Reading Crystal's Weekend Round Up, over at Boobs, Injuries and Dr. Pepper, reminded me of a conversation that Miss J and I had the other day about old St. Nick. She asked me if I believed in Santa Clause and I thought for a moment before telling her no. She had a hard time believing that all that talk about Santa observing the naughty or niceness of children is just a story. I guess she somehow overlooked the fact that there has never been a "From: Santa" on any of her gift tags. Or the fact that we live in an apartment without a chimney.
Believing in Santa is harmless, right?
I use to think so, before the contradictions set in. As a child, I remember gathering in my elementary school's auditorium to take pictures with Santa. Some believed that the old man had actually come down from the north pole to take our holiday orders, and then there were those of us that knew the lap that we were sitting on was that of a site supervisor. Then there were those who were just flat out confused. Crying and carrying on, "that's not Santa, Santa isn't black!".
A couple of years ago my Miss J had this same reaction to a Santa at a holiday party that was sponsored by a African American organization at Cal. She didn't want to take a picture with him because he was black... and Santa, as she knew him, was not black. It took some coaxing, but I was able to talk her into taking the picture. So, what are you suppose to tell your child in this situation? Yes baby, you are right, this is not Santa, because Santa is not black. If so, you might as well also say that not only is Santa not black, but he doesn't even exist. Santa is transparent... a trope.
Have you had "the Santa" talk with your child yet? If so, how did it go? Has your child ever refused to take a picture with a Santa of a particular ethnicity?
Let's hear about it.
(Note: I am not suggesting that it is wrong or bad for you/your child to believe in Santa Clause. This is just my particular experience and my thoughts)
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