Sittin' On Santa... Not a Family Tradition.

This kid... Stock photo that I found on google.
Note: Real beard :-)

As I scroll through my Facebook, I am beginning to see all the wonderful kiddos sitting on Santa's lap.  I first want to say that Brock and I have NOTHING against this tradition.  And I really do enjoy seeing the kids and how they have grown since the previous year.

I realized also, that we do not have any pictures of our kids with Santa and I am ok with this.  If you read my previous post about Family Traditions you got a peek into the deliberation and contemplations that have occurred over the years within our family.  This was another tradition that we discussed both through the lens of our own upbringings and through our belief system.  I personally, do not remember sitting on Santa's lap and found out from my two older siblings when I was rather young that Santa was not real.  So this tradition did not hold much value for me.

If I remember correctly, we decided that we didn't want to actively seek out a Santa for our son to get his picture taken.  We also REALLY did not want to pay-to-play.  We work very hard for our money, attempt to spend it wisely, pay off debt as quickly as possible, and not spend on unnecessary items.  And the one opportunity that did arise for a free shot at the red suited man's lap was outside after sunset nearing H's bedtime.  That first year H was 10 months old and it was cold outside.

Risk a melt down to have our baby sit on a strange man's lap after standing in line in the cold for the chance to do something that he doesn't understand and won't remember?  OR Skip the entire idea for the year and see what happens when he is almost 2 the following year. 

A few parts of me arose in the decision making process that night:
1. I'm selfish and I wanted to go home and not deal with a cranky kid.
2. I did not want to occupy my 10 month old for 15 min in line for a semi decent picture with a Santa that may or may not have a real beard (We take beard's serious in our home - Have you seen Brock's.  Real is the only way to go if you are going to visit a Santa). :-P
3. I did not want to deal with throwing H off his schedule any more than necessary.
4. I did not really want to sit him on a strangers lap and potentially have him melt down/freak out/refuse and have wasted the time.

So in the grand scheme of Santa Sittin', we have never participated.  Brock and I have more fully formed our view of Santa, who we believe was a real person in the form of St. Nickolas. We have not directly told the kids about Santa (who he is, what he does) but it is unavoidable. So we have chosen to be honest with our children.  We have explained to H that Santa is not a real person.  We have also explained that we do not tell this to others as we do not want to take the mystery/magic/gift of Santa away from others.  This is not a loving thing to do.  We have not removed Santa from our home either.  We have a few Christmas decorations of Santa that we enjoy and movies that involve him each year.

Instead, We teach our kids that we celebrate Christmas as it is the time of year that Jesus was born. We read through our kids Bible with them and celebrate advent which is a time to be patient and wait on Jesus' return.  We teach them that Jesus is real as are all of the stories in the Bible. We have just as many, if not more, ornaments that reference Jesus than Santa. And as the years continue we likely will not add to the Santa collection. We want to make sure that H and R grasp the reason for Christmas and not get caught up in all of the commercialized aspects of the holiday.

And so to the parents who do seek out a Santa sitting sessions to make the season magical for your kiddos, I say well done.  Keep blessing them and raising them with love and kindness.  You are a great parent and keep up the amazing work you do each day.

To the parents out there that have landed in Brock and I's ball park where Santa is not a Family Tradition; what are your reason's for not seeking a Santa sitting session? What do you teach your kiddos? How did you reach the decision?  I'm truly curious to know so leave a comment, shoot us a message, or respond the easiest way you know how.

Praying you are all Warm and Well Fed in this Season of Celebration.
Blessings
BWM~ Corie

PS - We don't do Elf on the shelf either but I'm so amazed by the creativity,  commitment, and effort you all put into it.  I find the different scene's to be hysterical. Well, Done! Thanks for making me giggle. Honestly, I think sometimes this is more so the parents can have fun than it is for the kids. :-)