The Big Picture: To Believe or Not to Believe? Monday, December 20, 2010 By Senior Pauline Santos - Advertising It seems every year without fail, there is always something about Christmas that is controversial. Nativities, “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays,” even what day we celebrate Christmas on - sure enough, there is something about the holiday which will upset someone. This even includes the big guy. You know, the one with the white beard and jelly belly...Santa Claus. Apparently, some parents are a little hesitant to introduce the idea of Santa Claus to their little ones. Why? Because they don’t think it’s right to build such high hopes only to bring it down in a couple of years. Now to someone like me who had been a firm believer as a little kid, that’s just a bit ridiculous. Santa Claus has always been a part of Christmas and he was a part of my childhood. I would be sad if other children didn’t get to experience the magic like I did. He’s a tradition you’re supposed to pass on...right? I guess parents don’t want to have that feeling of guilt once they tell their child the truth. In my opinion, however, I don’t think it’s worth worrying over. I, along with so many others out there, believed in the guy when I was little and the inevitable discovery of the truth didn’t really affect me. Come to think of it, I can’t even remember the exact moment I realized the truth. I didn’t even learn it from my parents. (Heck, they are still trying to convince their seventeen-year-old daughter Santa is real!). The process I went through to uncover the truth was very gradual. I had my suspicions at first and then, after talking with my peers about it, I finally just accepted the fact he wasn’t real. It wasn’t anything dramatic. No confronting my parents and accusing them of lying to me. No temper tantrums. No sudden feeling of hopelessness. In fact, I think it was my parents who were more affected by it, seeing their little girl make such a grown-up statement as, “I don’t believe in Santa anymore.” The way I see it, you’re not setting your kids up for heartbreak just by letting them believe in Santa. It’s not like one day you’ll actually have to sit them down and have “The Santa Talk.” That’s not how it happened with me and my parents at least. Hopefully they will eventually just learn from their friends. So let kids believe in Santa! What harm could a little fantasy bring to children? The idea is to bring smiles to their faces and watch them light up when they wake up that Christmas morning.  He is part of the spirit of Christmas and he brings magic to the holiday. To them, Santa is someone to believe in, someone to give them a reason to be good. Now come on, parents! Isn’t that a plus?!

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