[errolurberozy]

There's nothing wrong with Santa, Easter Bunny, etc. Kids have an active imagination and these kinds of white lies lead to magical memories for most children.

If a child's world is shattered when they find out Santa isn't real, then they have other problems.

[XU8i6ysK]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
I agree with Elok. Santa is a great tradition, but we shouldn't pass him off as real.

Lying to kids. People who hate childhood.

[Precturge]

If you loved children you'd let them be children. You'd have them work, vote, smoke, and sex eachother up at 5 years old.

[gusunsuth]

Lying to them about things like Santa is what makes them jaded and cynical in the first place.

[Caursedus]

If you make a list of all the dangers to people in general and children in particular, and arranged them in order of importance, and included Santa Claus and the Easter Rabbit, I'd say those two would be at the bottom.
Go solve one thing entirely, then move down the list. By the time, many years later, you get to Santa Claus, I think you'll have decided that the importance of doing away with Santa is mice nuts compared to all the other things.

[Janny2006]

Originally posted by Elok
I'm not saying it's a huge problem or anything, just that it's screwy and pointless. It's not pointless.

As I said, some of my best childhood memories involved the "magic" of Christmas time, Easter, etc. And I'm not religious either.

Santa, Easter bunny, etc all played a role in that. I'd hate for children to be robbed of that because people like you have no concept of emotion or wonder, and people like Ozzy want children to be sentenced as adults at age 5.

[alex_loudermilk]

when I was about 13 the younger neighbor kids (brother and younger sister ~9 and 6) asked me if Santa was real. I said no, and about 20 minutes later their Mom showed up at our door to chew me out. The boy was old enough to find out, he was already questioning if Santa existed, but the girl looked disappointed. I didn't wanna lie I should have... I think...

[gusunsuth]

that was my reaction when I found out Santa didn't exist, but I'm a junkie hitman with a law degree

[golfmenorca]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Lying to them about things like Santa is what makes them jaded and cynical in the first place. What bollocks.

Let kids be kids.

Don't make them grow up too fast, let them enjoy the wonder of childhood.

Children are NOT adults.

[XarokLasa]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Lying to them about things like Santa is what makes them jaded and cynical in the first place. What bollox. Total, utter, fùcked-up, bollox.

wd Ozzy. You just curled out the most spectacular pile of drivel yet seen on the internet.

[echocassidyde]

Santa Claus is fake?!

[gluckmeea]

As a kid, I always thought that it was adults that believed in Santa Claus and I shouldn't ruin their cherished illusions by not playing along.

Santa is more like the personification or guardian spirit of christmas.

I don't think that anyone but the most gullible kids think that there are really elves pounding out Wii's in some arctic workshop.

Are we really so grown up as a species that we've lost the need for all our little spirits and household gods?

I guess I'm just a pagan at heart.

[cigsstorenick]

Someone just pissed in Ozzy's Post Toasties and he's had a hard-on about it ever since.

[cristmiff]

'twas the night before Christmas, too...Ben.

[Khcyhshq]

Now you do with Ozzy.

[eduptultyt]

Originally posted by Elok
I'm not saying it's a huge problem or anything, just that it's screwy and pointless. Agreed. I don't think it's a problem one way or the other. It is a bit disconcerting that kids who don't believe in Santa are culturally browbeaten into keeping up the pretense for others, as Berz showed. My nephew got into the same sort of trouble with his school recently, and it was due to a slip of the tongue, not being an intentional spoil-sport.

I don't think a kid growing up without the specific fantasies of Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc. is going to have measurably different level of childhood happiness than those who do.

[first_pr]

Originally posted by Elok
Do they have this stuff in other cultures too? Like, do Chinese kids believe in the Summer Dragon King who hides candy around the house on Mao's birthday (I don't know what holidays they celebrate over there)? Not exactly the same, but since it's also about telling kids about (here bad) guys who don't exist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogeyma...other_cultures