As we progress through the season of Merry Hallowthankmas…we are at Christmas, and every mall is in full Holiday decor with festive holiday music playing in the background, Holiday commercials enticing shoppers are on every channel, and everyday I have a new sale in my email inbox. My snail mail box is stuffed with holiday catalogs. Ahhhh…consumerism.
In an elementary school this is a hard time of year. Kids are making their lists and sending their letters to Santa. For some kids, this is a time of shopping, present wrapping and anticipation. And for others this is a time of stress and confusion. It is stressful for families who struggle to make ends meet on a regular day, but the struggle is real when extra holiday expenses are added in. It is confusing for little kids who know they should be on the nice list, but their Santa Clause wishes are still just wishes, while other children’s wishes are realities after the new year. It is hard for intermediate students as they grapple with the reality of Santa Clause (and the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy) as some kids are spilling the ‘secret’.
As we race, full steam ahead into the new year, several things have been on my mind, almost like Scrooge and the spirits of Christmas past, present, and yet to come.
The Spirit of Christmas Past
My Ghost of Christmas Past takes me back to my fourth grade classroom in Bisbee, Arizona. The Holiday season had been upon us, and one of the kids in my class had been telling all of the kids that there was no such thing as Santa because his big brother told him so. This particular little mischief maker was almost gleeful in the telling of this secret, and some kids were looking at him through critical eyes, while others were devastated. A few who already knew were tight lipped after parental admonitions not to ruin it for others.
After recess, as the kids were coming in to the classroom there were tears and arguments, and as I began to sort it out, nearly the whole class was in an uproar over the truth vs. fiction behind the man, the myth, the legend… Santa Clause himself. We were supposed to start a writing lesson, and just like that, my lesson plans changed. The persuasive writing topic became “Is Santa Real?’. We made a huge T chart, And one side was labeled real and one was fake. I let my naysayers have the floor first. I let them give me any and all evidence they had as to why they did not believe in Santa Clause. Then I rebutted all their arguments.
Oh…yeah….Number three. Let me just say I went right to my principal, Mr. May’s office right after school and confessed. He sort of turned his back from me, and I could see his shoulders slightly heaving for a moment, and then he turned with a red face and watery eyes and said, “Thank you for the advance warning, you should probably call the parents and explain yourself”. He told me a few years later he laughed and laughed the whole way home, because if there was a naughty list, this kid was on it. On a side note, I did call the parents and told them that I basically told their child he was on the naughty list. Apparently the older brother who spilled the beans to the younger brother was also on the naughty list.
The Spirit of Christmas yet to Come
The disparity of the holidays is never more present than it is in an elementary school. Some of my students are headed to Disneyland over the Holiday break, and others have big homes with lights and trees, cookies and fudge, and all the trimmings for a bright and shiny holiday. And still others watch the TV commercials with hopeful eyes and big wishes. SPA will have an angel tree sponsored by the social committee in the lobby to help make the holidays brighter for some of our kiddos and their big wishes. I will be sending out ‘care packages’ (anonymously) to several kids and their families so they have a package arrive every couple of days during the Holiday break…
Equity isn’t something that the money making machines that drive the holidays are particularly concerned with. It is important for us to teach our children the real importance of the holidays, be it Christmas, Navidad, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day or Omisoka, that family and friends are what makes holidays special. That the traditions that don’t cost money are far more valuable than the material things the have come to define the holidays. But that is a hard sell to a little kid who just wants the latest and greatest toy. It is an even harder sell to the child whose family can’t provide that toy.
The Spirit of Christmas Present
I have to go back to Christmas past and the fourth graders. While I called the parents of my mischievous student, it was actually another parent who approached me about the writing topic for that week. While their family wasn’t anti holidays, the parent questioned me about defending my belief in Santa Clause to the children. I apologized to the parent for offending them, though they said they weren’t offended but were questioning me on behalf of others who might have been, they wanted to hear my rationale for this lesson. I explained to them my feelings on the subject, which have not changed in the last 15 years.
The myth of Santa Clause is a jolly little man who delivers gifts to children on Christmas and dates back hundreds of years. He comes in the night and isn’t seen but evidence of his presence remains in the form of gifts left behind. Some evidence of his presence includes half eaten snacks left for Santa, boot prints, and reindeer tracks which are intended to further convince potential non believers. But here is what we are asking children to do: believe in something you cannot see or touch. This is important because through out life there are times when we have to have hope, faith, love, compassion for others, generosity of spirit, and none of these are things we can see or touch, but are things we should all believe in.
I explained to this parent that teaching children to believe in things they can’t see or touch helps build resilience and patience. That believing in the magic of something good helps them believe in happy endings when things may not be good, and we all need hope. Believing in the magic of something coming from nothing helps kids have faith. Believing in things that can’t be seen or touched is the epitome of faith, and whether that faith is in religion good mojo, or whatever, faith is a good thing.
Christmas Present
Thinking about Christmas Past, and Christmas future, and where I am right now, my kids have written their Santa letters…probably via text…but rest assured…there will be no iPhone 11 under the tree. The rule stands at my house when you stop having faith in what you can’t see, there will be no gift under the tree. And that being said, there is also no over the top extravagant gift that will put me in the poorhouse. What we will have is a a few gifts, a cookie decorating party (which is a longstanding tradition), Fudge making with the sisters-in-law, the annual entire family sitting on Santa’s lap mall picture, (yes Mazie May…that is a must), driving around looking at holiday lights, and champagne on Christmas eve with my husband. These are the things that make the holidays special for me. Whatever your holiday traditions are, enjoy them with love. Blessings from the Principal’s office.
