"Is Santa real? All the kids on the bus and at school say he is, but older kids say he is not!
What's the truth?"
Teaching our kids the difference between pretend and reality can be pretty tricky this time of year. One of the best tools I found for this dilemma is the Veggie Tales movie "Saint Nicholas A Story of Joyful Giving." It is a sweet Christmas movie about Saint Nicholas and how his story evolved into Santa Clause.
I know some children are very upset when they find out Santa isn't real. This movie can soften the blow. It emphasizes the giving that Saint Nicholas did and encourages the viewers to be generous. Parents can share the history of Saint Nicholas and then differentiate the "pretend" part of Santa Clause. Kids love playing pretend. You can explain you wanted to be generous and play pretend, and now it's time to learn to give joyfully like St. Nicholas/Santa Clause.
The message is to learn how to give freely with a generous heart, without strings or requiring something in return. This is based on the Bible verse Matt 6:3 "When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself" (Message version.) Here's the trailer:
All families are different, and in our family our kids were never taught to believe in Santa as real but as pretend, like Mickey Mouse or a super hero. When my younger son fully understood the "play" part of Santa and that we "the parents" were wrapping the gifts, he got us two really big cookies to eat while preparing the presents. Below is a picture of the cookies he gave us. I think they're the best I've ever had.
Below is a picture I had the privilege of taking with Phil Vischer the creator of Veggie Tales and "Saint Nicholas A Story of Joyful Giving." He is also the voice of several of the characters in the movie. He is really friendly and has a real heart for children.
Keep up the good work Beautiful Mothers! Merry Christmas!
Love, Rosa
