- Last Lemming on Bah Humbug: Why We Don’t Do Santa: “The phrases “Santa Claus is real” and “Santa Claus is a real person who lives at the North Pole and flies around the world in a sleigh pulled by reindeer and comes down your chimney with presents” are not making the same claim.” Dec 23, 10:33
- on Bah Humbug: Why We Don’t Do Santa: “I think what your former Bishop did was admirable. There are plenty of justifications for perpetuating the Santa myth (most fall short). But Church, and Church leaders, should be a place for truth. You can’t teach children the remarkable story of Christ (which can be hard to believe) and also the remarkable story of Santa (pretty hard to believe), expecting them to believe both but knowing one is a lie. Parents shouldn’t do it, either, of course. But if you’re a Church leader and want to be known for telling the truth, this is how you do it. I expect vitriol and rationalizing in the comments. So be it.” Dec 23, 10:08
- on Bah Humbug: Why We Don’t Do Santa: “We couldn’t decide, and so the indecision forced our decision. We didn’t do gifts “from Santa,” but once our oldest was of sufficient age, we just went straight for “he embodies the spirit of giving in this special season” kind of thing. And that was good for him, as it turns out he is incredibly literal and we would have likely had a trust issue with him. Where it didn’t work was with our second, a girl, who WANTED to believe in Santa. So it became her saying she believed in Santa, and he would go out of his way to correct her on that, and she’d argue back that she just wanted to believe. All that said, it is still fun for me to just entertain the idea of that spirit of giving and joy.” Dec 23, 08:19
- on Bah Humbug: Why We Don’t Do Santa: “When my kids asked if santa was real, I told them santa wasn’t a name but a job title. Whoever is santa gives the gifts. Everyone can be santa.” Dec 22, 21:51
- on Bah Humbug: Why We Don’t Do Santa: “My parents “did” Santa. I remember them driving us away from my grandparents’ Christmas party in Logan. I saw the red navigation light on a cell tower somewhere in the Wellesvilles and thought it was Rudolph. I’ve never forgotten that sense of wonder and always cherished the yearly rituals of leaving milk and cookies out and cleaning up the empty plate the next morning. We made sure to include some carrots for the reindeer. Mom and Dad never told me they were eating the cookies and arranging the presents. It just sort of dawned on me that the other kids probably had a point. But the Christmas season has always struck me as the richer for it. It’s the one time of year where we are encouraged not to be cynical, where we are encouraged to believe, where the best in mankind can yet be expected and people aren’t suckers for letting it out. It would not surprise me if God had angels sent abroad to foster that sentiment. What else would we call them, servants of He who loves little children? I suppose this is my way of saying that, after all these years, I still believe.” Dec 22, 20:27
- on Bah Humbug: Why We Don’t Do Santa: “Just be careful. My parents didn’t “do” Santa, so I (of course) told all the kids at school their presents weren’t from Santa, because he’s not real. I was not well-liked after that.” Dec 22, 19:05
- on Bah Humbug: Why We Don’t Do Santa: “@ Mark Ashurst-McGee: I like that way of threading the needle. It also reminds me of one of the funniest Christmas memes I saw where a child is sitting on Santa’s lap who asks him “Homoousios or homoiousios?” Santa reacts with a befuddled “what?” and the kid responds “you’re not the real St. Nicholas.” @RLD: Ditto, I have the same hangup; not to subtly disparage anybody who doesn’t have it, but I do. @ David Robbins: Oh dear, this is embarrassing. At least I was consistently misspelling it throughout. I went ahead and corrected it. @Carey F: That’s another profound way to see it.” Dec 22, 18:40
- on Bah Humbug: Why We Don’t Do Santa: “I think Santa is a great myth—not because it’s false, but because it’s formative. It gives young children a world charged with wonder, generosity, and surprise. For a short, age-appropriate season, they live inside a story where gifts are freely given, goodness is rewarded, and joy comes from something outside themselves. That kind of enchantment matters. It trains the heart before it trains the mind. What’s especially meaningful is that belief in Santa isn’t meant to last forever. It has a built-in transition. At some point, kids don’t really “lose” Santa so much as they inherit him. They cross a threshold from receiving the magic to creating it—quietly and anonymously—for the sake of someone else’s delight. They become Santa themselves. That cycle—first believing, then embodying—is doing real moral and even religious work. Early faith is mostly received as gift, story, and trust. Later, faith matures into responsibility, practice, and love enacted for others. The point was never to cling forever to the literal form, but to be shaped by it and then live it out. There’s also something deeply religious about the hiddenness of Santa. The goodness is real, the gifts are real, but the giver stays unseen. What matters isn’t recognition but generosity; not proof but trust; not control but love. In that sense, the myth quietly tutors us in how divine grace often works—indirectly, and through ordinary people who choose to give. So Santa isn’t really a deception kids eventually outgrow; it’s more like a ritual of formation. It teaches that goodness precedes us, that joy can be gratuitous, and that maturity means taking responsibility for the very grace we once received. That feels like a deeply religious pattern to me: being given life as a gift, and then learning how to give it away.” Dec 22, 16:57
- on Beyond the King James Version: The Church’s New Handbook Policy on Bible Translations: “Yes, there have been a number of instances of general authorities using other translations in general conference. I am glad the rank-and-file membership now has “permission” to do likewise. Here is an example of where a different translation might be helpful… KJV Lev. 19:33-34 And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. NIV Lev. 19:33-34 When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” Dec 22, 16:48
- on Bah Humbug: Why We Don’t Do Santa: “Side note from the orthographic police: it’s Santa Claus, with no e at the end.” Dec 22, 16:48
