I know that some people are going to be mad at me for writing this, but I believe in the truth.
When I was younger, I used to get very excited about Christmas. All the seasonal music and decorations gave me that cliche warm, fuzzy feeling inside. I loved to go Christmas shopping and picking out the perfect gift for those close to me, and I won't lie; I also used to love receiving those perfect gifts.
Now, I am not completely anti-Christmas. I do enjoy the celebrations and family gatherings. But looking at how commercialized and fake Christmas has become (or has always been, and I just never noticed) literally disgusts me. What annoys me the most is how people lie to their children about Santa Claus and have them sit on his lap at the mall and ask for Christmas gifts. The myth of Santa Claus places unnecessary pressure on parents/guardians to buy certain gifts for their children that they may not be able to afford.
Hypothetical situation (and I know that's a fragment, but work with me). Little Johnny makes straight A's in school, never talks back to his parents, and does all his chores. Meanwhile, Tom fails all of his classes, curses at his parents, and mutilates neighborhood pets. Johnny asks Santa for a bike and Tom does too. Johnny doesn't get a bike because his parents just don't have that kind of money this year. Tom's parents are swimming in money, so he gets a bike, a Wii, and a whole bunch of other stuff that he will never use. Where is the justice in that Santa? I know that money is not an issue for everyone, and I am not suggesting that people who are economically stable should not buy their children nice gifts. But if we are going attribute the gift-giving to Santa and his little list, then we should change "naughty" and "nice" to "rich" and "poor." An even better suggestion is to stop lying about Santa.
Some people will say, "Well Santa is a part of a tradition." So was slavery. That doesn't make it right. Telling children that Santa doesn't exist will not rob them of their innocence. There's nothing innocent about a man who gives gifts based on income.
Others might say "Well, you have to make sacrifices for your children." I speak from personal experience, my mother may have paid for my Christmas gifts by sacrificing paying bills, but I would rather her not be in debt trying to "play Santa." Children inherit the debt of their parents, so would you rather your children inherit your debt or inherit your love and values?
Think about it.
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