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December 20, 2006

Leave Santa Alone

I was a little annoyed to learn that a New York parent whose child is not Christian issued a complaint about the school bus driver's custom of wearing a Santa hat at Christmas time each year. If he had placed a manger scene on the bus, I could understand it, but for crying out loud, Santa is a secular, festive character who is all about fun, and has nothing to do with God.

Fortunately, Kenneth Mott, the bus driver, has been told he can go ahead and wear his Santa hat again (he threatened to quit over the matter), so the kids on the bus can have a few moments every school day to smile and enjoy the holiday season.

I don't blame non-Christians for wanting to hear "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" and retailers who want to show their respect for all their customers by dropping the word "Christmas" from their décor, advertising and outreach are A-OK with me. I also agree that other seasonal holiday symbols should be displayed with equal prominence as Christian holiday symbols on public property.

But in the modern world, Santa Claus is no longer a Christian character. He is entirely secular. He's simply a symbol of the joy of giving and the anticipation of receiving special treats from the people who love you. That's something most Americans enjoy, religious or not. It's time for people to stop being offended by the secular Santa Claus and spoiling everyone else's fun just because they don't want to join in any reindeer games.

I really like the attitude of this site, which gives a brief outline of the history of Santa Claus:

Actually the old "cult" of Santa Claus incorporates many traditions: Christian and Pagan, Old Catholic, Scandinavian, Dutch, German and English.

Santa brings us all together! Kids all over the world know who Santa is... And although he may be a little commercial, who can help, but love the jolly old elf?

It's the Idea of giving that reminds us; we are all on this planet together, for the long run.

Posted by Becky at December 20, 2006 10:16 AM