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Opinion

Should children know about Santa?

Jade Bontron and Scarlett Carlson

December 20, 2023

Creative Commons

Children should know about Santa

Written by Jade Bontron

Every Christmas the main excitement children get is knowing that Santa Claus’ elves are making toys in the workshop to bring them on Christmas morning, but every parent has a choice between telling their child that Santa Claus is real or telling their children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. Santa Claus is one of the most magical parts of Christmas and every child knows he lives in the North Pole, has a workshop, and has elves that he sends to watch children every December.
During their childhood, children should have the experience of knowing that Santa Claus is real and when the time is right parents can tell their children the truth or not.
People think that buying an Elf on the Shelf is a waste of money and a waste of time. Children in fact find joy knowing that when December starts their Elf on the Shelf will start moving around the house at night to a creative location. Elf on the Shelfs are an important part of Santa and children know that elves watch them during the day and then report everything to Santa at night. ¨Kids often love discovering their elf caught in the act of holiday hijinks, such as hiding in the snack drawer.¨ (Duncan, 3)
Parents feel like they’re lying and being dishonest with their children, but in reality Santa Claus brings excitement to children knowing that in the month of December they get to make a Christmas list and meet Santa in person. Seeing younger children eager to make a Christmas list and talk to Santa is one of the most special moments parents get to experience with their children when they are younger.
When parents tell their children Santa won’t bring any presents, parents feel that they are crushing their kids feelings in a way they couldn’t fix. In December, children are aware of their behaviors and actions knowing that it affects how many gifts Santa delivers to them on Christmas. ¨During the weeks leading up to Christmas, you might find you’re able to keep your kids in line by saying, “You’d better be good because Santa’s watching. The threat of not getting any presents—or of getting a lump of coal in the stocking—may temporarily set your child straight.¨ (Morin, 1)
In conclusion, children should be able to have Santa Claus involved as a part of their childhood. Children should get to experience having an Elf on the Shelf, getting to make a Christmas list every year and going to talk to Santa in person, and knowing that Santa is the one who brought their presents on Christmas day.

Work Cited

Duncan, Apryl. “Pros and Cons of the Elf on the Shelf Christmas Tradition.” Verywell Family, 12 Dec. 2020, www.verywellfamily.com/review-elf-on-the-shelf-tradition-3129361. Accessed 16 Nov. 2023.
Morin, Amy. “Should You Tell Kids to Be Good Because Santa Watching? .” Is It OK to Tell Your Kids to Behave Because Santa Is Watching?, 28 Nov. 2022, www.verywellfamily.com/behave-santa-is-watching-1094770.

Christmas is better spent without Santa

Written by Scarlett Carlson

Christmas, a holiday we should spend with loved ones, not one we should spend with Santa Claus. Everyone knows Santa. Long white beard, a red hat, brings good children gifts on Christmas morning. Every parent can either tell their kids that Santa exists, or that he doesn’t. Santa is distracting kids from knowing the true meaning of Christmas.

Parents should begin raising their kids knowing that Santa isn’t real.

Christmas is a time spent with your family members and loved ones. It’s about giving rather than receiving. Christmas is commercialized. When people think of Christmas, most minds drift to receiving presents from Santa rather than family, friends, and Christ. From Merriam Webster Dictionary, “A Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Christ.” Christmas is a religious holiday. To Christians, Christmas is the birthday of Christ. It is disrespectful when people don’t acknowledge and respect the real meaning of the holiday. An article from The Main Four said, “This famous and loved holiday surrounds a fat, old man that yells “ho ho ho” and treats children to toys on Christmas morning. The whole idea of Christmas has nothing to do with its true meaning. Many children probably don’t even know that we celebrate it because it’s Jesus’s birthday.”

When kids are taught about Santa, they’re taught about his ability to fly around the world in one night and give presents to every well-behaved child. One might argue that it doesn’t take away from the meaning of Christmas and that it only adds to the holiday to make it more fun and memorable for children, but this adds to the claim that teaching kids about Santa is teaching children that Christmas is about Santa. It’s commercializing Christmas when the holiday should be focused on the religious aspects. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, not Santa. Some may argue that Santa is a great excuse to keep their children in check, simply by telling them that Santa’s watching, they’ll stop acting up. This is only going to cause
stress in children. Everyone has a bad day, even adults. If anything, threatening a child in that way will only teach them that they shouldn’t express their feelings because ‘Santa’s watching’. By telling kids that you’ll tell Santa on them or that Santa’s watching, it’s only scaring them. When Christmas brings families closer together there’s no point in scaring children. Treat the situation how a parent would treat the situation during any normal day of the year, however, that may be
to you, but telling a child that Santa will put them on his naughty list is going to show the same gut-wrenching effect as telling a child that their parent found out they got a bad grade. Parents tell their children that they have to behave if they want gifts, in return, kids will do as told. This not only causes stress but it’s also unethical. Some people will disagree and say that it’s a way to get kids to behave. Yes, behaving is still good, but not when it’s forced upon.

When a parent tells a child that they must behave to get presents, they aren’t giving them a choice. Children will simply behave to receive a gift. In some ways, it’s like bribery. Children aren’t choosing to behave because they genuinely want to behave, they’re behaving to be rewarded. People want their children to behave, but when children are doing it only for their benefit it’s unethical. Santa takes away from spending time with loved ones, religion, causes stress, and is overall unethical. Parents should stop teaching kids about Santa.

About the Contributor

Jade Bontron, The Charge Staff Writer

Jade Bontron is a sophomore at Emerson High School and she serves as a Staff Writer for The Charge. Jade’s experience in the past with The Charge is being in journalism and writing articles on events, teachers, etc. during the 23-24 school year. She is interested in being on The Charge team because she loves getting to write for all the events that happen during the school year and getting the chance to interview people she doesn’t normally talk to and learning new stuff that happens. Outside of The Charge Jade is a Majestic and she has a passion for dance and loves to bake.