Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Père Noël, or any of the many other names that he goes by. He has become an important figure of the holiday season. So how do you handle the legend of St. Nicholas in your household?
Embrace the Magic
In our household, Santa has magic key that hangs on our tree, that will magically unlock our front door so he can get in and leave the presents. When our oldest (at time of writing, aged nine) asks about Santa, I refer to our Santa.
Our Santa is taken from William Joyce’s Guardians of Childhood*, Nicholas St. North. He is an ex-Cossack who wields swords against the Nightmare King. Not in our children’s hearing, I refer to him as Bada** Santa.
I have always highlighted the our Santa. I’ve always felt this gives a certain leeway when other children have slightly different Santa Claus traditions. “Well, maybe that’s what their Santa does, but our Santa does things differently.”
I’ve also set up for when the magic starts to fade; for many years, I said that I was on Santa’s ‘holiday helpers’ list. Which meant that Santa would ship extra presents to me, I would wrap them and elves would pick them up during the night. Actually, I was covering for the fact that my three year old was more aware of all the packages arriving in November and December and I was caught unawares. However, I am hoping that I can use the idea of Santa’s helpers when my children get older.
Telling the Truth
I actually know several people who don’t continue the magic of Santa; they simply address all the gifts under the tree from Mom and Dad. However, these families have also asked their children not to ruin the magic of Santa for other children. So when we all get together, the children simply talk about what they got for Christmas. It doesn’t matter who got the gifts; the joy from receiving is still there.
But… How Much and What to Give?
Early on, I adopted the idea of three presents; it was what I grew up, and it was explained to me that the wise men brought three gifts to the Christ child. However, I adopted the tradition of “Something I want, something I need, something to wear, something to read,” as a guideline of what to get for my children. Santa usually buys the “Want, Need, Wear,” and the “Read” is from Mom and Dad.
For my piece of mind, I also have a tentative budget set for each child to cover all four gifts. But, I’m also all about the deal and the sale, so I usually come in under just because I am pretty good about stacking deals and working price match during the holiday season.
Final Thoughts
The truth is I love magic; I would probably do a great deal to keep the wonder and hope of the various holidays alive. I want my children to remember the joy of Christmas and for that, I will keep the magic of Santa going for as long as I can. As well as the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny.
*Seriously, check out the five-book series The Guardians of Childhood by William Joyce the the Dreamworks movie Rise of the Guardians (2012) inspired by the series. Best renditions of the magical holiday spirits that I’ve ever come across.
One reply on “The Big Man in a Red Suit”
Great content! Keep up the good work!