Perspective from a Non-Santa Family

This post is NOT judgmental.

It's for perspective purposes only!!

I am sure our family is in the less than 1% of the population who doesn't do Santa. 

(Not a real statistic, just my guess.) ;)

Every year I get an upset parent, who comes up to me, telling me that one of my kids 'ruined' Christmas for their child.  My kids don't intentionally ruin it.  We just live in a Santa obsessed world. At Christmastime everybody has to talk about Santa, and whether or not the child has been good or bad.  My children answer honestly, because we've taught them to be honest.  Most of the time, the subject of Santa is brought up by someone else.  My kids don't initiate the conversation, because frankly, there's no need for them to.  It's not about Santa for them.  You'll find them typically trying to skirt the conversation, so they don't have to talk about it.

So why don't we do Santa?  I've got 2 main reasons...

1. The biggest reason: We have told our kids from the beginning that we would never lie to them, and they can totally trust us.  We expect them to be honest with us too.  Now before you get your pants in a bunch over thinking that I just called you a liar concerning your kids... This is our conviction.  I am not here to judge others.  I'm honestly not concerned whether or not you tell your kids Santa is real/fake.  That's between you and God.  But I am concerned that my kids know the truth about it.  If we're honest with them from the beginning, there's no reason to have to disappoint them by telling them it was a farce and admitting the truth later.

2. It takes the focus off of the true reason that we celebrate Christmas.  Our family is a Christian family.  We believe that the sole reason for Christmas is our King and Savior, Jesus Christ, coming humbly to this earth in the form of a baby to save us from our sins.  We live in such a Santa saturated society.  I always see pics of people sitting on Santa's lap at this time of year.  I hardly ever see kids posed in front of a Nativity scene.  (I can't think of any actually... But I didn't want to use 'never' here because it's such a strong word.)

Do I think that posing with Santa is wrong? No!  My kids have done it.  They just know that it's for fun; it's festive, but he's just a man in a red suit.

Do I have any non-religious traditions at Christmastime?  Absolutely!!  I love Christmas lights and Christmas trees.  I love watching the old Christmas cartoons: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer, etc., I love singing Christmas songs, religious or not.

Do I get frustrated that my kids have to keep quiet around Christmastime about the subject? Yes! For so many reasons!!  But I fear I've already lost most of my readers by now, so I won't elaborate. I want the few readers that hung on, to actually read the rest.  :)

So do my kids believe in the Tooth Fairy or Easter Bunny?  Nope!!  And again, they don't regret it.  They call me the Mommy Fairy, and when they loose a tooth, I tell them to put it under the pillow and I'll exchange it for money by morning. (when I remember!) lol

Anyone still reading this??? [crickets chirping]

Doesn't it ruin Christmas for them?  Absolutely not!!!  We asked them throughout different stages of their early childhood if they wish we would've done Santa.  And all four of them, every time we've asked have answered, "No!"  We asked them why, and they replied, "Because you didn't lie to us about it, and we have just as much fun as everyone else at Christmas."

My closing thoughts:
I'm sure it's frustrating for you if my kids may have ruined the Santa tradition while being asked about it by someone.  Please know that it is just as frustrating for them to have to avoid the topic completely from Thanksgiving to Christmas, so that they don't feel like they have to lie about it to keep you from being frustrated with them.

Whether or not you do Santa at Christmas is not my concern. 
I just wanted to give you the perspective of a Non-Santa family.