It is a strangely targeted lie. It is meant to fool you, Owen. It is a lie that involves an old man, who really has no business lying to children. The man wants you to sit on his lap. If everything goes as planned, he will watch the you throughout the year and then sneak into your house in the dead of night. No one can stop this old man. Even parents cannot stop him, even though they know well in advance of his intentions and capabilities. In fact, parents often are seen enticing the man with food. Just when you have come to trust the man, your parents will explain to you that he is untrustworthy. They will explain to you that they have been lying to you about this man, and what he does, even though they themselves have been urging you to trust him.
What a great tradition, right? Not only is every adult lying to you, but they are all accentuating the exact opposite philosophy of the person the claim to be celebrating. “Judge not, and ye shall not be judge”, said Jesus Christ. Not this Santa Claus guy, he will judge you “naughty” or “nice” and then reward you accordingly. The total focus on gifts and worldly goods also adds to the haze. There is,also, the inconsistency of judgement that this man renders. I mean, how does one who sees all give a brand new bike to the kid that you saw steal candy earlier this year?
These lies you have been told surrounding this time create complications. Is it possible that they undermine trust in you and your parents relationship? Is it possible that they undermine your ability to trust in anything that the adults have to tell you? Yet everyone is on board, it would seem. I mean, how can everyone else be wrong about this? There are lots of times when the majority of people were wrong concerning a tradition or belief. You do not have to look very far into the past to see that.
When you ask me whether Santa Claus exists or not, my reply is, “That’s what I hear”. I know that I am not being quite as honest as I would like to. I don’t really have the guts to explain to you that it is all a lie, and not a very well thought out one. I fear that you being the only 6 year old that doesn’t believe will be more harmful than beneficial. I have acquiesced.
I am not worried, you will figure it out. Possibly, I have implemented just enough ambiguity to preserve your trust in me. I want you to have a wonderful Christmas, with all the joy, wonder and magic that is inherent in this fantastic time of year. We don’t need facades for this. We don’t need Santa Claus, The Pope, Odin or Krampus for this, do we? Last night I heard a famous Native American say, “..we Indians love to be scared (through stories).” It appears to me that all of our ancestors enjoyed a good, dark, sooty scare. Perhaps, it is time to return to the light.
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