Hello, my bucket list friends ! I hope all of you are having a very merry December ! One thing I really love about blogging and writing in general is that it allows people to express feelings and ideas that they might otherwise keep to themselves . Now this is not the typical post that I usually write .This is definitely much more on the controversial side but it is something that has been on my mind lately and I feel the need to express it . Get ready and hold on tight for a different kind of post from just a bucket list dream !
My Childhood without Santa Claus
When I was growing up my family didn’t do the Christmas tradition of Santa Claus . Both my sister and I knew that the gifts under the tree had been bought for us by our parents or other family members but that didn’t mean we didn’t love Christmastime ! I looked forward to Christmas just like any other kid did . I loved decorating the Christmas tree , decorating sugar cookies , looking at Christmas lights ,being in church Christmas plays , and of course getting some pretty awesome gifts ! Some people may have felt like my sister and I were missing out on something great but we didn’t think so . Neither of us really minded knowing who our gifts were from as long as we had presents to open on Christmas day . Looking back now,knowing that my parents were the ones buying the gifts for us made me really appreciate the things I got for Christmas . We didn’t have a ton of money to spend and I knew that. Seeing all the effort that my parents put in to Christmas made it more special . Another benefit of not doing the Santa Claus tradition was that I realized the important of giving to other children whos parents could not afford any gifts for them . I remember participating in the toy drive at church and helping out at the toys for tots donation center . Since I knew how presents really got under the tree I knew that it was up to the kindness of others to help those children . Not doing the Santa Claus tradition made me want to help others more. I knew that Santa didn’t bring gifts to those in need but that people with kind hearts did . Not believing in Santa Claus helped to teach me the importance of kindness and giving. I look at it as a very positive thing not only did I learn some important character qualities, I never had to deal with the disappointment of finding out the truth and I was able to enjoy Christmas year after year without questioning if reindeer could really fly or if one guy could make it to every house in the world in one night . Now, all that being said Santa Claus wasn’t banned in our house or anything like that. We owned the Santa Claus movies and if we wanted to pretend Santa was real we could . Overall not doing the Santa Claus tradition had a very positive effect on my childhood. It taught me important values and lessons that helped me grow in to who I am today.
Rock on – Christina Epperly
