Last year I tried to avoid emphasizing the Santa part of the holidays and really tried to focus on it being Jesus’ birthday. My sister Michelle told me that it would be impossible. “Santa is everywhere!” she said and she was right.
JDaniel became convinced of Santa after a visit to BiLo.
This year I have been presented with a new Santa dilemma. It is a dilemma that many parents around the world have probably had to deal with.
Let me share with you a conversation JDaniel and I recently had about Santa while hanging Christmas ornaments.
Me:
“Would you like to go see Santa at the Roper Mountain Christmas Festival?”
JDaniel:
“ Mom, Santa has a house in Arkansas. He can’t be at Roper Mountain.”
Me:
“We did see Santa’s house in Arkansas when we explored the little town at the bottom of Mount Magazine.”
JDaniel:
“It was surrounded by all those decorated trees remember!”
Me:
“Yes, I remember. You noticed that Santa had a back door and front door to his house.”
JDaniel:
“Are you saying he can be in both places? Is he like God?”
Me:
“No, Santa isn’t like God. Remember Santa was a man.”
JDaniel:
“Mom, he is like God really. He is everywhere just like God.”
Me:
“God is everywhere but, Santa isn’t able to be. He has to have helpers work for him in places he can’t be.”
JDaniel:
“So where is he? Is he in Arkansas or South Carolina?”
Me:
“It is hard to tell. His helpers looks just like him.”
JDaniel:
“Okay!”
Me:
“So, do you want to go see him?”
JDaniel:
“Well, Nathan ( The four-year-old that lives next door) is going to write him for me. I guess I don’t need to see him anywhere.”
We may run into Santa while we are out and about but, apparently, JDaniel isn’t interested in seeking him out. He seems content to know he is somewhere in this world.
This post is linked to Alphabe Thursday on Mrs. Matlock and Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop!
Haha! What an interesting conversation. My son’s not interested in Santa either. He’s more concerned about the presents 😉
I struggled with the whole Santa thing… My husband wants to do Santa and it is fun, but I feel like I’m lying.. I am. Uggh
That’s cute! My son is still too traumatized by Santa, so the less he sees of him the better.
Getting lots of tricky questions here this year too….
My kids were always happy that none of the Santas they saw were the REAL Santa, as the REAL Santa is busy getting all the toys ready.
It’s hard not get the focus away from Santa – with us Santa gives a smaller gift and few surprises, we get the kids their main gift. Can’t let someone else get all the credit!
He is so smart! 🙂
We had a very similar conversation with our kids. It worked for us too.
Have you heard the song, where’s the line to see Jesus? very touching and worth checking out. I explained to my kids when they asked that all the Santa’s we see around here were doing work for the real Santa since he couldn’t be everywhere. Tough questions!
Link to the music vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=OExXItDyWEY&vq=medium
What a funny – and tricky – conversation!
Stumbled 🙂
When my kids learned Santa wasn’t real and they learned at a very early age, they actually were not surprised. They told me they pretty much already knew and were just waiting for confirmation from me. It’s such a delicate conversation with our kids.
Loved the photos, and the seet conversation 🙂
Have a great WW!, thanks for stopping by and linking up 😉
He is such an interesting thinker. Smart little guy you have there!
=)
Such a smart little boy! Well at least the conversation went really well 🙂
He thinks pretty logically for a little guy!
It is very hard to explain when Santa is so many places.
I had my own hard moment when I was shopping for toys for Toys for Tots and my oldest was asking me questions- he wanted to know why Santa just didn’t give the toys to those kids who needed them.
this is so cute and made me laugh just a little!!! he’s very logical and smart. you can be proud! my kiddos were scared to death of Santa, so they will not be wanting to see him, either. ; )
Interesting, I wouldn’t know how to answer the question that he’s not everywhere, but can be in different places too. Oh these kids! They’re so smart.
Your JDaniel is very smart. I don’t think I would be able to answer all of his questions either. My 7-year-old just stared questioning Santa this year. She KNEW that the Santa she saw this week wasn’t real. 🙂
I tell my kiddos Santa hand-picks other people to stand in for him at stores and such. They report back to the real Santa each day, so he always gets the messages! =>
Wonderful, wonderful! Why do we grown ups complicate things so much!
I took the often unpopular tack of telling my kids early on that Santa is pretend, but that he is based on a real man named Saint Nick who gave gifts to the needy. I don’t stop them from pretending or reading books about Santa. We watch all the fun movies and what not. I just wanted them to know that they could trust me when I told them that Jesus was real and not have them thinking he was pretend too. Thanks for sharing your story.
My little grandson comes to my house a week early to have Christmas and I tell him that his Gwamma is soooooo cool that Santa comes to her house first!
Talk about fibbing…oh well, hopefully he’ll forgive me by the time he’s ready for college…
If I had told my oldest son that the Foggy Monster brought gifts on Christmas, he would have readily agreed. I made the Nativity Scene the greatest part of Christmas. The presents were just an added incentive to be good for a couple of weeks.
That is so funny! Yes, Santa is a hard thing. I taught my kids that he was a great thing to pretend but Jesus is real. I didn’t want them to question what I said about Jesus being the actual son of God. One of my daughters had to go along with her husband, who insisted that they say Santa is real. Well, sure enough, my 5 year old grandson is already asking if Santa is God. Hmmmm
Yes, it is good to just know Santa is somewhere…and his helpers….and the elves….and God is watching over all….It is a wonderful life!
Oh my gosh–He is toooo precious for words!!! It is so wonderful see this all through a child’s eyes!
xo
Cindy
This conversation sounds familiar, but I “normalized” Anna’s universe, by assuring her that Santa is only getting out on Christmas night, the rest she sees are merely “Santa helpers”. She has no interest in them, by the way 🙂
Kids are just the best. 😀 So thoughtful and innocent. I can’t wait till my little one really starts talking!
I hate that my 8 year old keeps questioning me as to whether I’m really Santa. But my six year old is quick to quiet him with “of COURSE not. Santa is really busy right now. You don’t hear him on the roof because you’re dreaming too much.”
Always a tricky thing to deal with, this Santa thing. I never knew quite how to handle it, and I had 7 kids.
The Santa question can be tough. 🙂 In a couple more years he will have it all figured out.
What a sweet conversation…I sometimes think our kids knew much earlier than we thought…they are usually one step ahead of us anyway!
What a sweet post and you handled it really well. I love an episode of “The Cosby Show” when Olivia (Denise’s adopted daughter) asks what nationality Santa is. Your conversation makes me smile in the same way. Wonderful post!
and how cool to have a friend who is going to write to Santa for him! It’s cool to learn to delegate so early in life… LOL
What a smart kid to have someone else write to Santa for him.
I love how you handled that – my kids believed in Santa until age 8 and 9, and when they no longer believed they didn’t feel betrayed, because we’d always talked about ‘helpers’ and that all of us have the ability to be Santa’s helpers.
Its so hard as christians explaining Santa and God to enquiring minds I explained to mine as they were ready but it was not easy well done sounds like he has it sussed
That’s a great perspective he has on Santa!
What a cute conversation… smart lad you have! There was no trauma or drama associated with Santa in our home when I was a kid… but then he wasn’t all over the place like he is today. It’s a much more subdued event in Europe, too (at least it was when I was a kid).
I wrote a comment on your next post before realizing it was a sponsored one, which I don’t want to participate in. But let me answer your question here:
In our house, I was the eldest of five. Christmas morning we rushed to the decorated tree to see the presents that Santa had brought and put under the tree during the night. We knew better than to touch anything until our parents were up. After breakfast, we all gathered around the tree. The candles (real ones) were lit, Christmas or classical music was played, and then our father slowly picked a present and with much fanfare would bellow, “And this one is foooooooooor….” Each of us watched the unwrapping of every gift, one by one. Talk about aaaaanticipation! 🙂
How cute. When they start the inquisition about Santa, I usually get stumped. My oldest is 11 and doesn’t believe anymore, but the 8 yr old is still on the cusp and I think I can rein her back in for another year. The 2 yr old is clueless. I like how you handled JDaniel’s questions, especially having him notice that Santa had doors.
Love it! My kids’ interest in Santa is waning. I am nearly ready to completely bust the myth so we truly can focus on the real reason for the season. I get tired of talking about and seeing Santa. It’s not all about him. Clearly JDaniel already gets that!
I think you handled that very well! 🙂
That’s so cute! My kids think that all the Santas that they see work for the REAL Santa Claus, and report back to him. Works for me!
I think the fact that he’s got the neighbor’s kid doing his work makes the whole story!!! I just commented on another blog post that we told our kids the same thing. No 2 Santa’s are alike because they’re big elf helpers.
cute conversation We have a 16 foot blow up Santa in our yard that Ryker makes me turn on every morning. This morning however he would not stand up So I had to go out into the cold at 6:30 and help the old guy up. The things we do for our kids
Thanks for sharing the conversation. My children are middle aged and grandchildren all teens. No wee ones to have the interesting conversations with and watch their eyes sparkle or just be down to earth like your JDaniel.
Peace
Siggi in Downeast Maine
To be a mom is a tough job! Because sometimes little kids become all of a sudden, when you’re least expected, little philosophers:)
Hello.
Too cute.
Thanks for sharing.
For ref:
Eleven Roses And You
Ahhh…the memories of Christmastime with little ones! Enjoy!
why do you want him to focus on Santa at all?
What a cute link.
I love when kids ask these questions…
I always told my kids that Santa needed lots and lots of helpers…
But I’m not sure that they really bought it.
Thanks for a really, really excellent link for the letter “E”.
A+