Christians & Father Christmas

[FaithLoveandGrace]

Hi all, I had an interesting chat with someone earlier this week about teaching children about Father Christmas as a Christian. They said they've never taught their children about Father Christmas as they thought once their DC found out he's not real, they'd also think Jesus is not real either.

It got me thinking, how do you teach children that what you told them about Father Christmas (or the Easter Bunny or tooth faith) is not true but that (in our opinion) what we've told them about Jesus is? I'm not entirely sure where I stand on the issue tbh. DSS believes in Father Christmas and I wouldn't tell him otherwise - that's up to his dad (my DP) and his mum. As much as I love how magical Christmas is for DSS and the other children I know, I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable lying to any biological children DP and I may have.

I'd be interested to hear others views on it.

We told our children that Father Christmas was just a lovely story that some people believed. DS1, now married, has entered into the whole Father Christmas thing. He and his wife are practising Christians, and I sometimes wonder if he felt felt deprived as a child, although he says not.
What I do not understand is the annual round of Vicars/Curates who have to apologise for saying that Father Christmas is not real, so the parents can go on lying to their children. I wonder what the conversation is like when the child realises that the Vicar was right and has been made to apologise for telling the truth . So much easier not to start the FC thing in the first place and tell the children that their presents come from family and friends who love them.

yes but difficult to have that child going to school saying oh it's just a nice story but it's not real, much as it's difficult to have atheist children going to school and saying jesus is a nice story but it's not real. one has to try and tread lightly and considerately if they are sending their children into multi faith/cultural settings. my son is home educated but still mixes with children in other settings.

Well I wouldn't intentionally tell your kids about Santa. Still you can hardly expect the other kids in school to backup either of your stories if they know the truth.

Having others contradict you is just a built in downside to pretending things are true that aren't.

'in school' or in the street or at playdates whatever.

So tempted to get in to the Christian v Pagan debate asking about the origin of Easter but.

Surely FC or SC or the Easter bunny and eggs are just part of the celebration.

In some countries children 'feed' a wooden log and towards Xmas it will defecate sweets.

When I was little my grandad would occasionally show us the 'dalek in the cupboard' which was in fact a hot water tank.

Children are not stupid, as they get older they notice there are some things most of the people around them, children and adults, believe and some that only a few do.

Children constantly play pretend games and dressing up, they know the difference between wearing a doctor's coat and being a doctor.

And I say all this as an atheist.

yeah, metaphor is a huge part of how the brain works and learns and remembers and a huge part of how we express ourselves and cope and play. no problem with that.

as for the children not telling other children etc business. for me that's a matter of manners. i teach my son that people believe all sorts of things. my answer to a lot of his questions on issues that are essentially about belief are quite happily, 'i don't know', 'some people believe... others.... what do you think? you may change what you think.... you never know... i used to believe... i sometimes think... it can seem like...' etc - an exploration that allows space. i teach him that people's beliefs, rightly or wrongly, can be really important to precious to them and so it's best for now to not laugh at or be cruel to that. you don't have to agree to be polite. that's not difficult to instill in a child is it?

he is 7, he is not, and the children he would be engaging with are not, grown ups willingly entering into discussion about these things, understanding debate or ready to stand for their beliefs or even to have rationally bloody examined them - they've just been given to them and are wrapped up in their security and faith in their parents, again rightly or wrongly. it is good manners for me and for my child to take care not to hurt a child carelessly on such a potentially psychologically deep level if it is avoidable.

adults, engaged in a society, are a different matter.