Christians VS Santa Claus

[@justhearmeout3959]

As an older sister, I felt the magic of "keeping Santa real" even after I knew he wasn't.

[@amandasailsbury1878]

That is what my oldest is doing for her little sister. She's been helping with the Elf too.

[@aby5871]

I was the same! And felt so lucky I got to “believe” even longer because of my younger sibling!

[@blueberymufn11]

You were a lot nicer than my older sister lol

[@justhearmeout3959]

@@blueberymufn11 heh sometimes 😅

[@ravenpozsgai103]

That was my favoirite part of christmas growing up! I loved helping my mom and keeping santa real for my younger sister and cousins

[@timothybodey9168]

Figuring out Santa Claus isn't real taught me a lot about critical thinking. It also did help me to start questioning religion with the same tools.

[@blueismylove3128]

That's the exact kind of thing they don't want lol

[@Lil_curious]

YES

[@lamblyy]

​@@blueismylove3128No, that's actually *exactly* what true Christians want. True Christians have all had to question to their faith and had problems understanding, but the thing is that we have the Holy Spirit who speaks truth through the Word of God and not our own flawed imaginations to come to conclusions. Seek God and you will find Him!

[@blueismylove3128]

@@lamblyy Yeah okay bud. Doesn't explain why a lot of Christian principles rely on people not questioning the Bible and God's authority but hey, whatever you say.

[@lamblyy]

@@blueismylove3128 I'm sorry, I'm confused on what principles you mean? Never heard of them

[@witchdragonfly2586]

I was also very annoyed about the milk and powder not mixing. 😂

[@kdmill7563]

She did it wrong, if you’re going to do something while talking in your video, make it something you’ve done at least once in your life before.

[@abbythecat01]

So it’s really hard for people who grew up believing in Santa to understand what it was like for kids like me, who didn’t get to believe in Santa. Christmas was fun, don’t get me wrong. We baked cookies and had a tree and decorated the house and went out on late night drives to see other peoples’ Christmas lights and I of course got lots of presents- but it was also really hard for me growing up. Parents who withhold Santa from their kids think that it doesn’t have a lasting impact or that it’s not a big deal- yes it is. I was sad every year around Christmas- to the point where I still associate sadness with Christmas- even as an adult- which I’ve tried for years to overturn, but I guess it was pounded into my psyche or something bc I still get depressed around Christmas anyway. I was sad bc all of my friends believed in Santa- and there were all these fun movies about Santa- and adults would ask me what I wanted Santa to bring me for Christmas- and I was never able to participate. I remember one year, I rebelled against my mom and said that I DID believe in Santa and that I wanted to write him that Christmas and it was such a sad, pathetic attempt. No, I didn’t actually believe in Santa, but I was tired of feeling like a freak or an “other” around the other kids, and I wanted to participate in the fun of Santa. My mom is an EXTREME, radical, far-right, Christian conservative fundamentalist who firmly believed that letting her kids believe in Santa would be allowing them to worship a false idol or forget the “real” meaning of Christmas. She saw Santa Clause as an agent of Satan- like for real. She not only didn’t let me believe in Santa, but there was no Easter Bunny/Easter Egg hunts/Easter Bunny Candy (unless someone else gifted it to me), no tooth fairy, no trick or treating/halloween, etc. (no SpongeBob, no Disney channel, no Nickelodeon, no Harry Potter- no real recent pop culture of any kind) I was also homeschooled and the only time I saw other kids was at church on Wednesdays and Sundays, and at a homeschool YMCA class (and then later a conservative Christian karate class). And all of the kids that attended those Christian classes believed in Santa and were allowed to watch Harry Potter and go trick or treating. Even THEY, fellow religious kids, got to participate in that fun. So in every single way, she alienated my brother and me from other kids. She made it COMPLETELY impossible for us to relate to other kids. She alienated us. She made us freaks. We were the WEIRD kids bc we couldn’t relate with the other kids- and it was hard enough making friends when you have next to no social interaction with other kids in your personal life. She marooned us on freak island. I was diagnosed with ptsd a couple years ago bc all of this shit was cumulative (to clarify, my PTSD comes from more trauma than just not believing in Santa clause, but being withheld Santa definitely added to the trauma that gave me ptsd). I think back to all the pain and misery and lack of fun my childhood had and I get angry and sad- every time. It still affects me. It’s about more than whether you let your kids believe in Santa or not. The issue more complex. When you refuse to allow your kids to participate in really prevalent social norms that all of the other kids get to participate in, it affects them. Kids are so mean, and when you “other” your own kids like that, you’re painting a target on their back and handing the bullies a bow and arrow and saying “go for it, kid.” And what’s worse is that I knew as a kid that my mom was allowed to believe in that stuff as a kid. I *knew* as a kid that she got to have fun that she deprived me of. Not every kid is going to feel like I do. Everyone’s experiences are different. But I urge people to consider this point of view, bc again, this issue is more complex than simply not teaching your kid about a fairy tale or not.

[@danielllleX]

Sending love and light to you! I relate to so much of your comment. 🫶🏻🤗

[@talyahr3302]

I hear you, but for me believing in Santa held me back. It stunted my critical thinking skills by believing in flying reindeer and fat men that could fit in chimneys. I was around 9 years old when my classmates kept telling me over and over that Santa wasnt real and id say "Yes he is!" because i asked my parents and they said he is. When my parents finally told me the truth, I was PISSED! Because not only did I feel lied to, I felt incredibly stupid. My classmates were right and I should've listened to my own suspicions. My parents told me in a public place, one of my favorite restaurants, hoping that would help pressure me to remain calm but I had a fit and I would never do that in public usually. Ironically this experience directly helped lead me out of Christianity because the parallel similarities are uncanny. Believing in people walking on water because my parents told me so was no longer a good justification. I ended up majoring in philosophy in college, which can partially be tracked back to being terrified of having bad critical thinking skills.

[@mokaakashiya9318]

I am so sorry you had that experience. I have some family that are like that and I’ve always felt bad for their kids because of that alienation. ❤

[@NiveaCow]

I never believe in Santa and it is literally not a big deal for me, never was. It just shows that people are very different, and parents will do their best and still mess up, cause there is no one recipe how to do parenting right. EDIT. I mean my parents did try to tell me he was real, but I just knew better and I was honestly mad they treated me like I was stupid. Same with the death of my grandpa. "Mary came and took him to Heaven when you were at school". Dad, he died, I can handle that, stop acting like I'm a kid...

[@enimagus8281]

Wow, I relate so much to what you’ve written.. My mom decided that since SHE didn’t like holiday traditions, not even for a religious reason, we weren’t going to celebrate. We did christmas and thanksgiving, but she never seemed to enjoy it (I have recently learned how deeply ingrained her generational trauma is and we are actively working through my childhood trauma together).

[@lolalynnk]

You know you must be privileged when your only childhood trauma was finding out Santa wasn’t real…

[@Marina9417SP]

It personally did hurt me finding out that my parents were lying to me. I hate how its being frased as "your childhood trauma was finding out Santa wasn't real", for me it was more the realization that the people I trust the most could be lying to me about absolutely everything, not focusing on Santa, but on the fact that I started to question if I could trust the people who were supposed to be taking care of me.

[@erensrightnut]

@@Marina9417SP still privilege imho

[@JulietteVeronica1201]

@@Marina9417SP I thought the same when I first found out, but at the end of the day, the trauma that sticks out from my childhood is when my dad took his anger out on me and my brother and had me afraid every time I went into his house. Finding out Santa wasn't real never comes to mind, if anything it just makes me happy to spread that excitement to children who still believe.

[@argiromarioli4917]

my dad was a son to a widowed mom in the 70s and fiinding out santa wasn't real was traumatic. He was late to school and the teacher told everyone in class that santa wasn't real. My dad walked in late and the teacher asked if he believed in santa and he said yes. The whole class laughed at him. It wasn't the only trauma he had but it was one of them and when he raised me he was overly cautious about santa because of it. sometimes the trauma is more about how it became a trauma rather than what it's about or triggered by. not believing in santa is a silly thing to have a trauma about but being humiliated by a teacher in front of your peers isn't.

[@sapiensursus3034]

@@erensrightnutIf it’s the biggest trauma, sure. But an important childhood moment? I don’t think that’s privilege.

[@trixjoyce]

It's so interesting because here in Sweden our word for this holiday is "Jul" because we're from the beginning a pagan country so it comes from the sabbath "Yule" (it's even pronounced the same). But the meaning here when people celebrate "Jul" is very much like a mix of old pagan traditions and the Christian "Christmas". Sometimes I feel like Christians, mainly in the US, are thinking that they are the entire world and their way is THE way. They often forget about other cultures and practices. Even Christians here in Sweden refuse to acknowledge the origins of why it's named "Jul" here lol. Some Swedish Christians who are like the fundamentalists in the US, refuse to celebrate Jul altogether though... And they would argue that you guys who celebrate Christmas are weird and like "those pagans"... Funny huh? It seems like someone is always going to disagree with whatever you do! So why bother...? Do as you please, be kind, and stay safe. Happy Holidays!

[@BoopsTroops]

Another win for Sweden for me 😂

[@trixjoyce]

@@BoopsTroops Well, I’m not sure if this is an ironic comment (yeah I am autistic and I’m bad at this so sorry lol 😂), but either way this is no contest and we should all celebrate our holidays as we see fit. Have a nice day. Or evening/night, because here it’s like midnight ☺️

[@anaalina5964]

The Krampus thing is horrid though.

[@AV-we6wo]

​​​​​@@anaalina5964 Do you have him in Sweden, too? Because I only know that tradition from (Southern) Germany, Austria and IIRC several more countries that were part of 'Austria-Hungary' like e g. Czech Republic.

[@anaalina5964]

@@AV-we6wo I think Yule and Krampus are pretty intertwined, like you can't have one without the other. And since Sweden celebrates Yule I think Krampus is also part of the picture, albeit more of an old tradition, like giving naughty kids coal on Christmas, no one really does that anymore.

[@namiraofthehunt2606]

My thing about Santa is the parents who can afford expensive gifts and saying they're from Santa - meanwhile the not-as-privileged kids get NOT-as-expensive gifts from Santa. I hate that.

[@awkwardukulele6077]

I remember seeing a skit about how messed up Santa has to be if he’s delivering these gifts. For exactly that reason. Santa really starts to look like a jerk if you think about what it would be like for him to be _really_ real. When the childlike innocence in your worldview goes away, Santa becomes hard to see in a positive light if you still believe in him.

[@silververnallbells191]

@@awkwardukulele6077 Not really. It's a great teaching moment on how to be grateful for what you have and not comparing yourself to rich kids. Santa's not a kid's first taste of the class differences in school. Kids who wear more expensive clothes and shoes have always and WILL always make fun of kids who don't.

[@carmandirda]

​​@@silververnallbells191I had that issue within my own family. We'd gather for the holidays, and one kid would open as many gifts from "Santa" as the rest of us got from the whole extended family. Then she would open the family gifts. 🫠 It built resentment just as much as it built anything positive.

[@nicoleayala4153]

I think my parents felt the same, which is why they always gave my sister and I, as well as our cousins (since we would all come under one room and open gifts from Santa at the same time) similar gifts, price wise, and then later when everyone went home, they would give my sister and I two or three more gifts specifically from MOM AND DAD. Not Santa.

[@honeylis7]

Spoiler alert: nobody has actually told these women that they're bad for not telling their kid about Santa. This is the ages-old persecution complex that Christians have. It's similar to "the barista refused to wish me a Merry Christmas" or "I'm not allowed to say Merry Christmas at work." It's this "war on Christmas" that we are put through every year by Christians who have a persecution kink. I mostly don't hear it anymore, I just tune it out. But here in the Bible Belt, they go on and on and on.

[@EatABrickBigot]

I hate it here.

[@chelseywest2311]

I’ve never had anyone be offended by me saying Merry Christmas. I have, however, been told off by a woman for saying Happy Holidays instead. Also do they not realize that saying happy holidays includes New Years as well? Lol

[@ashwalkerthisway7094]

As an adult, I still believe in Santa even though I play Santa for my little sisters sometimes with my mom. It’s the magic of the season and it quite frankly hurts nobody to enjoy a little magic

[@freespirit_17]

Exactly ♥️

[@romanski5811]

I think we use entirely different definitions of "believe in". What exactly do you mean by these words?

[@ashwalkerthisway7094]

@@romanski5811 I’m willing to bet we have the same definition:) have a nice day

[@uselessmonster8985]

@@romanski5811 why try and debate lord a nice comment about someone suspending their belief for a holiday tradition?

[@romanski5811]

@@uselessmonster8985 Well, because it's not clear to me that they just mean suspension of belief or actual belief (like they've written it). It seems to me that they want to preserve the phrasing without the actual implications of it. But I could be wrong about that, hence my question.

[@harleyreape9569]

I love how they're literally admitting that they're scared of their kids realising that anything they ever said was not 100% true because then (shock, horror!) they might develop critical thinking skills

[@driley5004]

THIS 👏👏👏👏

[@talyahr3302]

The Christians have a point. My Santa experience as a kid ended up directly affecting my journey out of Christianity. When I was around 9 years old my classmates kept telling me over and over that Santa wasnt real and id say "Yes he is! because i asked my parents and they said he is". My parents felt this was a sign i was getting too old to still believe so when they finally told me the truth, I was PISSED! Because not only did I feel lied to, I felt incredibly stupid. My classmates were right and I should've listened to my own suspicions. How could I be so stupid to believe in flying reindeer and fat men that could fit in chimneys. My parents told me in a public place, one of my favorite restaurants on vacation, hoping that would help pressure me to remain calm but I had a fit and I would usually never do that in public by that age. Even the waitress brought me a little plastic toy to the table to try to help and i was totally ungrateful. This experience directly helped lead me out of Christianity because the parallel similarities are uncanny. Believing in people walking on water because my parents told me so was no longer a good justification. In fact "because my parents said so" was no longer a stand alone good justification for anything. I started asking why a lot more, which isnt bad its just how i learned that lesson. I ended up majoring in philosophy in college, which can partially be tracked back to me being terrified of having bad critical thinking skills from my Santa experience made me feel dumb and embarrassed and manipulated. One the best pieces of advice i hears in relation to raising children is "if theyre old enough to ask the question, theyre old enough to know the answer to the question". So if your kid asks if Santa is real dont lie to them.

[@kdmill7563]

I had a very similar experience. I felt betrayed, my parents lied to me. I didn’t appreciate the fun of being lied to, because… magic! It should go without saying, I wasn’t a super fun kid.

[@amethystgemstone6980]

Albert Einstein once said, “if you want your kids to be smart, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be even smarter, read them MORE fairy tales” believing in fairy tales doesn’t make you “stupid” it actually does the opposite.

[@kdmill7563]

@@amethystgemstone6980 imagination makes you smart, believing in things that aren’t real and especially acting on them can be dangerous and stupid.

[@ash_tray]

Ah yes, the old Santa vs Christianity. When my father married my extremely religious stepmother as a little girl, she told me about late November that Santa wasn’t real. She said if I believed in Santa, it would be worshiping a false God and that is a sin. I was 7. I cried my eyes out. And my mom almost got arrested for assault. She was an evil, vile woman. Perfect example of someone who uses Christianity to judge others and be self righteous.

[@ireallyreallyhategoogle]

Yep, the first in line to go to hell when the time comes.

[@ashishpatel350]

santa is more real than jesus.

[@scottbuckley823]

But nobody worships Santa and he's technically based on a real saint. So it's more like honouring someone rather than worship them.

[@ashishpatel350]

@@scottbuckley823 Santa is pagan .

[@RadioPsychicAstrologyByPepper]

​@@scottbuckley823fundamentalist judgmental type people even think Catholicism is pagan with the aversion to statues or the saints or using the Rosary to count prayers on or even Holy Communion. I was at summer camp one year when I was ten or eleven and these girls who were in my cabin and cousins and very fundamentalist Christian megachurch types were picking on a girl who was Jewish. I was raised Catholic but we're also part Jewish too and I told them "that is not a nice way to treat her and Jesus was Jewish..." And they ran to the counselor in charge of the activity (fishing I think) tattled on my blasphemous heathen self and told me I was going to hell for lying about Jesus Christ.... And the counselor said "no one is sinning if they say that He's a good Jewish boy and the Last Supper was Passover...." That guy was also Jewish.... I was definitely disappointed when I found out Santa was not real but I don't think it broke me... My friend from college is a psychiatrist and doesn't plan on doing Santa cuz she thinks Santa is a fucked up idea. She tells people that it's cognitive dissonance fuel to tell your kids not to talk to strangers and be careful with everything everyone not forcing them to hug or kiss relatives that they only see a couple times a year etc and then be totally okay with a strange old man not just basically breaking and entering and then leaving bribes in toys and expecting you feed him snacks or the tooth fairy who collects literal pieces of your child's skeleton for a couple quarters in charge.. I think that's a little extreme... But hey to each their own... My neighbor has a small son who believed in Santa but he had never heard the "you better watch out" Christmas carol so he was freaked out when his kindergarten teacher told him that Santa was watching everyone and he sees you when you're sleeping knows when you're awake" etc. and he was told by his mom about how some adults are not safe good touch bad touch etc and I guess he blurted out to the teacher "No that's not his business I don't want Santa to see my wiener and I'm telling my mom and dad that he's peeking in! I don't want him to see me going potty!" 😂😂

[@honeylis7]

All I hear is, "I really hate it when people tell their kids about this imaginary person and ruin their magic when they find out it's not real. I prefer to tell my children about my own imaginary character and actually indoctrinate and brainwash them so that when/if they find out HE's not real, they will be genuinely scarred in many ways."

[@beckylouisesmith9216]

This is exactly what I thought!! It's seems a bit hypocritical🤦🏼‍♀️ i will f*ck my kids up with toxic Christianity, but you are all wrong for letting your kids believe in santa!🤣

[@makmann00]

Not sure if its a southern thing, but most of the Santa's my family has experienced put a religious spin on their interactions. "Well, say your prayers, brush your teeth, mind your parents, and we will see about that new scooter". Stuff like that. For my toddler I have decided to do "Santa" but choose to have Santa bring small-medium gifts rather than the big gift. I remember as a child getting socks from Santa and hearing other kids getting Gameboys, etc. It made me feel like Santa didn't love me as much, or that I wasn't as good that year. I want my daughter to have the magic of Santa but to also know that Mom and Dad work hard to add to the magic too. ❤

[@chancewill6910]

My parents always had a few gifts from them and one gift from Santa. They could be any size. It always felt really good that I got something from Santa. They also put little gifts in our stockings. I know you said your daughter is only a toddler but I hope this helps and you can use it when she's older

[@24jh42]

My niece aged 5 grabbed my hand one day and dragged me into a different room. "I am on to their Santa fantasy. Tonight at the dinner I am going to ruin Christmas and tell on my parents". I hid a smile and told her: "If you keep the secret, then you know something your two younger siblings don't, and you are allowed to lie and keep lying until they figure it out". That really changed her facial expression from angry to plotting. Take a wild guess at who dressed up as Santa or Santa's little helper for the next 15 years. Sometimes being imaginative and getting "strangers" like a neighbour to come dressed as Santa and hand out a few presents. There was always some new kids to fool, but lets be honest here. Christmas is (or should be) about joy, and little lies like these is an excuse to be happy. Who can not occasiaonally need a bit of happyness. Was funny though when kids old enough to "know" Santa is not real, but suddenly sees this unknown Santa handing out presents. Their panicked little eyes flashing all over the room and realizing that all the other adults at the party is present. So this Santa was not there before during dinner, but infact a total stranger. (Denmark eats, sings and dance around a Christmas tree and open presents all on the 24th. Very hectic day).

[@KatieKatt18]

I’m Catholic and grew up with Santa. Every year my Catholic school hosted Lunch With Santa, wrote letters to Santa, and celebrated St. Nicholas Day . For Lunch With Santa, the 6th grade served lunch to everyone. The letters had 6th graders pair up with 1st graders to help them write their letters to mail to Santa. Then, right before Christmas break, you’d get your first grader’s letter and write a response to them as one of the elves. They had fun getting the letters and we had fun picking elf names. As for St. Nicholas Day, the pre k-2nd graders take off a shoe and leave it outside their classrooms and the 8th graders go around and put candy canes in them. Santa was loved and celebrated in church, too. No one ever told me he had no place in Christianity. Same with the Presbyterian church I work out now. Every year at Christmas Eve service we ask the kids if they’re ready for Santa and they get all excited and tell us every specific thing they asked for down to the last detail. Then we have them help give out pieces of angel food cake to everyone and we sing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. There’s room for both if you know how to incorporate them.

[@Yulia.chandrika]

Or you do what we do in Spain, we don't do Santa, we do the 3 wise man. The 3 wise man from the east who followed the star who guided them to Jesus , to bring him gold, " incienso and mirra" ( I dont know the english words for it). So those 3 eastern wise man, bring presents to all other kids too every 6th of January. Its like Santa and its in the Bible too. Anyway I thing Santa is beautiful too! I am just worried that it may mean a huge disapointment for kids later. In Spain people do care a lot about making those 3 wise kings , look real, there is a big parade on the street the night before with many dancers around and as a kid, you truly believe the whole city is waiting for the arrival of very important eastern kings 😂 When my 2 brothers realized it was a lie they were very very angry at the whole family I wonder if its positive to lie to kids 🤔

[@MyReluctantTheology]

My first Christmas after I found out about Santa, I was excited to be in on the secret. My parents then did everything they would always do, except they included me. After we had our stockings and the milk and cookies set up, my mom pulled out her bag of stocking stuffers. We then put all of them into the stockings. I got really excited when I found out that I could put things into my own stocking. I also remember seeing my dad eating one of the cookies, thinking something along the lines of "oh yeah of course," and getting excited to be able to eat some of the cookies. For me, the childhood memory of finding out about Santa is possibly an even bigger and more exciting one.

[@inelegantlady8633]

The side eyed look in the angel pictures are so relatable & cute 😆. It just says it all.

[@danielllleX]

As a fellow atheist, I’ll never forget when our Girl Scout troop had an indoor sleepover at my coleaders house. We all met on Sundays for scouts (like Playdates for the previous 5 years) because we were all “non-believers” 😅…except for one girl/family….So the one mom comes to pick up her girl up from the sleepover Sunday morning to go to church…..and one of my daughters asked what church was and then asked what God was😬😂 yeah, we had to have a conversation after that. And I have indeed endeavored to make sure they are always respectful of other peoples superstitions and faiths. Edit - live in Bible Belt as well…

[@juliadepuy8601]

It's probably already been clarified - but the "what about the Jews" re: Santa clip is by two comedians and one of them (Esther Povitsky) is Jewish lol On another note, great vid! My parents worried (rightfully so) about bullying and intimidation from religious people when I was a kid. I was tricked more than once into attending adult baptisms where my friends mothers tried to get me into the tub. Yikes. I grew up with Santa and Christmas was referred to as Yule when we were home and had questions about what it's all about. My parents were more pagan-leaning, but still atheist. Christmas was beautiful and warm with beautiful sledding trips and ice skating in the woods and fields on our property, gathering holly branches and making wreathes with mom who would gold leaf some of the branches, and hot cocoa and cookies and treats. And discovering Santa wasn't real wasn't a big deal because my parents had already explained that God isn't real, so I knew what magical thinking was before I was even in first grade lol. Problem solved! I was still taught to respect other religions, as confusing and frustrating as that was when I was a kid, even when I didn't receive the same respect. I got gifts for all of my friends, Jews included ;) hahaha (Unrelated note - One year, my friend invited me to Easter at her church. We both won coloring contests and the prizes were gigantic Easter baskets. As we left, I broke my basket apart and gave the candies and toys to the other kids. My mother told me later that parents approached her with praise for raising such a generous and christ-like daughter. She just smiled and thanked them but chuckled with my Dad later that day about how they wound up with such a thoughtful, selfless kid - and didn't even have to threaten me with fire and brimstone to make sure i knew what empathy was!)

[@DogMechanic]

I have a friend who didn't tell her kid that Santa brought gifts, but that was because she wanted her kid to appreciate the thoughts and love put into the gifts given to him by his family and friends. She was never mean or cruel about it, though. It's one thing to run the holidays in the absence of Santa, it's another to do it with a bitter attitude.

[@ashleydeluca775]

Unfortunately, Christian practitioners often forget that Christmas is a traditional Pagan holiday 😅

[@blueismylove3128]

I feel like even when people acknowledge that, that's as far as they go. Sure no one should be forced to learn more about a religion, but it would be nice to hear a "Happy Winter Solicit" when people are listing out other holidays people celebrate in place of Xmas. Idk man I just wanna be included, and paganism is often forgotten about/no one cares to learn more about.

[@auroragreen765]

As Orthodox Christians, my family has completely different customs and traditions for our Christmas, which in our faith is on January 7. And we always decorated the tree and the house a little before the new year as a sign of the New Year's celebration and that's all... it's the same with Santa Claus... I remember him mainly as a character who took pictures with the children at school and handed out gifts that whether it was from the school or the company where the parents worked, it never had any greater meaning than any other fairy tale. Although I am not overly religious, I still celebrate all holidays because the beauty of New Year's and Christmas for me is family gathering and joy.

[@taylorharvey3980]

i was angry not about them not being real but about my parents lying to me and my 8 year old self sat them down and was like "i've recently learned you've been lying to me any other lies you'd like to tell me about" i didn't trust them for a solid year but i also have autism so my reaction may have been quite strong. i have told my brother that he cant expect one kid to lie for another though bc that was hell for me to do with him (we're irish twins) so its a lot about ages and circumstances. being autistic however and knowing that avoiding meltdowns is always the aim i wouldn't tell my kids personally about santa and stuff just bc it seems like an accomodation i could make that would make life easier and still have that magic around christmas

[@taylorharvey3980]

i've also now watched 10 seconds further into the video and yeah definitely also asked my dad "so gods also not real right" and he's an athiest and my mom is religious so i got another indepth conversation about nuance that day

[@Yulia.chandrika]

What is " irish twins"? Also, I think its normal that you were angry. I have 2 younger brothers who are not autistic , they both got very angry and didnt trust our parents for a long while after knowing it was all a lie

[@neonnero1]

I'm an atheist myself, and I celebrate Christmas. The Norwegian word for Christmas is "jul" which is related to "Yule" (so the word itself is somewhat religion-neutral over here). Over the years, for me personally, the holidays have turned more into a celebration of lights, love, and family togetherness. And boy, do we need to celebrate lights up here... During winter, daylight is short, due to how far north we are; as an example, sunrise today was at 9:55 am, and sunset was at 15:02 (according to the local weather app). That's about 5 hours of daylight.

[@kdmill7563]

I love Christmas as an atheist too, and I was raised Christian, but even when I was Christian it was more about family, friends, food, winter, lights. I love Tim Minchin’s Christmas song White Wine in the Sun, that’s Christmas to me.

[@EFA4AK]

Man, I was raised solo by my grandma and she was super religious and by the time I started asking questions about Santa, I had kinda already figured it out on my own and my grandma, to her credit, jus leveled with me about Santa and his story and origins to the best of her ability. I didn’t translate it to Jesus until I was approaching my teens but that was probably the best way my grandma could have handled that.

[@Kurious_Kiwi]

Wishing you a fast and easy delivery, congratulations and Merry Christmas ❤

[@creatureoftheeast3331]

My mom always told me Santa wasn't real so I would keep believing in Jesus but I still remember thinking as a kid "I wonder if Jesus is Santa Claus for adults..."

[@iamnotjojo1]

The kid who sounded very upset about his teacher saying Santa wasn't real broke my heart. You can tell he's distressed.

[@coyotelnds]

❤ I started watching you many, many years ago when my son recommended this channel.. That was the rocker drama, Time I think. You feel like a friend to me. And every video I watch gets better and more relevant to my life. Thank you for who you are. Enjoy your babies and christmas it will be a special one this year.🎉

[@RobAGabor]

It's always nice to see Esther Povitsky. She was the one who asked the guy about the Jewish kids.

[@1400Lines]

6:44 Well, the parents want to upgrade their kids santa to their version of santa, " jesus". 🤣

[@mattsjai1]

I’m so happy for you!! Our son is 2 Dec 13th and currently pregnant with our daughter due June 1st. I love the holiday traditions, especially through our kids eyes. I will be telling my kids about Santa!. I will be teaching our kids that around this time of year it’s about giving and being around family and hunkering down and just being with each other. So no Jesus in our house.😂

[@DarkJade69]

Last year when my son asked me if Santa was real, I just said, do you want him to be real? End of story. This year he won't even talk about leaving out cookies and I am left with the do I or don't I do Santa. LOL

[@silvanvanderhorst7366]

2:26, Thanks for saying this, I was literally thinking the exact same thing. Why is she making milk while trying to explain why she doesn't tell her kids that Santa is real? Instead of making the video more interesting or trying to expand my attention spend it's actually distracting me a lot. It's so annoying when people do this in videos. Just sit down and say what you got to say.

[@Nickman1233]

Open-minded is all we need to see each other unconditionally 💗

[@scurvgirl]

You know, I grew up without religion - parents weren't big into it. We celebrated and continue to celebrate Christmas. They did Santa and I loved it! I remember though there were kids in school who were confused by ME celebrating Christmas because they didn't see me in church (small town!) and I once asked "Who's Jesus?" Christmas was never religious to me growing up so it was honestly surprising to see so many people view it as religious and not just a giving time? And since it sounds like you'll be raising your kids similar to how I was raised with regards to religion - it was always phrased to me as "some people believe this, and that's okay, but that's not really something mommy and daddy believe" and it was totally fine. Anyways, Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas to your growing family :)

[@lillypotter6722]

Guys, he found us out … hide all the demons!!!

[@neen42]

Your hair looks absolutely amazing - the color always does, but it is so amazingly shiny and thick!

[@natalieelskamp03]

I see where you come from, Jaclyn. I too was raised believing in Santa Claus which brought me great joy. However, I do feel that my awakening caused me to be more distrustful of my parents, and as an aspiring mother, it is very important to me that my children can trust me. Though, upon reflection, I suppose that my overall distrust for my parents (for separate reasons) taints my ability to properly judge; maybe, just maybe, if they had been more trustworthy in other ways, I would have quickly moved on from Santa Claus without feeling our relationship harmed.

[@aidanhugh2490]

26:40 Haha, I remember that, there was even an Always Sunny episode that used that as its premise.

[@amyeck3870]

They never sacrificed babies to Horace. But, they did to Yahweh!

[@WillowT442]

I had an awful Sunday school teacher who shamed me because I shared a gift I got from Santa. I do not remember how old I was - all I remember was how harsh she was to me. She basically told me that because I said a gift was from Santa that I was not being appreciative to my parents. That is just so messed up. My parents were the people that led me to believe that certain gift was from Santa. I did not tell my parents - my mom was very good friends with this bitch of a woman (tells you a lot about my mom). So since they were friends, in my mind I did not feel safe sharing that experience. I think I was afraid I would get into trouble. Righteous adults are the worst.

[@ashlewis9567]

Incredible video! Loving this gentle Jaclyn we’re getting lately!

[@gothcosplays]

An interesting little story: At my (Catholic) church last year, towards the end of Christmas Eve mass: They had Santa show up out of nowhere, and most of the kids suddenly became quiet/were happy he’s there. Then of course: Some random woman who was also there with her kids, started complaining right in front of her own children, not caring, and saying with a big time negative attitude, something along the lines of: “Santa? SERIOUSLY?” Now, I don’t get how Santa is considered bad or evil or whatever? While I didn’t believe in Santa as a kid, (even though everyone kept trying to convince me, but never believed it) come on. Let the kids have fun, and don’t ruin the Christmas magic for them.

[@mathieuleader8601]

fun fact: in Alaska on the North Pole Council had a councilman called Santa Claus who ran as a congressman in 2022

[@MrMudtit]

Wishing you the best Jaclyn. Hope you have a stress free delivery.

[@Lil_curious]

Being lied to about Santa helped me break free of Christian ideology. Yay!

[@christyolsen8351]

Gosh! My parents were Christian. But there was never an issue with Santa. I pretty much figured out mom and dad were Santa by the time I was 4. I don't remember being shocked or disappointed.

[@Shogun1982]

1st Lady: Won't your kids be sad and angry when they find out Santa Claus isn't real and isn't true? That'll NEVER happen if they believe in our imaginary sky ghost. 😐😐😑😮‍💨

[@ambriasaunders1869]

When my parents finally told me that Santa wasn't real, I cried myself to sleep. It wasn't only THAT Christmas where that memory upset me, either. Also, the first woman might have been doing the milk frothing thing to keep HERSELF on task. She might be neurodivergent. 🤷

[@snoox27]

My kiddo is having major jaw surgery in a few hours. I'm not fine. We let our kiddo make her own mind up, the tooth fairy wasn't real because duh tinkerbells not real, probably should have realised she was autistic then lol. She loves Xmas.

[@god-rj5wf]

i'm starting to think this is just the Autistic Childhood Experience, bc i came to the same conclusion in literally the exact same way loooool hope your kid heals up nicely! good luck to you and yours! :]

[@snoox27]

@god-rj5wf thank you for your kind words. She was super grown up and sensible even as a young child. With some interesting quirks. Wasn't until after someone tried to burn down our house and in 2020 age 14 her mental health went pretty low she was assessed, turns out she was autistic and adhd. Apparently my hubby has always known he was autistic but never looked further Into it, men 🤷‍♀️. I hope you have a happy holidays.

[@magicdragon9621]

Love your videos so much and thank you for entertaining me for like 10 years now. I hope you and your family (and new baby!) have a wonderful holiday season!

[@KellyAnn2390]

This is exactly like the SNL Church Chat sketches from 30 years ago. "Well, isn't that special!"

[@fairybliss7772]

I didn’t do Santa of Christmas with my kids and they’re fine. People hated me for it but I just don’t have sentimental feelings about any of it. Just my choice

[@crystal3850]

My mom and Grandpa worked hard to make Christmas magical. I've loved Christmas always because of that. I wasn't even mad when I found out santa wasn't real.

[@NF5000-r5e]

These are people who unironically believe in something so much more absurd than Santa with all the seriousness in the world

[@margiejcupcakeprincess]

So do these parents tell their kids we have no idea when Jesus was born? Probably not in December

[@danielbutler8103]

if i have to pick between God or Santa I'll go with Santa, Worst he'll do to me is give me coal while God will torture you forever.

[@Observette]

Omg these people are exhausting. 🙄 I was never brought up to think Santa was real but I still love Christmas and and Santa! Wishing you a happy and healthy birth experience Jaclyn! 🎀

[@ryanrowe1975]

Happy holidays!

[@jaxandcoke9107]

You were behold!?!? Hahaha I was “but what did the angel say?” No cap hahahahhaha

[@Jstlou]

When i was young my parents told me about my country's version of "Santa". I'm sure i enjoyed it as a kid but i dont really remember it even being a significant part of my childhood, i dont even remember when i stopped believing or how. Idk why it is such a big deal for people. Btw jaclyn's new hair are such a surprise but it looks cool

[@jillian4068]

At the end of the video, "Well, it's not Easter yet.", had me laughing so much. Great video on the Santa topic.

[@LittleMimichan]

I feel what you said in the beginning soooo hard. Some of my worst childhood memories are of church, especially youth group. Meanest kids ever were always there. Also- did anyone else as a child low key pretend to believe in Santa for their parents?? Lol it just felt like I was supposed to even though I never actually thought he was real!

[@a-ms9760]

Haha "Happy holidays, and with that i'm already cancelled".

[@AJ-qe5xj]

My sister and her husband don’t do Santa with their kids because of religious reasons, but they are still given a great Christmas/holiday season filled with family time, presents, lots of good food and goodies, decorations, etc., they just choose to be honest about Santa. They also have taught the boys not to give away the secret of Santa to their peers and they don’t judge others on how they celebrate, they don’t care how others celebrate. People can celebrate how they want and everyone should refrain from judgement. Celebrate the way you want but let others celebrate in their way. It’s just sad that often it’s the Christian/deeply religious that seem to want to try and judge and control others.

[@ember-brandt]

*Ahhhhh, and the 12th is today!!!! CONGRATS* ♥♥♥♥

[@Kleines97]

I believed in Santa as a kid. Was I a bit sad when I found my paintings for Santa in the nightstand of my parents? Yes... Did it effect me negatively? NO... I still, 27 yo, talk about Santa, KNOWINGLY that he doesn't exist but it's still a cute little thing to think about. I obviously thank my parents for the presents, because they were the once getting it but we still play around 😂 even with the easter bunny 😂 It gets so absurd that I tell my parents "Look what's there?" Like in a bad movie and they turn around and I put the present somewhere and say "Omg the easter bunny was here" 😂 It's fun.

[@xavierreed9697]

Very happy to see you thriving in your family you’ve built, been here since 2015 and I can really tell you’re so much happier now than I’ve ever seen you in the past. I know I wasn’t involved and it’s none of my business, I truly feel for you getting backlash a while back, trying to get a friend someone you cared for help in the way that someone told you would be the best or the only way and would be the best thing you could do. You are an amazing, caring, kind, woman and mother, I’ve always loved your commentary and your point of view I’ve always found realization or affirmation in your content, best wishes for your baby girl on the way💕💕💕

[@Luubelaar]

Wow! Thanks Allie-Beth! I can enjoy snow at xmas!!! This will be BIG... considering I live in New Zealand and it's summer here. It was 22C (72F) in my city today. It's predicted to be about the same on xmas day. Can't wait to see how the snow holds up.😂😂

[@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter]

@jaclynglenn, we find you delightful and insightful. We were sorry to see some fascist trolls trying to give you a hard time on some of your videos and just want you to know that we - the Smiling Buddha Zen Center, our teachers - Kijo Sensei, Shinzai Sensei and all of our community, will stand and support you. Take good care of yourself and be well and happy. Oh and have a lot of fun. :) P.S. We also enjoyed this video immensely. There is a Buddhist kind of Santa Claus - Hotei (the fat guy that some think is the Buddha) but he doesn't come down chimneys, so is a bit lacking in that regard). Thank you for making us smile today.

[@tessmary1831]

The war on Christmas is coming from inside the house

[@thebronzebaron2419]

I honestly didn't accept that Santa Claus wasn't real until I was in 10th Grade! 😂

[@FaeMonster84]

I kept the Santa thing going til my daughter was 8 and she was curious and came to me and asked " mommy is Santa real? I don't care if he is or not I just wanna know" I spent a week deciding if I should or not and then I told her the truth but I did say help me keep that magic for your brother who was 5 at the time and she did and still does

[@tessjune88]

I really appreciate you always speaking out about these things! I share similar beliefs with you in a lot of ways. “Separation of church and state” feels like it’s disappearing in recent times. It’s frustrating because I do not care if someone else wants to believe in Jesus but I don’t understand why they feel the need to shove it down everyone’s throat. 😅

[@alistairrosehearts9734]

I love your perspective on the Santa thing, I see both sides as well and am very conflicted on if I ever have kids if they'll be taught Santa exists or not. I've love for them to believe in that magic, but I also wouldn't want them to feel lied to. Even if it is a fun lie that isn't damaging, I still worry about how they'll feel about it. There's also how if I can afford to adopt a kid with a partner someday and we do, but then when the kid is Santa age we end up in a position where we're struggling to afford nice things, I don't want the kid wondering why Santa got their classmates all these very expensive things like gaming consoles or iphones or something while they got something cheaper. And I don't want their learning Santa isn't real moment to come from explaining why Santa got their classmates so much more super expensive stuff. Being disabled, it is a real fear that I'm ever in a comfortable position and commit to something like raising a kid, I won't always be able to afford said commitment. I also think you don't always need to believe something is real in the way Santa is taught to kids to believe in the magic. You can raise them to know Santa isn't actually real, but still believe in him for the fun of it anyways. I do that with a lot of stuff myself, and if I ever have kids I want them to be raised to do the same. And then my own esoteric beliefs also play into this sort of as well. While obviously, being an adult I know there isn't a real Santa coming down chimneys with presents every year, but I do believe there was a real Saint Nicolas, who lives on in the spirit of giving. But I'm a pagan that also believes in Krampus in a more figurative sense as well. Along with a lot of other pagan beliefs mixing some "superstitions" I've grown up with and ways of reconnecting with beliefs of various ancestors. If I ever had a kid, I'd probably lean more into teaching Santa as like, the guy in the red suit is moreso a symbol, fun to believe in and play pretend, and that he was based on the Saint Nicolas who is a spirit of giving. Santa is about honoring Saint Nicolas's spirit of giving.

[@Hollyucinogen]

My Dad was a pastor when I was growing up, and even he kept "God" and "Santa" separate from each other. 🎄

[@sparklejumprope_ghoul]

Here in Mexico baby Jesus brings the presents, not Santa. I mean, Santa does to but in some states. So I think that's even funnier cuz you make them belive that a baby brings you the presents but then expect that they keep beliving in God when they grow up?

[@andrewmazzarini2742]

0:22 Honestly my favorite statement on this whole "debacle" comes from James Rolfe, in character as the Angry Video Game Nerd for one of his Christmas specials from like 12 years ago; "Happy holidays, and if you have a problem with 'happy holidays' then happy shut the fuck up." 42:10 There is absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating secular elements of Christmas & Easter as a non-Christian. If you're Jewish and want to tell your kids about the Easter Bunny, go right ahead. If you're Muslim and want to give gifts to your family on Christmas, I see nothing wrong with that. It's kinda like celebrating American Independence Day as someone who grew up in the UK and still lives there. It's unusual but if you want to then do as you wish.

[@mister.wednesday]

They're coming to a crisis in your backseat right now. Has me dead.

[@Mitchy29]

Everyone enjoy whatever makes you happy. ❤

[@Paolo8772]

"If you're Christian I hope your Christmas is extra JESUSY". Brilliant. I know I spelled it right because I didn't get alerted with red dashes underneath which would have happened if I spelled it "Jesusie"

[@EvieHayden]

In my family, Santa is a literal "spirit" of christmas- we are all the embodiment of "santa" as we gave gifts. He was never a person- he was more a feeling/vibe. ❤it meant no lies, no betrayal, just love.

[@Justsomebody009]

My son asked me one year why some kids didn't get any big presents from Santa but they got them from their parents... Because Santa only gets him little things like clothes and smaller toys but someone in school got an Xbox from Santa but my son's tablet was from us. I told him that parents still have a bill to pay Santa.. he already understands that there are children that parents are struggling money wise and he knows that he is really lucky that his parents work good jobs.. we can afford to get Santa to make loads of things but we get him the bigger things because sometimes we find a better deal than Santas deal... That's just what we do

[@debbs_io]

4:44 Very funny photo, you looked so mad😂

[@jaz4198ify]

I tried to tell my kid not to tell other kids because they grew up different but now anytime anyone brings up god she just argues with them about him being fake and it’s so funny but like 😬😬 oof to those parents lmao not my problem “right oops” lol

[@twinkiesnails8857]

Christmas is a pagan holiday with practices to this day rooted in paganism stolen by the catholic church during mass conversion during the crusades ❤ i love telling hard core Christians this especially when they try to gate keep Christmas

[@superXfairXgirl]

As a Christian, I thank you for sharing the truth and helping the disciples towards the Kingdom. May God bless you 💖

[@ehdrake]

OMG that teacher is infuriating!!! I already have a plan to tell my kid that when they figure out Santa isn't real that he needs to keep that to himself since it's not our business to tell people what to believe or not. How is that hard for an adult to grasp?

[@iAstra]

I get that the teacher saying that wasn't right, but I have heard what the other side's argument is, which is that the kids in the class are not from the same financial background and so, when a kid from a well-to-do family comes in and says they got some fancy iPad or whatever from Santa, kids from families that can't afford that, but asked Santa for the same thing would most likely feel a degree of hurt and that they aren't as good or something like that.

[@JulietteVeronica1201]

When I was a kid our church had sculptures of the scene when Jesus was born and they hired a Santa to walk down the aisle to place a rose on Jesus's crib. Now that I'm older I know it wasn't him, which honestly makes it all the more beautiful because it goes to show that you don't have to choose one or the other.

[@Avigorus]

I don't think the santa/ jesus analogy ever crossed my mind when I started questioning as a kid or when I found out that he wasn't real, but then again my memories are a little tainted by how I had been actively thought-stopping myself for almost a decade out of (thankfully misfounded) fear that I'd get abandoned if I lost my faith (I legit started questioning before I hit puberty, then had an incident that started me fearing which delayed the realization until I got to college)

[@meg7865]

The clip with the two comedians (Chris Distefano and Esther Povitsky) I definitely think is suppose to be a ridiculous joke. Ester’s dad is Jewish and I think she was just trying to be funny by taking such a sweet story about Christmas and poking a hole in Chris’s explanation to his daughter, by asking how his daughter will understand Jewish kids holiday traditions/why they don’t get gifts from Santa. Just another perspective on that clip. 💁🏼‍♀️

[@GRRR410]

I knew a family who didn't tell their kids Santa was real, because they didn't want to teach their kids not to lie, but then tell them such an intricate lie. So like their kids knew that all the holiday mascots weren't real, and were like TV characters. I can get behind their reasoning.

[@sounds0fmeows]

growing up my mom traumatized me with H*ll. During my late teens I had a massive breakdown over it. but thankfully I joined a new branch of Christianity (Adventists) which taught that hell wasn't eternal so I had to re-indoctrinate myself with these new teachings, thankfully my new indoctrination as a young adult made it easier to leave religion together in my mid to late 20s. My mum still preaches her h*ll when i visit but it doesn't scare me anymore. if I would've left Christianity with my mom's beliefs instead of the new ones that I picked up (outside of my mom's version of Christianity) I probably would still be traumatized by her verion of christianity. And all of the horrible things she preached to me as a kid

[@noillusions8734]

What's hilarious to me is when I hear the older generations complain about "kids today", gaming, cell phones, tablets, fast fashions, etc. are literally the ones who created the world our kids are growing up in! The only ones at "fault" are them! I'm a grandparent, and as great as all these conveniences are, they affect our kids. Instead of just complaining and blaming, maybe these people should take some responsibility and show our kids some love and compassion in this fast paced world THEY created!!

[@sarahisbell1918]

That was my first question too “so god and Jesus too?”😂

[@liallialcroc]

i was told when i was 5 that santa wasnt real cause i straight up asked my mom (i grew up fundamentalist baptist) and from then on i saw it as like a way grown ups play pretend so i just played along and played pretend and it was still magical to me, i was never mad about it or upset and i never equated jesus and santa ever lol im an atheist now

[@bunny8455]

Santa & Jesus have a lot in common. Lol.

[@alexj-t2331]

Believing in Santa taught me critical thinking skills because eventually I wondered why Santa would need barcodes