When I was a little girl, my sister and I lived and breathed Santa Claus. We knew that if we were not being good that Santa Claus was taking notes so we’d better get along and mind the rules. I remember there was a time that Santa Claus actually visited our school and a time when my sister and I actually heard his sleigh bells ring on Christmas Eve! When classmates would say that Santa Claus was not real, I would just keep quiet and think of how stupid they were for not believing. When my now adult kids were younger, as we drove around looking at Christmas lights we would look up at the sky and we would spot Santa’s sleigh, it was a little red dot in the sky. Then when we got home we would watch the weather channel and it would show where Santa’s sleigh was; as it got closer, this was their clue to go to bed.
Fast Forward to 2012, the Fauci household now includes 3 girls under the age of 7 along with an Elf that we call Snowflake Princess. When Snowflake Princess made her debut, the girls were in love, obsessed with her but at the same time very obedient. This Elf created an unexplained magic in our home. My girls were on top of their chores, their homework and the fighting between them slowed down. In addition, every morning when they woke up they went on a search for Snowflake Princess and were so delighted when they saw her hanging from the chandelier or hiding in the Christmas tree. They knew the Elf was watching and would report back to Santa Claus each night. I was so thankful for the little Elf they named Snowflake Princess but then as I watched and listened to my girls and their friends talk about the Elf that had entered their homes I had to ask myself, ‘Is Santa Claus Dead?’.
Obviously Santa Claus is not dead but I have to wonder how he became second fiddle to the Elf. As much as I appreciate the Elf and respect the job that the Elf has, I am scratching my head and trying to figure out how Santa Claus got pushed to the side and what we did wrong as parents and/or a society to allow this to happen. I know that Santa and the Elf are a ‘team’ and they work together in making sure that the good kids are rewarded but let’s be honest, Santa Claus has so many more responsibilities than the Elf and is the ultimate decider in who gets toys and what toys are given. So with that said, why is it that our kids only get excited when they see Santa at the mall or when they walk down the stairs on Christmas morning and see the presents from Santa scattered all over the floor? Why do they give more attention to the Elf and rarely ever talk about ‘The Big Guy’?
This is simple ‘food for thought’, like I said before, I know that Santa Claus is not dead but I do feel like the spirit and magic of Santa Claus has left many homes and is not a major headliner as he once was. I know that kids still adore Santa and they make sure the cookies and milk are left out on Christmas Eve but I just have to wonder if one day more parents will ask, ‘Is Santa Claus dead?’
We don’t do Elf on the Shelf and when our kids ask about Santa we tell them the truth, even if they’re really young. Our focus is very centered on Christ during the holidays. We still have lots of magic- Christmas movies and parties with friends. It seems harsh to some people but my kids are elementary age and younger and they aren’t consumed with presents and getting, getting, getting. We do a few gifts but we definitely don’t go overboard. Ok, off my soapbox 🙂
In our house the Elf came later so it did not kill the spirit of Santa. But now that my kids are older age did it.
Our elf actually helped my son believe in Santa even more! He never understood how ONE Santa could have eyes all over the place, but with his millions of tiny elves all over the world in children’s homes, it makes more sense to him that Santa could know if everyone is being naughty or nice!
I think the focus has been shifted onto presents however I do feel that it’s up to parents to install the spirit of the holidays into their kids.
It’s all about the presents now. But younger kids can still probably get into the festiveness of Santa if the parents do.
Now that I have a toddler again, I found that I am getting back into the spirit of Christmas. I think I had lost it when my older daughter grew up.
I agree with you we have lost the spirit of Santa Claus that is christmas.
Elves have big jobs, don’t you know? Isn’t santa just master elf?
Great topic! I hope the spirit continues on. Though I think things like social media are making little kids grow up way too fast these days that they don’t cherish the traditions like we used to.
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Aimee, this is a great topic of discussion! I have to admit I gave in to Elf on the Shelf last year when my daughters were 2.5 and 10 month old. Clearly the younger one had no clue, but my 2.5 year old loved seeing “Holly” the elf. I would say though this year I’m excited about brining Holly back, but my daughters are already talking about Santa, Christmas and snow in Charlotte, NC (probably not going to happen on Christmas). Santa is in all the books we read and we definitely talk more about Santa than the Elf.
I don’t know how the Elf became so popular but it’s all about Santa at my house. lol
I do like the Elf on the Shelf but I do think some people put it much higher than it should be! Great post!
Here in Spain we don’t have the Elf or strong Santa Claus tradition, because here Three Kings are more inportant. Butwe have other elves in Estonia, who are peeking through windows to see how the kids are acting. But Santa still is more important than the elves.
We have an elf, but Santa is very much alive in this house. Everyone knows the elf is just an assistant to Santa.
Yeah. This is sad – I do remember growing up being all about Santa when I was younger.
I grew up in Jamaica, so we never did the Santa thing….I let my kids go along with that idea when they were much smaller, but by the time they were 4 or 5 they got the fact that Santa isn’t real. We celebrate Jesus Christ as the reason for the season anywa
I think it is all in what we tell or present to our children. We do not have an elf of any kind and my youngest still believes in Santa, my oldest is 17 so he doesn’t believe in anything but getting gifts!
I can remember how excited my kids were when they were younger at Christmas time. Everything was always so magical.
My kids were raised on Santa magic. I hope this magic comes back soon
I never understood the whole elf on the shelf thing. I feel like Christmas should mean Santa!
I didn’t realize that Santa Claus had become second fiddle to the Elf. I plan on starting our own Elf fun this year but Santa is still the boss as far as I’m concerned.
Never had the Elf when my kids were young and just really have seen it in recent years. I don’t really understand it but nothing could ever replace Santa.
I think the elf is just the latest fad, but the Santa tradition will be around forever.
Very interesting. Right now because I don’t have little ones, I feel like Santa isn’t a big topic for me. My fiance and I keep going back and forth about even introducing the idea of Santa to our kids.
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Oh , Nancy.. no no no… Please keep fun traditions instilled in your kids.. These traditions create magic and love in their hearts.
I dont think Santa is dead. The elves still have to report to him right? 🙂
We have an elf but I have to say that I am not all that excited about him. I do think he has taken some focus off of Santa for sure.
He’s not dead but I think Elf bring a little bit more of the magic. My oldest kids no longer believe and don’t in the Elf either but it’s nice to have something else to do with my toddler.
Our elf is at our house to learn how to be a good kid like my kiddos! I don’t use our Elf like a lot of others do so it doesn’t take too much away! I’m huge on Christmas so I get kinda into all of it!
We never did get an Elf on the Shelf. I thought about it, but now I see your point.
We live in a very rural area. There are neighborhoods, but no santa on the firetruck like our former home had, and I miss it.
Aw. This post kind of makes me sad 🙁 I see your point!
Santa isnt’ dead, but the Elf of the Shelf needs to be. That thing has taken a magical holiday and made it uber creepy. I cannot stand that thing. The whole concept of a doll that moves on its own and watches you all the time… That’s not Christmas. That’s a horror movie.
Hahahaha I had to come and check out what you had to say! And, just when I thought I was going to start this tradition with my son… I should think about it! LOL
I think my kids came up before the elf went big because it was all about Santa at my house. I hope we can all bring Santa Claus magic back.
One of the biggest regrets I Have is getting an Elf on the Shelf. It TOTALLY takes away a big chunk of the magic of Santa.
Great post. If you look on Pinterest there are TONS upon tons of ideas and pins related to Elf or his friends/helpers. I think many more than there are for Santa and Christmas as a whole. We use Elf here, along with a few friends and they all work for the most part. I do wish there was more spirit and magic in Christmas, like there was when I was younger.
Our toddler started talking abut Santa Claus on her own the other day – she was so young at previous holidays that we didn’t really introduce her to the concept, so it must be something she’s picked up socially. Regardless, that gives me hope that he’s still alive in the hearts of our little ones!
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I met one of the creators of Elf on the Shelf earlier this year and the family used the elf to watch over the kids behaviors and report to Santa. Now it seems that the elf is more important than Santa. We are going to start with our elf this year and see how it goes. But you are so right that the spirit is not what it use to be.
We never did Santa, but instead did St. Nick. The spirit remained; Christmas was much looked forward to each year.
They are the same person, right?
I agree with you! The spirit is not what it used to be.