[Bryan]

U.S. Postal Service ends popular Santa letter program in Alaska | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

too bad.

[Fandrew]

That's really a sad reason for ending the Program.

[Art]

Originally Posted by JayCarrFan

That's really a sad reason for ending the Program.

Seriously. I like that program a lot. Shame.

[Skeeter]

That's brutal.

[bravesfan007]

Bah-humbug!

Seriously though, it's a pity that they've chosen to stop it.

[Jeffrey]

It's brutal. But Santa isn't real.

I'm not sure why other Christians think it's appropriate to raise their kids with Santa. You train your kid to believe in an unseen old man who leaves rewards for them in return for good deeds (and increasingly, leaves rewards regardless of the child's actions) around the time of the birth of Christ...it's like training wheels for them to one day say "Wait! God is dead!"

[slap_j]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey

I'm not sure why other Christians think it's appropriate to raise their kids with Santa.

It's fun for the parents but it is a bit odd when you think about it. Although being a fan of the popular version of Christmas (what can I say? I love the music and trees) I enjoy the character and think he can be incorporated into the kids' epistemology as folklore.

[beanbag]

I think that's awful.

as for Christians and Santa...my parents got around the Santa thing and the feeling-like-they'd-be-lying thing by having "Papa Noel" ("Father Christmas"), whose role was filled by my dad. they never mentioned Santa, but Papa Noel was the same type of figure. and..I do remember writing letters to Santa as a child, mostly because my friends did. my parents never told me not to, and they never berated me. they just took the letters and said they'd mail them for me. it was never made into a big deal, and I grew out of it naturally.

I don't think that the Santa tradition necessarily sets kids up for the God-is-dead thing. I mean, when I was a child I believed in monsters and fairies, and thought that there was a secret trapdoor in my closet that would lead to magical lands, mainly because The Chronicles of Narnia were the first chapter books I ever read. as an adult, I know those things don't really exist. (that doesn't mean I sleep with the closet doors open, though.) would I stop my children from reading fantasy books? no. I think kids need some element of magic and wonder. they're going to grow so jaded and disillusioned as they get older anyways, so why not allow for some make-believe? I honestly think that the amount of time I spent in my imagination as a child has helped me deal with a lot of the stress and anxiety of life in a much more balanced way as an adult.

I do think that the overcommercialization of Christmas is a problem, but I think Christian parents can get around that by focusing on Jesus at home. my mom always bakes a birthday cake (with candles!) for Jesus that we have on Christmas Eve--we still do it, even though my youngest brother is almost 16. so...we had Papa Noel, "Santa" wasn't banned from our home but instead wasn't really given much importance by my parents, and Christmas as the celebration of Jesus' birthday was emphasized most of all. and I think it's lame that they've halted the North Pole program.

[Jeffrey]

Originally Posted by slap_j

It's fun for the parents but it is a bit odd when you think about it. Although being a fan of the popular version of Christmas (what can I say? I love the music and trees) I enjoy the character and think he can be incorporated into the kids' epistemology as folklore.

If the kids are told from Day One that he's not real. I would tell my kids not to trumpet this to other kids, but still...it smacks too much of pragmatism.

Originally Posted by beanbag

as for Christians and Santa...my parents got around the Santa thing and the feeling-like-they'd-be-lying thing by having "Papa Noel" ("Father Christmas"), whose role was filled by my dad. they never mentioned Santa, but Papa Noel was the same type of figure. and..I do remember writing letters to Santa as a child, mostly because my friends did. my parents never told me not to, and they never berated me. they just took the letters and said they'd mail them for me. it was never made into a big deal, and I grew out of it naturally.

I don't think that the Santa tradition necessarily sets kids up for the God-is-dead thing. I mean, when I was a child I believed in monsters and fairies, and thought that there was a secret trapdoor in my closet that would lead to magical lands, mainly because The Chronicles of Narnia were the first chapter books I ever read.

But did your parents tell you that monsters and fairies were real?

I guess I'm worried about the risk, as I have many friends who realized that if their parents adhered to the Santa myth because it was culturally acceptable and comforting, they might do so in regards to their religion. It's a stumbling block for me in my conversations with them.

as an adult, I know those things don't really exist. (that doesn't mean I sleep with the closet doors open, though.) would I stop my children from reading fantasy books? no. I think kids need some element of magic and wonder. they're going to grow so jaded and disillusioned as they get older anyways, so why not allow for some make-believe? I honestly think that the amount of time I spent in my imagination as a child has helped me deal with a lot of the stress and anxiety of life in a much more balanced way as an adult.

You're talking to a guy who knows more about Greek mythology, Scooby Doo, and Narnia than he does his extended family. I read voraciously since childhood. I also think the scientifically real is wondrous and the revealed truth of God makes my jaw drop. I find myself comforted after a stressful day by reading Hittite mythology or by relearning calculus. The wonder of the real is as comforting as the wonder of the unreal.

Sometimes I worry that children pursue fantasy worlds because of dissatisfaction with reality and thus they don't learn to appreciate the magnificent world God has given us.

The fact that in the the equation "3x = 9" x must be equal to 3 is as mind-blowing for me as the possibility that elves exist (and I'm not saying they don't; I've had some odd experiences).

I just don't think encouraging kids to be imaginative has to involve telling them there's a person who rewards their good deeds, can magically enter buildings, etc. who isn't Jesus Christ.

Perhaps the reason kids become disillusioned is that they're encouraged to revel in fantasies that are soon disproved, instead of finding wonder in the real world.

So often this discussion is had and Scripture (myself guilty here) is so far away. "It seems harmless" isn't the same as "It's okay for Christians to do."

I don't know. I know many folks who wept when they found out Santa wasn't real.

This is all moot, however, as I don't celebrate Christmas (for religious reasons). It just seems worrisome to me.

I'm not accusing anyone of anything here, just saying that it seems like something that we defend because of cultural comfort instead of convictions.

[beanbag]

I guess my experience with my parents was different from the average person. in our house, Papa Noel was welcomed as a "guest" by my parents (after we were asleep, of course) and I remember one year my parents said they forgot to let him in, so there were gifts out on the back patio.

also...religion and faith have never been cultural in my family. it's true that religion is mostly a cultural thing in my culture at large, but in our house, Jesus has always been the center of everything.

oh, one more thing. in my family, Papa Noel didn't reward good behavior. my parents instead emphasized God's gift to us in Jesus, and said that presents were just a tangible reminder of that. and...because the focus wasn't on presents and good behavior, the real gift at Christmas now for my family is spending time together. honestly, the only reason we even exchange gifts anymore is because of my grandmother. my parents just give us something small and some money and it's fine because we were raised with the awareness that we're celebrating Jesus and giving of ourselves and our time to each other. the transition from Papa Noel to what we have now was totally painless and natural.

like I said, I guess my experience was different than most people.

to go back to the article:

I don't see why one individual being a sex offender means the entire program should be shut down. maybe instead they should start requiring volunteers to go through background checks.

[doulos14]

Wasn't Santa claus a derivative of St. Nicholas who sought to help poor children with gifts? This is not a bad idea, but to motivate kids with being good for materialistic gains is not necessarily beneficial either.

From my experiences I grew up in a Christian home, where Santa wasn't stressed, but more the birth of Christ. My parents were careful to make the distinction with the good traditions and pagan ones (such as decorating a tree), but we still took part in most.

Lastly, in regards to the letter writing system, unfortunately there are problems with every system, because even though they found this one sex offender, there are probably people with problems that just haven't been registered yet. Back round checks can check for registered sex offenders, but once again only interviews if anything at all would screen. Unfortunately this is difficult because of the sheer volume of letters and the amount of workers needed.

That being said, I don't think the program should be discontinued, certainly not this close to Christmas, but after this season, I think an overhaul is in order sooner than later

[Ryan Freeland]

I've been to North Pole, Alaska, and have seen many of the letters that get delivered there. It was truly amazing to see the letters from children all across the globe. Volunteers would send letters back to the kids, and if I was one of those kids who got a letter back, it would have brought me so much joy. It's a shame this is ending.