Christianity vs. Santa Claus

Each year, a few people tell me that they don't like the commercialism of the holidays. They are entitled to that, but a few will take it even further and say that they don't like Santa Claus, that he is un-Christian, and that including that 'holiday' stuff in our celebration is evil.

When I was studying to be an educator, I learned that young children have a peculiar psychology that prevents them from knowing fantasy from fiction - there is absolutely no way to keep a child from through this stage.  If your kids are going to play "make believe" games, then it is wise for you to play with them and guide those games.  Telling your kids about Santa isn't lying to them - it's playing along.  It also doesn't get in the way of the real meaning of the holidays.

One of my fondest memories of Christmas came when I was a young boy eager to open my presents on a Christmas morning. My grandfather (who bought us presents signed from "Santa") pulled out his Bible and read the Christmas story to us.  I don't remember what I received for Christmas, that year, but I never forgot why were celebrating.
So, please don't hate Santa.  It bugs me each year when people criticize the commercialism of Christmas so much that the children don't get to enjoy the wonder and magic that the holidays can offer.

Then again, maybe the reason people don't like Santa is because the first one they saw was this one:

He's creepy. You're definitely welcome to keep that guy out of your house.

Find Santa Right Now!

A long time ago, many children were given a phone number to use that would report to them Santa's location. Due to a terrible typo, the children ended up calling NORAD instead! A dreadful mistake, but the officers at NORAD decided to run with it and started giving kids Santa's location in the sky. NORAD has done this ever since.

But this year, it's high tech. Check out http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.htm and you can see exactly where Santa is, right now! (He's already running around.) And if you download Google Earth, you can see it in 3-D.

Click here to read more about NORAD's tradition of helping kids locate Santa, it's a neat Christmas story.

Searching for Santa

I sumbled upon a great website called SearchForSanta.com which claims to have actual evidence of the existence of Santa.

Convinced that Santa's workshop is located at magnetic North, instead of true North, they have mounted many expeditions to find Santa and plan another one each year. Plagued by disasters and blizzards, the searches have been inconlusive.

However, there is this picture of a sled found deep in the Saudi Arabian desert. It is estimated to be 800 years old and seems to have no place in this climate far from the snow.

How did it get there? Archaeologist Dr. Hyer thinks it may have been part of Santa's sleigh. Do you find this interesting? Still don't think there is a Santa? Then explain this sled, you doubter! You think the shiek has been sledding around the dessert? Of course not!

There's even a picture. It's blurry, but you can clearly make out Santa's features. What else could it be?

Check out the site, it's a good place for kids who may have begun to think a little too postmodernly and need to be encouraged to believe in Santa. In general, it's a fun site.