[ SECRET POST #2510 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2510 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.


__________________________________________________



02.


__________________________________________________



03.


__________________________________________________



04.


__________________________________________________



05.


__________________________________________________



06.


__________________________________________________



07.


__________________________________________________



08.


__________________________________________________



09.


__________________________________________________



10.


__________________________________________________



11.


__________________________________________________



12.


__________________________________________________



13.


__________________________________________________



14.


__________________________________________________



15.












Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 092 secrets from Secret Submission Post #359.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Santa

[(Anonymous)]

I was talking to my family the other day and said that if I ever had kids I wouldn't teach them that Santa is real, if I did the whole Santa thing at all. I'm also not Christian so I wouldn't do the whole religious Christmas thing. Mostly I see it as a winter celebration about family and love and yeah, presents. But my family seems to think I'm awful and robbing my hypothetical children of a magical childhood and if I'm not going to do Santa or Christianity then why bother celebrating any type of Christmas at all?

So I'm just curious, what others think about the whole Santa thing and what they would, or do, teach their kids about the holiday?

(I know not everyone celebrates. This is obviously a question for those who do.)

Re: Santa

[(Anonymous)]

If had kids, I'd want to tell them to know the truth before, but I don't them ruining it for other kids, so I'm stuck.

Re: Santa

[kaijinscendre]

I'm going to do the whole Santa thing because it doesn't really hurt kids. Just gives them a couple years of (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧magic.

Also, I don't want my kid to be the one who at four tells all the other ones in school that Santa isn't real.

Re: Santa

[tabaqui]

Santa has nothing to do with Xianity, so i'm really not sure why you keep pairing them.

A magical 'old elf' brings toys to children on Xmas. It's fun. It *is* magical when you're little, and when you get older and realize that you can 'be Santa' for other people, it's just as awesome.

Not sure why Santa is so horrible to you that you'd actively try to scrub it from your hypothetical children's lives. And yes, i have a child, and yes, we told her about Santa. And yes, she had so much fun at Xmas (we're atheists) and when she started to go 'i don't really think Santa is real', it was no big deal. We also did the Tooth Fairy, and 'she' left notes and one time my SO photoshopped a picture of the TF hovering over my daughter's bed. Which she thought was awesome.

And, again - when she gradually understood that it wasn't real? There were no histrionics or trauma. So, you know - what's the harm of a little whimsey and magic in a kid's life?

Re: Santa

[dethtoll]

If I had kids, before the end of the world came (because I had kids, ofc) I'd tell them Santa and that whole business is just make-believe, but families do it anyway because it makes Christmas feel magical for kids.

The magic for me is long gone. I kind of hate Christmas. I still celebrate it, but more and more I'm getting to the point where I'd rather hang out with the Jewish guys at the Chinese food joint.

Re: Santa

[cassandraoftroy]

When/if I have kids, "Santa" will be a game of pretend that the family plays together. I will not try to induce any child of mine to believe that Santa actually exists in reality.

Re: Santa

[dreemyweird]

IDK about children of my own (I would probably be an exceptionally shitty parent, and I don't want to be one anyway), but I was told that Santa is real but did not believe it. So it kind of made no difference. I'm sad, me.

Re: Santa

[starphotographs]

I don't ever want kids, but I don't believe in lying to anyone regardless of age or intent, and I'm a fan of the Santa concept as just a fun folkloric thing to include in the celebration.

Also, I'm an atheist, and the reason I celebrate it is... To have fun? Who the fuck needs a "reason" for presents and doofy movies and pie? :D

Re: Santa

[othellia]

IDK, my mom insists that she never told us Santa was real or did anything to credit him, but I remember when I was four, I went to a Christmas party with a Santa dude. I went up to him when I thought my parents weren't looking and whispered to him and no one else that I wanted Putt-Putt and Pep's Dog on a Stick for Christmas, and LO AND BEHOLD ON CHRISTMAS MORNING I RECEIVED SAID GIFT. Every other present I got that morning was marked Mom/Dad, but that one just said Santa. I asked my parents if they'd bought it for me, but they were evasive.

It was one of the most magical moments of my childhood.

Granted it was a small party, and now I know the Santa dude probably knew/went up to my parents later and told them what to buy, but still. Magical moment.

So yeah, if I have kids, I'll probably tell them that Santa gets every kid one present and that parents buy the rest. I think I gradually realized Santa wasn't real and never had to ask, but if my future kids straight out ask me, I'll tell them the truth.

Re: Santa

[(Anonymous)]

I'm going on four decades. I still believe in Santa.

Why? Because, when I was a little girl, I told no one at all I wanted a pair of orange kittens for Christmas, except for Santa. And I got the orange kittens.

Now, I lived in a tiny, tiny, town, it's likely that Santa was a friend of my family, and told my family what I really wanted for a present was a pair of orange kittens. And I'm very aware that this is probably the logical reason.

But the childlike part of me still thinks, "Maybe Santa did give me my kittens," and that's how I choose to remember it.

Re: Santa

[(Anonymous)]

My family didn't raise me to believe in santa (christian reasons*) and didn't even celebrate it the first few years of my life until I was in school (financial reasons)



*my understanding is they didn't like how it was all about santa and not about jesus. That said, my youngest sister, she's 6 now, got the santa story but it was more a bit of light hearted fun. I don't think she seriously believe, there was no effort in it. Just jokes.

I personally don't celebrate but I buy small gifts for close friends/family

Re: Santa

[making_excuses]

I will not teach my children to believe in any kind of mythological or magical creature, because of a lot of reasons.

I don't think I will rob them of anything, I never believed in Santa. The Tooth Fairy or The Easter Bunny and it didn't take away from celebrating the things connected to them without make believe creatures at all.

And Christmas in my family is a thing we celebrate with family and not related to The Birth of Jesus at all, except my step brother goes to church service to meet some of his friends and we go to the graveyard to light lights on the graves of family members (which is really beautiful*). Oh and we do have a star on top of our Christmas Tree, I think that is all of the religious things we do all year really... Well my stepmother is a teacher so she brings her class to church for the school christmas church service thing and reads them the Christmas Evangelium (which I suspect might not be called that in English?).

*The whole churchyard is lit up with candlelights

Edit: Oh I just remembered me and my step brother do get presents from santa every year though, lots of santas to be precise. My step mother gives us things we need (Gloves and stuff like that), My step grandmother buys us a board game each, then there is two families who put "From CITYSanta" on their presents to us instead of From "NAME Family" on them...

Re: Santa

[(Anonymous)]

Do you want a different perspective? (If not feel free to scroll down.)

My immediate family never observed the holiday/traditions/etc., and we definitely never connected it with Christianity either (it is a secular holiday), but when I came of age and went out into the world on my own, I did start to observe the holiday. I have always observed it as the shortest day of the year / the day of the least light / when the year "turns over" and soon the days start getting longer. That, and the food, of course. Cannot forego the feasting, else what is the point!!!

Extended family keeps Christmas twice. Don't ask me to explain it.

Re: Santa

[tei]

I wouldn't tell my kids that Santa is a real person! But that doesn't mean I can't tell them about Santa. I hope my kids will be the kind of people who can know all along that a story isn't real life and enjoy it anyway.

Re: Santa

[(Anonymous)]

Hell yeah I'm going to tell them about Santa.

Re: Santa

[(Anonymous)]

Santa was real, kind of. He would have hated 'Santa', though. He slapped a guy for arguing with him over whether Jesus was divine or not, that's how religious he was!

I'm an Atheist, but I liked the story of how he saved a woman from being sold into prostitution by slipping a bag of money for a dowry through her open window one night. (It apparently fell into her stocking, and well, you know the rest)

Fun stuff. One of his names, Kris Kringle, is a corruption of "Chris Kindle" which is Christ. The nuns used to give gifts out on Saint Nick's birthday, which was in early December. They changed it to Christ's 'birthday', because they didn't really like that. The idea of a little winged Christ baby bringing presents to children is kind of creepy, though.

Re: Santa

[killaurey]

If I ever had kids, I'd so be doing the Santa is real thing and I'm not Christian at all. My mother wasn't either and she did the Santa is real thing and it just made the whole holiday magical.

I'm still upset that my stepfather decided that, when I was ten, I was too old to believe in Santa and deliberately showed me the gifts that were supposedly from Santa.

I was already on the verge of not really believing but him deliberately destroying the magic that my mom had spent years building and was letting me grow out of slowly just crushed me. I was inconsolable that year, and I remember my mom being livid with my stepfather over it.

IDEK. I think it's a fine thing to do, and you don't really have to flat out tell them--most kids figure it out on their own, as they get older, just like the realize that the Tooth Fairy or, if they celebrate it, the Easter Bunny isn't real.

Re: Santa

[(Anonymous)]

If I have children, I will teach them about the Hogfather (colloquially known as Santa).

Re: Santa

[(Anonymous)]

GUYS. GUYS, NO.

IF YOU LET YOUR KIDS BELIEVE IN SANTA, THEY WILL BECOME MURDERERS AND GO TO HELL.

IT'S TOTES LEGIT, JACK CHICK SAID SO.

Re: Santa

[(Anonymous)]

when i was a kid i thought santa was real and eventually i realized he wasn't (because i realized that the From: Santa presents were in my mom's hand writing, and if they were from Santa, why would they be in my mom's writing), with no harm to me. after i got that he wasn't real, the idea of santa was still fun to me, so my parents gave me a present or two from santa for years after i stopped believing. when i have kids i'll likely tell my kids that both santa and the parents give presents and

and i do get that it pretty much is lying to kids, but there's something about the whole santa experience that i loved as a kid before and after believing (even though i was never one for going to see him in person, i was always too scared) so i couldn't not do it to my own kids. a couple years ago i worked as an elf with the mall santa here, and i loved seeing all the kids' reactions to santa. my parents did the tooth fairy with me too and i wasn't traumatized with that either. there are lots of things that kids believe when they are young and realize later that they aren't true.

and i've never been religious in any way fyi

Re: Santa

[(Anonymous)]

i understand not bring them up with the concept of santa but i also understand your parents' pov as well. children up to a certain age look at the world with an unmatched curiosity and wonder, and it's really nice to see it full of magic. i'd argue theres really no harm in letting them believe for a little while. they'll be let down eventually, gently or otherwise, but i personally am glad that i had the concept of santa in my youth.

i also don't think there's any harm in teaching them the history of the holiday. i never believed - and was never raised to believe - in the christian story of christmas. but i like the christian history behind it nonetheless, despite not being religious.

you raise your future kids how you want, but honestly just keep in mind that with age, most of us lose the majority of the wonder/magic we found in everyday life as children. in my opinion there's nothing wrong with letting kids believe just for a little while in their lives. for those moments they're probably really happy that way.

Re: Santa

[(Anonymous)]

My family's Christian, and growing up we never really believed in Santa...there was a kinda 'wink wink, nudge nudge, Santa!' thing where we would ask Dad jokingly what kinda cookies 'Santa' wanted, and then we'd get a thank-you note from 'Santa' in Dad's handwriting....

I won't tell them Santa's real. I just don't like the thought of lying to my kids, even if it's for a fun reason.

Re: Santa

[not_quite_anon]

I believe in Santa Claus
Like I believe in love;
I believe in Santa Claus
And everything he does.
There's no question in my mind
That he does exist;
Just like love, I know he's there,
Waiting to be missed.

I believe in Santa Claus,
But there was a time
I thought I had grown too old
For such a childish rhyme.
He became a dream to me
Til one Christmas night,
Someone stood beside my bed
With a beard of white.

"So you're too old for Santa Claus,"
He said with a smile.
"Then you're too old for all the things
That make a life worthwhile.
For what is happiness but dreams,
And do they all come true?
Look at me, and tell me, son--
What is real to you?"

Just believe in Santa Claus
Like you believe in love.
Just believe in Santa Claus
And everything he does.
Wipe that question from your mind!
Yes, he does exist!
Just like love, you know he's there,
Waiting to be missed.

--Mickey Rooney and Ron Marshall, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Rankin/Bass, 1974

Re: Santa

[diet_poison]

I will probably do the Santa thing because it's super fun as a kid. I wasn't particularly heartbroken when I figured out Santa wasn't real. I think I just found it amusing, actually.

I'm a Christian so yes I will teach my children why I celebrate Christmas. I'm not going to pretend it doesn't have other history too, though. (In fact I think the historical bits about how the holiday we celebrate borrowed a lot, including the date, from pagan solstice celebrations really interesting)

Re: Santa

[darkmanifest]

If I ever have children (unlikely, but you never know), I'll always tell them where their gifts come from because I never got what was special about the Santa myth, even when I was a little kid myself and pretty much ignored it. I couldn't figure out how some stranger popping into my house to leave gifts for inexplicable reasons would mean more than my mom buying me awesome shit because she knew it would make me happy and that's what moms do. I've been in love with fairytales all my life and want to pass that love on, so my kid would still have a magical childhood, I think, just not one where we need to pretend that said magic busts in the house at midnight in order to enjoy it.

I don't think the Santa tradition is harmful so whatever, others can keep it, but I also don't see the use in it, so I wouldn't reinforce it with my kid. If they tell me "But so and so from school said Christmas presents come from Santa", I'll reply that I don't know what Santa does in his free time, but these gifts right here come from mommy.