Why Children Need to Believe in Santa Claus
It is the vocation of realists to destroy magic wherever it can be found. The realists emerge, machete in hand, the blood of the unicorn streaked over their faces, claiming that this was all “for the greater good;” they drowned the mermaids, swatted the fairies and bagged up Old Saint Nick in the suffocating plastic bag called “logic,” until he was nothing more than a seasonal stuffed animal for the children. They claim they wish for children to be more grounded in the real world, so they banish the magical things.
“What is the use of magic, anyway, in the preparation of a child for the real world?”
Christmas is about the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Many modern Christians are beginning to argue that Santa Claus has no part in it. They believe that telling their children a lie that an old magical man in a red suit delivers toys to little boys and girls around the world, flying through the night on a sleigh pulled by magical reindeer...does a disservice to their faith when they finally learn that Santa Claus “is not real”.
In this essay I explain why imagination is necessary to a child’s faith and how fairy tales are necessary to a his ability to deal with the darkness of “reality”.
The History of Santa Claus