Christmas is a magical time and one of the most wondrous things about being a parent when your children are very young is seeing them enjoy the pageantry of the holidays, most especially the Christmas morning Santa Claus joy.
Who doesn’t adore the big S.C? He’s so on trend by totally working and owning a chubby hipster vibe. Just look at his beard and his vintage Nordic leisure suit. Now add in his stunning black boots which I’m sure are organically sourced and locally made and you have the 2016 Hipster of the Year.
Even if you forget about his appearance, which I find very attractive in a North Pole meets L.L. Bean with a smidgen of the Pillsbury Dough Boy thrown in, the dude is amazing! He’s CEO’d an international toy factory for centuries and his overnight delivery system makes Amazon Prime look like sloppy seconds.
What’s not to love?
Apparently a lot, because I’ve been alerted to a new trend – Santa Envy which is basically Santa Hating 2.0. And it’s not the folks that enjoy pointing out that you can’t spell Satan without Santa. Oh no, it’s – and brace yourself for a doozy – parents who are butt hurt over Santa getting credit for a sizeable chunk of their kids Christmas presents.
These parents apparently have self-esteem that is so low they don’t like their children thinking Santa one-upped them in the gift department. As one parent posted on Facebook, “Why should Santa get all the credit when my husband and I are doing all the work?”
A mom took it a step further with this declaration (that for me was a shout out for mood elevating meds). “It breaks my heart to see my kids so excited about what Santa left and then when they tell me how much they love Santa Claus and say nothing about me I just want to cry.”
That lead to a flurry of other posts about how this year many parents are turning the tables on Santa Claus and he’s going to be shimmying down the chimney to deliver socks and P.J.’s instead of American Girl Dolls and Nerf N-Strike Elite Terrascout Remote Control Drone Blasters because the parents desperately want/need/crave that the present credit goes to them.
I’m no behavioral psychiatrist, but I’m thinking these moms and dads may need to chill out over keeping a Santa vs. Parents present tally sheet. If you’re that concerned about getting props from you kid about Christmas gifts then perhaps you need to reexamine your parenting role.
Do you think that at the most fundamental level you have to buy your children’s love? Or equally alarming is your relationship with your children so strained that you feel like you’re in a competition with Santa Claus?
As a seasoned mother let me share that some of my all time favorite holiday memories are seeing my children run into the living room on Christmas morning and experiencing the thrill and marvel of what Santa Claus had brought them. It’s an enchanting childhood moment that sears itself into both parent and child’s soul and teaches children that there is goodness, awe and wonder in the world.
Why would anyone want to mess with that? Why would anyone want to steal that precious experience from his or her children? And why would any parent feel the need to supplant the magical quality of Christmas morning with a “Look at all I got you! This is all from me, me, me! Aren’t I great?” tableau.
If your goal for the holidays is to best Santa Claus then I fervently hope some sort of therapy is on your Christmas wish list.
Snarky in the Suburbs 