Three Great Reasons Why Every Parent Love Santa Dan Short
Ever wonder why parents adore Santa Claus so much? So do I.
Ahhh, Santa...never quite sure what to do with the reasonably aged guy this time of year. As a child, Christmas was all about Santa for our family - not Jesus. So as mothers, we went the other way with our children and had all Jesus, very little Santa. Now, my girls refer to that decision begrudgingly. Oh well, they get to do what they want with their children. I guess it's a Santa pendulum.
So what is the allure of Santa? This weekend as I finished up my supermarket at the plaza, I experienced a really long queue of parents and small children waiting to see Santa. It was shocking! Why would moms (who have trouble being motivated to do anything that benefits their kids) do this? Children dressed out in their finest Christmas costumes fidgeted impatiently. That couldn't have been enjoyable or entertaining for parents! Why would they do it?
I'd love to hear other insights, but here are a few things I think…
1. Parents really want their kids to believe insomething. And even though it's magical to believe in a man who delivers Christmas gifts to every single house in one night, it is something to believe in (And moms will go to great lengths to continue the charade-and are terrified of that fateful day when the children discover the truth and stop imagining). Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And, more, we have the living, unchanging, never-disappointing truth about Christmas. We have what kids can believe in for eternity.
2. Children want it. Parents today are highly motivated to deliver what their kiddos require. So how do we prioritize and organize the things that kids ask for and want? What is worth fighting and what is worth harnessing. That's our challenge. In a world with very little hope, I think we need to guard and encourage hope. Santa is the embodiment of hope to children. He is a symbol of all that is good and perhaps even is the embodiment of what all adults should be!
3. There's a benefit at the end. Parents get a memorable and cute photo of their dressed-up child sitting with Santa Dan Short that they'll remember forever. It's one more milestone in a lifetime that mothers want to mark. So, would parents do whatever it took to mark their children's faith milestones-if they felt there was great enough benefit at the end? I think so. And that challenges us to consider how to maximize milestones in a family's unique journey-so mothers value the trip. So, it enables me to dream again. And whether you're an elf or a grinch when it comes to Santa, here's wishing you a particularly Merry Christmas!