhow, the kids started their run and as they returned they quickly ran over and gathered around Santa all wanting to say hello and get a hug. All that is except for Alyssa. As she approached the finish and the area with Santa she adamantly stood off to the side not wanting to talk to him or greet him in any manner. When asked what was wrong again she said that he was just another man in a costume and this time he was talking funny. So instead of posing for a quick picture we went ahead into the classroom to start the party.
(School Santa) * note how far away Alyssa is ^
Now you would think that our encounter with this Santa would have ended there but alas there is more. As the class party ended and we left the school for not only the day but to begin our Winter Break we again came across European Santa in the parking lot. This time there was no dachshund, he was walking with a cane and he was carrying a set of car keys. As we continued walking towards our vehicle I noticed Cayden studying Santa very carefully and looking a little confused. Within moments it was as if a little light bulb had gone off above his head and quickly Cayden stopped walking and yelled "Where is Santa's Sleigh?! Santa isn't supposed to drive a car!" Startled by the break in the silence (except for the bells that were jingling on his boots as he walked) Santa quickly turned around to see who was yelling, smiled at Cayden, said goodbye and climbed into his Toyota 4 Runner. Cayden just continued to stare.
So now I have a daughter whom still firmly believes in Santa Claus but now knows that all of those Santa's we see around town are strangers in disguise and has no desire to talk to them let alone sit on their laps for a picture and a son who thinks Santa drives an SUV. Or so I thought. For you see as Cayden sat talking to my mother-in-law on the phone last night she asked him if he'd been to see Santa this year. Cayden's reply "Yeah, but not the real one."
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