My complicated relationship with Santa Claus

Okay, I still have no anti-resolution wish list, but am still feeling I need a holiday debrief.

For the last five years, my daughter has sent a letter to Santa Claus with her Christmas wish list. I also tell her Santa is a very busy man, and she will definitely not be getting ALL the toys on this list, and she will most likely be getting a toy somewhat similar to the one on the list, but probably not be the exact toy.

Anyway, here is my and my husband's usual Christmas eve routine: guests leave, dishes are loaded into the dishwasher (or hand washed, hey Santa, I need a bigger dishwasher), and house is tidied to an acceptable level (I have very low standards, so there is actually very little tidying). Then probably sometime after midnight, us 'Santa helpers' start assembling toys that will magically appear on Christmas day.

I have discovered that it is incredibly difficult for my fingers to work on anything other than a remote control, and to follow any sort of instructions after midnight.

But, it is all worth it to see her happy, excited face on Christmas morning when she discovers that she has actually been a good little girl (or good enough little girl) for Santa to bring her a present on her wish list, and not just a rock (knowing my kid though, she would actually be quite happy with a rock).

And then I find my feelings of happiness is inversely correlated to how happy Santa is making my child. Why should Santa get all the credit? What about all the toys that mommy and daddy got her?

It gets worse when months later she reminds me that her favourite gift is one that Santa got her, and then asks, what did you get me again mommy?

So this last Christmas I decided that mommy (and daddy too) is going to come up top dog this time. So take that Santa.

We decided to give her an expensive, and quite extravagant present this year. And this year, we are taking the credit for it.

Sure Santa still got her a couple of things from her list (most of which is now sitting in a pile near my feat), but it is the big gift that is still played with and is much treasured.

I think my relationship with Santa has moved to a much happier place this year. I no longer feel jealous and resentful towards the jolly old man. In fact, I am now appreciating him for the thing he does best – as a threat to my child to behave for the entire month of December (and if I am lucky, November as well).

Note – this last Christmas was also made easier when all the gifts that Santa brought did not require any sort of assembly.

It is that time of year again.... time to play Santa...

At our house, we started this little ritual a couple of years ago. I give my daughter the toy catalogues, (the ones that seem to come daily this time of year), then she goes through them all, cuts out her favourites and glues them onto one piece of paper to be sent to Santa.

This project accomplishes a few things. It gives me a clue as to what she wants for Christmas. It helps with her planning and future thinking skills – she can only fit so many toys on a page, so she must figure out which toys she really wants, and plan how to fit as many toys as she can onto a piece of paper (spatial reasoning skills?). It helps with her motor skills (the cutting and glueing). This year, we plan to work on her literacy skills as she must also write a letter to Santa. AND most importantly, it keeps her busy while I cook dinner.

Nevertheless, no matter what toy we get her, and no matter how much effort we put in trying to find some gender neutral, educational alternative to the Barbie doll and nail polish kit that she glued onto that sheet of paper, the toy will inevitably end up on the floor somewhere to become a tripping hazard or end up jabbing me in my foot.

So for her birthday this year we tried something different. Instead of a big expensive toy, we got her an experience. The whole family went to see the live production of Beauty and the Beast. We still got her a little toy to open on her birthday, even I realize that it would be difficult to explain to a five year old why there is nothing to unwrap, but her actual present, which happened about two months later, was the show.

Even though she did not completely enjoy the show (long story, maybe I will save it for another post), it did start me thinking that maybe this is the way to go for presents. Instead of another toy (more crap for me to clean up), why not do something fun as a family. Something that will leave very little physical presence (nothing for me to stub my toe on), but at the same time, something that can be enjoyed by all and leave a lasting memory.

To help you give a gift of an experience, here is a discount code for Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy. The show will be at Rogers Centre in Toronto from December 21 – December 26, 2012. For more information please visit http://disney.go.com/disneyonice/

Discount offer – 4 tickets for $44 on WEEKDAYS and $4 off per ticket on weekends.

Promotion code – MUM4

Fine print - Excludes Front Row, Rinkside, and VIP tickets. No double discounts. Additional Fees May Apply. Weekday is defined as Monday thru Thursday and Friday Matinee. Weekend is defined as Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday. Please put the code in the box for “promotions” NOT family pack. The promotion price does not include fees from Ticketmaster. 

More Fine print - Feld Entertainment may be providing me with complimentary tickets to this show, in exchange for my time and efforts in attending the show, and reporting my opinion within this blog. However, the opinions about the show, and everything else are 100 per cent mine.


pictures courtesy of: Disney characters and artwork, © Disney. Disney/Pixar characters and artwork © Disney/Pixar.

Christmas time

Christmas is rapidly approaching, and I started thinking, which is actually not that often, as I am in a constant panic about not getting everything done on time. Anyway, I digress, I started to think about what Christmas actually means to my daughter.

I am guessing for her, Christmas means candy canes, decorated trees, lots of food, and of course Santa and presents. I am trying to encourage her to think of Christmas as a time to be good and kind to others (though this should be all the time), and an occasion to spend and enjoy time with people you care about and care about you. It is nevertheless hard to compete with presents.

We are not a religious family. I did not grow up in a very religious household, but when I was little, my parents did take my sister and I to church almost every Sunday – I vaguely recall making crafts and colouring stuff. When I was older, I enjoyed some of the pageantry and rituals associated with going to church, but I definitely did not like sitting through the sermons. Yet, even with my lack of attention during my 'religious' upbringing, I do remember the Christmas story.

My daughter has never stepped foot in a church, okay, that is not completely true, her school concerts take place in an auditorium inside a church, and I think we had to go to one to vote, but you know what I mean. (And, this blog is not really about how I am introducing, or in this case, not introducing religion to my daughter.)

Well, I figure the easiest way to find out what my little one is thinking about is to just ask her.

And here is what she told me: Christmas is time for family.

I think she knows exactly what Christmas is all about.