mamagotcha (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mamagotcha) wrote2008-12-13 12:42 pm
mamagotcha) wrote2008-12-13 12:42 pm
In which Katje learns about the Santa spirit
So in our family, we've always tried to stress the "giving" part of Christmas. I've never done a lot of the letters-to-Santa thing, and while I think my mom took Cord and Julia to see a mall Santa when they were dinky, I let it slide as they got older. It's worked pretty well, I think... they all give each other gifts, and while they know most of their "Santa" gifts come from Mom, they embrace the Santa Spirit themselves. Clay especially has been my assistant stocking elf in past years. Julia and Cord have acted as elves, too. None of them seem comfortable when asked "What do you want for Christmas?", because we've never treated the holiday as an ordering session.
With Lincoln, we've started the discussion of Santa as a spirit that anyone can take on. When we give the homeless guy a cup of coffee, we're being Santas. When someone dresses up and rings bells for money, they're being Santas, too. Linc thought it was nice of people to want to be Santas, and wanted to give one of his drawings to a Santa. So he drew this (his standard drawing these days, a "roller coaster"), and together we wrote "To Santa From Lincoln" on it.
Off we headed to Union Station, which is full of Christmas decorations and connected to Crown Center, where a mall Santa is enthroned.
First he wanted to ride the old Jones Store train (photo by Clay):
We watched the holiday model train set-up, visited the Science Center gift store, and let him get some of his energy out in the huge indoor space. Then we walked over to the mall, and made a beeline for the Santa room.
Santa apparently didn't have any kids waiting in line for photo sessions, so he'd wandered into the adjoining play area, full of those plasticky soft climbing toys you see in malls everywhere these days. He was being playful with the hordes of children scampering over the whole place, racing them down a little slide and acting petulant and demanding a rematch when they won -- not really one of your dignified Santas. Linc ran over with his drawing and waited for him to take a break from his game, then proffered the scrolled paper, a little shyly but with a "Here's a present for you, Santa."
Santa assumed it was a list of things Linc wanted for presents, and made some comment about how big it was, and said, while unrolling it, as if he was reading it: "Dear Santa, I can explain everything..."
Linc said something else like "I made it for you," but Santa got distracted by another kid tumbling down the slide, kind of crunched the paper up in his hand, and started racing again. Linc was unfazed and ran off to play elsewhere... his mission had been accomplished. But I wanted to smack Santa upside the head!
I know. Not very charitable or jolly of me, is it? But it really felt like he totally destroyed, without any thought, a really nice opportunity to appreciate and encourage a child in the ways of giving and receiving. I think I had some stupid fantasy of Santa being really touched that a kid, instead of demanding something FROM him, actually took the time to make and bring a gift, albeit small, TO him.
I guess it's just another way in which I'm out of step with our culture and expectations of children. All those kids were taught that they were supposed to ask Santa for things, and it's not strange that he thought Linc was just another member of the legion of wild, greedy little brats swarming around him.
Well, it finally occurred to me that it doesn't matter to Linc, and that's what matters most, isn't it? He did a nice thing for somebody, expecting nothing in return, just for the joy of giving it.
Looks like he's figured out the whole Santa thing all by himself.
With Lincoln, we've started the discussion of Santa as a spirit that anyone can take on. When we give the homeless guy a cup of coffee, we're being Santas. When someone dresses up and rings bells for money, they're being Santas, too. Linc thought it was nice of people to want to be Santas, and wanted to give one of his drawings to a Santa. So he drew this (his standard drawing these days, a "roller coaster"), and together we wrote "To Santa From Lincoln" on it.
Off we headed to Union Station, which is full of Christmas decorations and connected to Crown Center, where a mall Santa is enthroned.
First he wanted to ride the old Jones Store train (photo by Clay):
We watched the holiday model train set-up, visited the Science Center gift store, and let him get some of his energy out in the huge indoor space. Then we walked over to the mall, and made a beeline for the Santa room.
Santa apparently didn't have any kids waiting in line for photo sessions, so he'd wandered into the adjoining play area, full of those plasticky soft climbing toys you see in malls everywhere these days. He was being playful with the hordes of children scampering over the whole place, racing them down a little slide and acting petulant and demanding a rematch when they won -- not really one of your dignified Santas. Linc ran over with his drawing and waited for him to take a break from his game, then proffered the scrolled paper, a little shyly but with a "Here's a present for you, Santa."
Santa assumed it was a list of things Linc wanted for presents, and made some comment about how big it was, and said, while unrolling it, as if he was reading it: "Dear Santa, I can explain everything..."
Linc said something else like "I made it for you," but Santa got distracted by another kid tumbling down the slide, kind of crunched the paper up in his hand, and started racing again. Linc was unfazed and ran off to play elsewhere... his mission had been accomplished. But I wanted to smack Santa upside the head!
I know. Not very charitable or jolly of me, is it? But it really felt like he totally destroyed, without any thought, a really nice opportunity to appreciate and encourage a child in the ways of giving and receiving. I think I had some stupid fantasy of Santa being really touched that a kid, instead of demanding something FROM him, actually took the time to make and bring a gift, albeit small, TO him.
I guess it's just another way in which I'm out of step with our culture and expectations of children. All those kids were taught that they were supposed to ask Santa for things, and it's not strange that he thought Linc was just another member of the legion of wild, greedy little brats swarming around him.
Well, it finally occurred to me that it doesn't matter to Linc, and that's what matters most, isn't it? He did a nice thing for somebody, expecting nothing in return, just for the joy of giving it.
Looks like he's figured out the whole Santa thing all by himself.
no subject
The other kids aren't wild, greedy little brats, though. They were taught how the world is just like Linker was, and they're behaving accordingly. Don't blame them for that.