Santa Doesn't Exist

I've recently had just about enough of the whole Santa Claus schtick and have completely decided when it comes time for my family to start our own Christmastime traditions, I will NOT be dumping the big pile of steaming Santa lies on my children.I have several reasons for wanting to ditch Santa and all the hard work that comes on my part of keeping up all the magical Santa charades.

1. Let's start with the fact that you are literally lying to your children that a fat, magical, ageless man--who lives at the literal North Pole with tiny, pointy-eared people and wears a red velvety costume every single day--flies around the entire world and visits every single house in one single night with magical reindeer and a flying sleigh. All those lies for what? A few presents? That, let's face it, will all end up in the trash anyway because most kids are experts at destroying things. Don't get me wrong here, I am 10000000% all about imagination, creativity, and wonder. But at the end of the day, you aren't sending your kids to bed congratulating them on being such bright and imaginative kiddos. You're sending them off to bed with a giant cuddly teddy bear made of dishonesty, thinking that a mystery man (technically) broke into your home and left presents.
2. Let's tackle my other huge problem with the whole Santa thing.Santa is mom and/or dad, which means that Santa's present-leaving ability is directly related to how much mom and/or dad can afford to spend on said presents. So it follows that Santa will leave much nicer quality (AKA expensive) presents for children that belong to wealthy families. That leaves those "had to scrape by this year, because we are living under the poverty line and could only afford to buy one present" parents with the task of watching the disappointment slowly creep across their kid's face as they slowly ponder whether or not they were "good enough" and why Santa didn't bring everything they had on their wish list. I tear up just trying to empathize with those families. How would I ever, ever, ever be able to look at my child in the eyes and tell them that they are a blessing in my life, and it's not about Santa's judgement of their "naughty or nice"-ness, but about our family's budget? How could i perpetuate a lie that Santa brings gifts each year to "good" boys and girls and then not be able to financially reward my child for their behavior?
3. Which brings me to my next point. It makes me sick to my stomach that parents use Santa not bringing them gifts as a threat. ALL. YEAR. LONG. It's March, but you're gonna sit there and tell your kid that if they don't behave, Santa will put them on his naughty list and not bring them any presents. So not only are you using this elaborate system of lies to threaten your kids, but you're expecting that system of lies to be an effective form of discipline. Someone explain to me how giving kids 15 gifts of their own choosing one night a year is supposed to be the reward for good behavior all year long. Also, explain to me how Santa gets to be the one handing out all those rewards and not me....the actual real life parent who reinforced the good behavior.

So in lieu of enlisting myself in the great Santa escapade, here are a few things that will be a part of my family's Christmastime adventures.

1. Instead of instilling that a the magic of Christmas comes from a myth, I will actively teach my kids that the magic of Christmas lives in our hearts. And that the spirit of Christmas is not about behaving all year so they can get more junk, rather that the joy and happiness of the season comes from spending time with the people we love and giving back to them and to those who are less fortunate. Instead of making Christmas about me, me, me and I want this, this, and that, I want our family to celebrate the joy of loving what and who we have and making sure that Christmas is a bright and cheerful time for all.
2. Instead of hanging threats of Santa's naughty list over my children's heads, I will actually teach them to be kind and make smart, healthy choices all year round. And not because they will be rewarded with fancy gifts, but because that is how you should treat yourself and everyone else--with kindness and love. And while gifts are a wonderful thing to be enjoyed, they should never be an incentive to be a decent human being. Also, that all of the wonderful things we have in life exist because we work hard to afford them. And just because mom and dad may not be able to afford to give them everything they want, they will always give them more than enough of the love they need. And that is the most important thing of all. That is what Christmas is all about.