Holiday fears - who is the loud guy in the red suit?
Joelle - a Practical Parent Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 8:30AM As a Jewish parent in the US, I'm very conscious that my children will be exposed to Christmas and Santa Claus. In fact, like most Jewish parents, I worry that they'll feel envious of the Christmas experience or feel a real desire to blend in and do what everyone else, it seems does and celebrate the holiday. Because they attend Jewish Day School, my elder children are surrounded by children who embrace Hanukkah and there's no feeling of missing out. But my daughter attends a secular pre-school and today, she met Santa Claus.
It was the holiday party for the school and the torrential rains kept us in the classrooms. The 2 1/2 year olds lined up to sing Jingle Bells and Twinkle, Twinkle Hanukkah lights. Adorable (and I'll post the videos tomorrow). And then, the big moment when Santa would come. A ho, ho, ho from the hallway and in walks a white-bearded, jovial red coated Santa. And the moment Ariel lays eyes on him, she screams, turns into her teacher's chest and cries. Leading her friend Sivana to wail as well.
The school director quickly handed off the two screaming Jewish girls to us - their parents. It took me about 10 minutes to calm Ariel down. She didn't even want her present from the guy. Now, Ariel is terrified of anything in a costume. It made Halloween a bit tough. But I am pretty confident that she's sure she doesn't have any interest in Santa Claus and Hanukkah is a pretty cool holiday. I am sure that parents who celebrate Christmas most prepare their children to meet Santa and talk Santa up, but for me, I'm fine with Ariel not having any interest in Santa Claus.
Reader Comments (2)
At 2 1/2, Santa could be scary for any kid. Maybe teachers should rethink whether or not Santa is age appropriate for kids that young. Also, Santa is a secular, not religious, icon of Christmas. The "Holy Family" - Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus (for the record, a Jewish family), is a lot less scary and is the reason Christmas should be celebrated in the first place.
Hey there - thanks for your comment. My only challenge to you is about Santa being secular. I can assure you, there is no Santa in Israel, India or Saudi Arabia. Santa is from St. Nicholas, who is, I think, a Catholic patron saint of children. While his meaning may no longer be religious for people, he is in no way secular to those of us who aren't Christian. Many Christians claim that Christmas Trees, Santa and decorating are all secular, festive activities. And they are...for Christians and for people who do not affiliate with any faith. Everyone does what they want in their homes (and offices) - but Veterans Day is secular, Santa is not.