Santa Claus

[MN Mom]

I may or may not be a Christian. That is for God to decide when the time comes.
That said, I believe the Bible is a wonderful historical reference and a great tool to use in life's lessons.

I found something that I think is pertinent to this discussion.


"Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For whatever measure you deal out to others it will be dealt to you in return." (Luke 6:38)

Not only does this apply to the gifts of goodness, but also of the bad.

If you give judgment, you shall be judged;if you give spite, you shall receive spite;if you spread hate, hate you shall receive.

Just remember. If you give Respect...you shall receive it in return. I'm sure many hurt feelings were both gifted and received in this conversation. It makes me very sad to see this from such a wonderful group of ladies (and gents).

[momofboys]

Mean and hateful thing? What on earth makes you say that about a child?? And you say you are Christian? Christian of what religion?? Whom are you to judge her? Do you know what they believe? Do you have that in your contract? That you can never say anything about Santa Claus in your home? If not, I suggest you put in in there under the santa CLAUSE:

"No child shall ever say that Santa Claus is not real in MY home and if they are caught, it will be grounds for instant termination"

Are you for real?? How many clients do you really think you would have??

Do you honestly think a 7 yr old read and understood your contract and that by her bringing up the TRUTH about santa claus she purposely is disrespecting your rules?

I think you should term them and let them go find a "real" Christian daycare..

I don't understand how people who claim to be Christian, can act in such a un-chrsitian way.......Anyone can say they believe in God, but it's their actions that speak louder and tell the truth...

And who are YOU to judge someone either?!?! It goes both ways. Christians aren't perfect. . . no one is!

[Lianne]

I agree! here some reasons why there is a BIG difference!

Why Jesus is Better than Santa Claus


Santa lives at the North Pole...
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh...
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year...
JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies...
JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited...
JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart when invited.

You have to wait in line to see Santa...
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap...
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, what's your name?"...
JESUS knew our name before we were born. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly...
JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO...
JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry"...
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."

Santa's little helpers make toys...
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but...
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree...
JESUS became our gift and died on a tree... the cross.

We need to put Christ back in CHRISTmas, Jesus is still the reason for the season.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

Ah, but Legomom, you can't have it both ways. You can't decide that it's okay for you (as in you, your family, etc.) to tell those who do believe in Santa that he's not real, he's a lie and just a story but then get offended when someone who feels that Jesus is not real, is a lie, and just a story tells your children their (dis)belief in Jesus

You believe:
"Santa lives at the North Pole...
JESUS is everywhere."

I believe:
That Jesus doesn't exist so he doesn't live anywhere

You believe:
"Santa rides in a sleigh...
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water."

I believe:
That it is impossible for someone to ride on the wind or walk on water

You believe:
"Santa comes but once a year...
JESUS is an ever present help."

I believe:
There is no such thing as Jesus

You believe:
"Santa fills your stockings with goodies...
JESUS supplies all your needs."

I believe:
That I (and family & friends) supply all of my needs

You believe:
"Santa comes down your chimney uninvited...
JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart when invited."

I believe:
That Santa IS invited into my house (he's coming to see my daycare kids on Dec 22nd, in fact) and that, since Jesus doesn't exist, he cannot knock at my door - real or proverbial - nor enter my heart.

You believe:
"You have to wait in line to see Santa...
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name."

I believe:
That no matter how long I wait I will never see, hear or feel Jesus

You believe:
"Santa lets you sit on his lap...
JESUS lets you rest in His arms."

I believe:
I rest in the arms of my family, friends and spouse

You believe:
"Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, what's your name?"...
JESUS knew our name before we were born. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads."

I believe:
That is not possible in any way

You believe:
"Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly...
JESUS has a heart full of love."

I believe:
The love I receive in my life comes from those I love around me.

You believe:
"All Santa can offer is HO HO HO...
JESUS offers health, help and hope."

I believe:
My doctor and I take care of my health, that I can rely on a number of real, in my face, people (including myself) for help...and hope, actually.

You believe:
"Santa says "You better not cry"...
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."

I believe:
That I take care of myself and am pretty good at doing so.

You believe:
"Santa's little helpers make toys...
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions."

I believe:
That an egg and a sperm make a new life, that time, doctors or therapists mend hearts, that there is no such thing as a broken home and that mansions are tacky

You believe:
"Santa may make you chuckle but...
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength."

I believe:
That people (real, live human people) I choose to surround myself with give me joy and strength

You believe:
"While Santa puts gifts under your tree...
JESUS became our gift and died on a tree... the cross."

I believe:
That never happened.

You believe:
"We need to put Christ back in CHRISTmas, Jesus is still the reason for the season."

I believe this is incorrect and that Christmas began in ancient Babylon as a pagan feast to celebrate the son of Isis (Goddess of Winter). In ancient Rome, Christmas was the celebration of the Winter Solstice. [In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.

Christmas (Christ-Mass) as we know it today, most historians agree, began in Germany, though Catholics and Lutherans still disagree about which church celebrated it first. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany. A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.” -The following was taken from this article http://www.essortment.com/all/christmaspagan_rece.htm]

You believe that Santa is a fictional character in storybooks. You believe the Bible is the word of God and that Jesus lives.

I believe that Santa is a fictional character in a storybook. I believe that the Bible is a fictional storybook, there is no God and that Jesus is a fictional character in a storybook.

You are welcome to your beliefs, I don't begrudge you tem for one minute. However, I'm entitled to have my own beliefs as well, to raise my children how I wish, to run my daycare business how I wish whether that includes Santa or not. You and your family have the right to tell my children (or any children) that Santa is not real but those children also have the right to tell yours that Jesus is not real. My words of advice to all would be to look within your heart and decide what makes sense to you, what feels right to you and that will tell you what you believe in.

Oh, and you may choose to call me an athiest as an insult but I can be offended by being called a word that describes what I do (or don't in this case) believe.

[Lianne]

I responded to Legomom a few minutes ago. I had not read to the end of the thread or read the mods asking for the thread to be dropped. I thought a moment about editing out my response to Legomom out of respect for the mods' wishes but have decided to let my response stay as is. I don't believe I have been inflammatory, I have not been disrespectful. I do feel that I deserve a chance to respond even if it's hours later and after the thread got a bit heated. I have had a busy day and just now have had a chance to return to thie thread. It is not my intention to create further issues or stir up any trouble. I just wanted a chance to respond to a post directed to me.

[DancingQueen]

because I only accept Christians into my daycare,

STrange - consider Jesus accepts EVERYONE into his care. Doesn't seem very Jesus-like to me. But what do I know - I'm a buffet Catholic.

My family knows the rules "If you don't believe you don't recieve" so even my 16 year old fakes it for the joy and wonder of the rest of the family. My daycare kids are all too young to make a comment like that - if anything my 8 year old might bust out with it - but then Christmas would be ruined for him. I told him that every can believe what they choose to believe - but to ruin the magic for anyone else would be a horrible thing and would basically ruin the magic of Xmas for him. But I'm a mean mom so don't listen to me LOL

[MommyMuffin]

I would be upset with a dc kid if they told the younger ones about santa. I would mention this to the parents when they came what had happened without naming names...they may guess or ask their child though.

To the parent whose child told the others I would just let them know what happened. Thankfully I only have 3 yo and under I just dont think there is much that a parent can do after the fact. Even a well raised child may slip up sometimes..it is a big secret.

I would then continue as usual celebrating the holiday believing.
We are a christian family. We belive in Santa because it is a fun tradition and they find joy in it. It does not take away from the birth of Jesus in our home.

I am not advertised as having a christian curriculum because I do not want to discriminate. I do have in my contract that we celebrate chrisitan holidays so that the parents know what to expect.

I wish I could advertise as a christian child care but I dont want to miss out on have a variety of children to care for. Maybe in a year I will make the switch. Ok..sorry getting off topic...working with no adults all day can lead to typing pages and pages on your fav. forum!

[Unregistered]

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I would be upset with a dc kid if they told the younger ones about santa. I would mention this to the parents when they came what had happened without naming names...they may guess or ask their child though.

To the parent whose child told the others I would just let them know what happened. Thankfully I only have 3 yo and under I just dont think there is much that a parent can do after the fact. Even a well raised child may slip up sometimes..it is a big secret.

I would then continue as usual celebrating the holiday believing.
We are a christian family. We belive in Santa because it is a fun tradition and they find joy in it. It does not take away from the birth of Jesus in our home.

I am not advertised as having a christian curriculum because I do not want to discriminate. I do have in my contract that we celebrate chrisitan holidays so that the parents know what to expect.

I wish I could advertise as a christian child care but I dont want to miss out on have a variety of children to care for. Maybe in a year I will make the switch. Ok..sorry getting off topic...working with no adults all day can lead to typing pages and pages on your fav. forum!

I actually have found a way to address that very issue. I don't want to exclude any kids because of having too narrow of a scope when it relates to religion, so instead, I cover pretty much every spiritual belief system and then myself and the dcks can learn about it all together. It's pretty fun and informative!

[QualiTcare]

I would be upset with a dc kid if they told the younger ones about santa. I would mention this to the parents when they came what had happened without naming names...they may guess or ask their child though.

To the parent whose child told the others I would just let them know what happened. Thankfully I only have 3 yo and under I just dont think there is much that a parent can do after the fact. Even a well raised child may slip up sometimes..it is a big secret.

I would then continue as usual celebrating the holiday believing.
We are a christian family. We belive in Santa because it is a fun tradition and they find joy in it. It does not take away from the birth of Jesus in our home.

I am not advertised as having a christian curriculum because I do not want to discriminate. I do have in my contract that we celebrate chrisitan holidays so that the parents know what to expect.

I wish I could advertise as a christian child care but I dont want to miss out on have a variety of children to care for. Maybe in a year I will make the switch. Ok..sorry getting off topic...working with no adults all day can lead to typing pages and pages on your fav. forum!

i agree. i don't go to church, but i allow my children to go with my aunt because i want them to be exposed to different beliefs and decide for themselves. well, my daughter goes, but my son said he didn't want to anymore so i don't make him. he said, "all they do at church is talk about God. God, God, God. Just God!" he's 4 - it was funny. anyhow, i would send them to a christian person's childcare in a heartbeat, but if it was advertised as "christian childcare" i would think they might be fanatical about it, u know?

[QualiTcare]

I responded to Legomom a few minutes ago. I had not read to the end of the thread or read the mods asking for the thread to be dropped. I thought a moment about editing out my response to Legomom out of respect for the mods' wishes but have decided to let my response stay as is. I don't believe I have been inflammatory, I have not been disrespectful. I do feel that I deserve a chance to respond even if it's hours later and after the thread got a bit heated. I have had a busy day and just now have had a chance to return to thie thread. It is not my intention to create further issues or stir up any trouble. I just wanted a chance to respond to a post directed to me.

it's cool, lianne. obviously the thread hasn't been dropped, but it seems peaceful....for now

[legomom922]

Mommy muffin,

It's not that I discriminate, however I want to have the liberty and the freedom to pray with the children before meal times, read them christian storybooks, do christian crafts (those that you would find at sunday school, which I also used to do). I want to be able to talk freely and teach about Jesus.

I also have learned from previous expieriences, that having a non christian child in a christian centered DC, does not work. I tried it once. They did not want me to teach the child to say grace at meal time, etc. Their reason for choosing me to begin with was that they wanted good morals and values taught to their child, and thought a christ centered DC would do just that. However they wanted the good morals & values taught without Christ being involved. It didn't work...So it taught me a lesson.

I advertise as being a Christian DC to attract the famlies that are looking for that type of environment. I now interview more in depth of what I do and what I expect and ask what do they expect from me. If they don't want Christ brought into their childs upbringing, now I tell them they would not be a good fit into my DC, same as anyone esle would would do if they felt the family was not fit for any other reason. In the past, my DC celebrates Jesus Birthday, and we even make a cake. Santa is never brought into my home, and the parents whom I have, have chosen me for a reason, and it works for me. Same with halloween. My DC parents know halloween is celebrated here. Instead we have a Fall Harvest Party. Thanksgiving is not about eating turkey in my house either. Instead kids are taught that Thanksgiving is a time we thank the Lord for all of his blessings upon us. Anyway, you get the idea.

If you choose to advertise your DC as a Christian Christ centered center, you will be blessed with the kids that God does choose to come to you. A parent whom does not believe in God, is not going to use your daycare anymore than they would take their child to a sunday school class, unless they are thinking of switching.

Good luck in whatever path you take.

[Unregistered]

Mommy muffin,

A parent whom does not believe in God, is not going to use your daycare anymore than they would take their child to a sunday school class, unless they are thinking of switching.

Good luck in whatever path you take.

My sister is a gay atheist and her kids go to private Catholic school...because it's a good school.

And yes, the nun's all know that they are gay and that the kids have differing views...one is an atheist and the other is agnostic. I guess hat's off to the nun's for being open minded!!!

[Michael]

My sister is a gay atheist and her kids go to private Catholic school...because it's a good school.

And yes, the nun's all know that they are gay and that the kids have differing views...one is an atheist and the other is agnostic. I guess hat's off to the nun's for being open minded!!!

Hats off to your sister too for putting her kids in a school that can also promote an opposing view.

[legomom922]

That really makes no sense to me, as why an athiest would want kids taught about something they don't believe in themselves, unless they dont want them to be like them??:confused::confused:

I know I would NEVER send my christian child to an athiest school....I don't care how good the program is, the principals have to be are different.

[QualiTcare]

That really makes no sense to me, as why an athiest would want kids taught about something they don't believe in themselves, unless they dont want them to be like them??:confused::confused:

I know I would NEVER send my christian child to an athiest school....I don't care how good the program is, the principals have to be are different.

legomom, some people want their children to be able to think and decide for themselves. i consider myself to be agnostic. you can call it atheist, whatever. it's basically, i don't believe, but i can't prove that there's no God nor do i care.

as i mentioned before, i still let my children go to church. my son stopped going because he doesn't want to go. he made the CHOICE to stop going at 4years old. his sister goes every sunday and loves it. every now and then he'll go with her. i don't see what's confusing about letting your kids choose what to (or not to) believe. i know that living in the bible belt, everyone's first question is, "where do you go to church?" and then "what's your name?" kids couldn't BELIEVE i didn't go to church when i was growing up. i wanted my kids to have that option. if they believe, fine...if they don't, fine...but i have no desire to impose my lack of belief on them so why wouldn't i (or anyone) let their children be exposed to something just because they don't believe it? they're going to have good morals and values regardless and that's all that really matters.

[Unregistered]

That really makes no sense to me, as why an athiest would want kids taught about something they don't believe in themselves, unless they dont want them to be like them??:confused::confused:

Hmmm...well, if you are truly interested I am happy to share a little about my sister and her family. I am quite proud of her and her family, so please forgive me if I brag a little.

First of all, she and her partner have been together for 20+ years. Thet are both lawyers and have built a successful lawfirm. I don't know anyone as willing as my sister is to drop what she is doing to help someone else. A few years ago she won the William E. Morris Pro Bono Service Award. They are very actively involved in working with the Navajo Rerservation and Legal Aid. Her children have been raised on a premise of volunteer service and gratitude. They are gracious, intelligent, and charasmatic children...well, teenagers now.

The point is this, they are some of the BEST people that I know. They don't do the right thing because they read it in book, or for heavenly rewards. They do what they do because it is the RIGHT thing.

So, whats up with the Catholic School? Do they not want their children to turn out like them? Successful, happy people with good hearts, wonderful friends, and a loving family. Uhh...no. They send their kids there because they are totally OK with the belief systems of others. She may not agree with you, but she'd be the first to fight for your chance to speak your truth.

They have told their children what they believe and offered their children the opportunity to make their own decisions in life, and provided them the education to make those decisions. Without a doubt they will find love and support regardless of what the ultimately decide to believe.

I wonder if you have provided your children those same opportunites?

By the by they attended a Quaker School when they were younger as well.