It's almost Christmas Eve, and you can feel the excitement building for the many families and children who enjoy one of the biggest holidays of the year. Christmas Eve is recognized around the world and celebrated both for its religious meaning commemorating the birth of Christ and for its fun secular traditions like Santa Claus and exchanging gifts.
For children and adults alike, Christmas Eve may be one of the most difficult evenings of the year to get a good night's rest. You can sense the anticipation as youngsters await the fun of a visit from Santa Claus and look forward to waking up to gifts and special treats in the morning. For many of the adults, the night will be the culmination of weeks, even months, of preparation and will be filled with effort to put everything together for the next day.
Christmas Eve is a holiday of its own in many parts of the world and is filled with celebration, symbolism and spiritual meaning. As part of the Christmas vigil celebrating the birth of Jesus, the evening is revered by both Christians and celebrated by secularists alike. For many European cultures, Christmas Eve is actually the time of celebration with Kris Cringle or St. Nicholas coming to visit and families staying up most of the night in revelry.
When adults are asked what they remember most about Christmas as a child, many of them fondly recall the excitement and mystery surrounding a visit from Santa Claus. How many of us tried to stay up late on Christmas Eve when we were children in order to try and catch him, or to try and actually see him with his flying reindeer? Some children even feign sleep while listening intently for sleigh bells in the early morning hours, only to find that Santa somehow slipped in and left the gifts sometime during the night without them noticing.
Despite the joy that it brings to thousands of children, there is some debate about the Santa Claus myth and whether it is "lying" to children and thus harmful to them. This perspective, perhaps conceived to garner attention through opposition, believes that promoting Santa teaches children that their parents are liars and undermines trust in them and thus in all people. One psychologist claims that their child cried and stated, "Mommy, I will never trust you again" upon hearing that there was no Santa.
Family gatherings, celebrations, extravagant meals, and lavish desserts—the holiday season is full of indulgences that can be damaging to your heart health. Here are four tips for maintaining a healthy heart while still enjoying all the holiday season has to offer:
Enjoy without overindulging
The...
Family gatherings, celebrations, extravagant meals, and lavish desserts—the holiday season is full of indulgences that can be damaging to your heart health. Here are four tips for maintaining a healthy heart while still enjoying all the holiday season has to offer:
Enjoy without overindulging
The...
(Dr. William C. Maxted Jr.)
While this is plausible, it sounds a bit contrived for the sake of the debate and reports are that the mother declined to take a polygraph on the issue!
Santa critics also point out that, in addition to trust issues, there is an experience of loss when they find out that Santa doesn't fly through the air and deliver presents on Christmas Eve. Known as "Santa trauma," the belief proposes that when children find out there is no Santa they are additionally traumatized by the loss of Santa himself and experience a grief reaction. For them, it is almost like hearing that Santa died in a sleigh crash and they are forced into incorporating this sudden and devastating loss into their emotional lives.
Tis the season to be crazed. Adding all of the holiday activities to the demands of your already busy life can cause you to feel like you're caught in a tidal wave of obligations. Rather than happy holidays, this time of the year may become more like the hassled holidays.
Signs the holidays are...
Tis the season to be crazed. Adding all of the holiday activities to the demands of your already busy life can cause you to feel like you're caught in a tidal wave of obligations. Rather than happy holidays, this time of the year may become more like the hassled holidays.
Signs the holidays are...
(Tom Muha)
Ironically, critics of the Santa myth base their opinions on their "beliefs" about the situation as there is no empirical data or scientific evidence that anyone has ever been harmed by believing in Santa. Conversely, most people find the myth magical as a child and charming as an adult. Clearly, most children experience Santa positively as it lends an added sense of anticipation, excitement and magic to the holiday. Most children become aware of the implausibility of Santa gradually over time, and many even go along with the "game" for a while even after they know better.
This use of imagination and involvement in pretending is a healthy part of childhood. Healthy children thrive on fantasy, magic and creative play and restraining that with "adult logic" would be counter-productive to their growth and health. We often read to children, tell them stories and encourage other forms of creative thought for their entertainment and education — and Santa is no different. The Santa myth, not unlike other good childhood stories, teaches about wonder and generosity.
The allegation by critics of "lying" about Santa appears to be a "straw-man" for the sake of argument, as it is inconceivable that adults actually lie to their children about Santa. The myth may be proposed or integrated into the holiday celebration early in childhood but once critical thinking is developed enough for children to inquire or ask about whether he is "real" or not, adults universally help the child understand the origins and purpose of the myth rather than "lie" about it and insist that it is tangibly "real." In some respects, learning and understanding what Santa is about is a rite of passage and can be viewed positively as a part of growing up.
One way of understanding and explaining Santa is to let children know that Santa embodies the "spirit of Christmas" and that he represents the kindness, generosity, love and joy that we show each other at this time of year. Santa is like a feeling and when we are filled with it we become like Santa ourselves. In that way, Santa — like our own feelings of love, kindness and generosity — is very real and lives on in our heart.
Despite the critics, the verdict is in: Santa is a healthy, fun, magical and joyful part of the holiday experience for children and adults alike. So, enjoy your holiday and don't hesitate to become like Santa yourself. You and all of your family will benefit from the positive experience! Milk and cookies anyone?
Dr. Scott E. Smith is a licensed psychologist with Spectrum Behavioral Health in Arnold, Annapolis and Crofton. To contact him, call 410-757-2077 or write to 1509 Suite F, Ritchie Highway, Arnold MD 21012.