Santa was created for kids…
In case you haven’t heard, the lie tale goes like this:
Santa Claus is a man that lives far away, in a place you can’t visit.
He watches all your actions, at all times. If you do good, then you might be rewarded one day.
You cannot speak directly to him, all communication must be done through your parents.
Replace “Santa Claus” with “God”, “parents” with “priest”. Read it again.
Have you heard that lie tale before?
…as God was created for adults
I got this revelation (pun intended) during a water cooler chat at work. My colleagues were talking about their kids’ “relationship” with Santa Claus. A wise one said:
We decided to be honest with our kids. They will find out the truth anyway — either by another kid at school or simply by growing up. Why go through the effort of keeping a lie that will hurt them and break their confidence in you?
Another one commented:
We told our kids that they can’t go look for Santa, otherwise he won’t appear. That way we don’t get caught while we are placing the presents under the tree.
And that immediately sounded like “priest talk” to me.
That was when it occurred to me: Humans created the tale of Santa Claus God, inspired in some facts, to influence the behaviour of children adults.
Logically, it’s the same thing. In practice, not so much.
Santa is a private joke between parents, but Christianity is taught at school alongside Math or English. If a person believes in Santa Claus you laugh at them… but how many worship other deities inside big churches? At what point does the joke become a religion? Humans… 🤷♂️
If you appreciate fantasy novels for what they are — fiction — then you know what to wear on your next Christmas dinner. Get yours.
