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Christmas

Visit our Essential Baby Christmas section, filled with Christmas craft, decorating ideas and gift guides for maternity, babies and toddlers.
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Tell me about your Non Santa believing Christmas., I want to hear from 'we don't do Santa' families please

mandarins View Member Profile	17/12/2012, 01:06 PM Post #1
Posts: 504 Joined: 21-July 10
Regular Member
Lots of threads about what santa should bring their kids of what age they still believe and so on but I would love to hear from people who celebrate xmas without Santa or with Santa but your kids have always known its just a big fun made up story (sorry if I have broken the news to some of you - but its true! ). Also, I'd be keen to hear from anyone who dont celebrate christmas in a traditional sense too!

Saecularis Angel... Saecularis Angelus View Member Profile	17/12/2012, 01:11 PM Post #2
Posts: 9,161 Joined: 19-November 09
Con Sprezzatura.
We've decided not to "do" Santa. DD's still a bit little this year, but we've agreed to tell her that Santa started with a guy named St. Nicholas who was generous to poor people, and to use St. Nicholas' day (conveniently located in the build up to Christmas) as a day for giving things to other people/helping people in need type stuff. Is that the sort of thing you were asking about?

PatG View Member Profile	17/12/2012, 01:15 PM Post #3
Posts: 1,013 Joined: 8-September 11
Advanced Member
Our non-santa Christmas is exactly the same as if we did do santa, except no-one gets presents fro santa. I guess if I was serious about it I would purposely avoid sending cards with any santa theme (reindeer, elves etc) but I don't.

mandarins View Member Profile	17/12/2012, 01:18 PM Post #4
Posts: 504 Joined: 21-July 10
Regular Member
Thanks Ange Vert - yes any examples of how people do christmas is what I would like. I'd really like to hear from people whos children are older but grown up either with no Santa or knowing as your child will that Santa is a fun thing that happens at Christmas time but its all pretend etc. One of my kids was asking why does Santa wear red and I didnt have the heart to tell them the real reason. But then I felt a bit bad for leading them along this path of lies... especially as my child is scared of all the men in red suits that have been around lately.

Bluenomi View Member Profile	17/12/2012, 01:23 PM Post #5
Posts: 4,273 Joined: 22-July 09
Advanced Member
QUOTE (PatG @ 17/12/2012, 02:15 PM) Our non-santa Christmas is exactly the same as if we did do santa, except no-one gets presents fro santa. I guess if I was serious about it I would purposely avoid sending cards with any santa theme (reindeer, elves etc) but I don't. Same here. All presents are from us and everything else is standard Christmas stuff. We don't visit Santa at the shops (can't say I missing doing that!) We don't make a big deal about it, Santa went to DD"s daycare party and she got a present from him as did all the kids but that will be it for Santa for her. Now I just have to convince my MIL to not ask DD what Santa brought her on Christmas day. She knows we don't do Santa but said she's going to ask anyway

Etta View Member Profile	17/12/2012, 01:25 PM Post #6
Posts: 77 Joined: 1-December 11
New Member
When is St Nicholas' day? DS used to call Santa 'St Nick' because we used to read 'The Night Before Christmas' just about every night in the lead up to Christmas. Now that he is at school it is 'Santa' rather than St Nick, but it would be good to celebrate his day by giving to others - if we haven't missed it.

EBeditor View Member Profile	17/12/2012, 01:28 PM Post #7
Posts: 8,266 Joined: 4-March 10
Community manager
We've actually just published an article on Essential Kids about parents who don't 'do' Santa, quoting some forum members: http://www.essentialkids.com.au/special/sa...1214-2be8d.html

PrincessPeach View Member Profile	17/12/2012, 01:34 PM Post #8
Posts: 2,656 Joined: 24-November 11 From: Gold Coast
Advanced Member
QUOTE (Etta @ 17/12/2012, 01:25 PM) When is St Nicholas' day? DS used to call Santa 'St Nick' because we used to read 'The Night Before Christmas' just about every night in the lead up to Christmas. Now that he is at school it is 'Santa' rather than St Nick, but it would be good to celebrate his day by giving to others - if we haven't missed it. I think it's December 6th.

Saecularis Angel... Saecularis Angelus View Member Profile	17/12/2012, 01:34 PM Post #9
Posts: 9,161 Joined: 19-November 09
Con Sprezzatura.
St. Nicholas' day is December 6.

baddmammajamma View Member Profile	17/12/2012, 01:34 PM Post #10
Posts: 13,488 Joined: 10-February 08
++
There was a similar thread to this one a few weeks ago...and as I shared in that thread, and many others, we stopped the pretense of Santa when our oldest (then 3.5) figured it out on her own. My kids are now 5 & 7. We went from being a "hadn't given much thought to how to handle Santa" family to a "non believing in Santa" family in one swoop, and I don't think our kids have "suffered" one iota without Santa. We still do our favorite holiday things -- going to see Christmas lights, singing cheesy Christmas carols in the car, decorating the tree in unconventional manners, giving the kids a few gifts that they are particularly excited to receive, and heading out to the beach on Christmas morning. We also share with theme the noble origins of Santa Claus (in the form of St. Nicholas) -- and we have fun counting how many Santa Knock Offs we see in the various shops and malls. Being together in a relaxed way is the best part about Christmas. Unless Santa is willing to clean my kitchen, we really don't have a need for him! This post has been edited by baddmammajamma: 17/12/2012, 01:36 PM

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