Christmas Philosophy
My father maintains that it is a good idea to teach children that Father Christmas exists, because finding out that he doesn't is a good learning experience and trains children to deal with religion.
Seiko disagrees with this point of view on the basis that if she's going to spend her money on Christmas presents for the kids, she'd at least like a little gratitude (although expecting gratitude from a young child is a bit like sitting next to the fireplace on Christmas eve waiting for Father Christmas).
I disagree with both of them on the basis that Father Christmas does exist. I saw him, and so did both the children. He made an appearance at Alex's school, and he turned up at Akira's baby and toddler group. Fat guy, red suit, white beard, sack full of presents. Definitely him. What's more, I have reason to believe that he really was in more than one place at once (which is vital for distributing presents worldwide on a single day).
Now I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, that was just some guy dressed in a Santa suit. Well, yes, but consider this. A guy driving a taxi is a taxi driver. No-one ever says 'You're not a real taxi driver, you're just a guy driving a taxi'. Similarly, a guy in a Father Christmas suit is Father Christmas. Of course it helps if you say 'Ho Ho Ho' a lot and distribute presents. But he did!
And the spirit of Christmas is powerful. Seiko is a dedicated bah humbug merchant, but unless she manages to escape to Japan, even she cannot avoid it. She grudgingly makes offerings at those altars to Christmas consumerism called 'toy shops'. She eats and drinks, and occasionally her resolve slips and she is slightly merry.
Really God has got nothing on Father Christmas. God manages to get a small proportion of British bums on pews on a weekly basis, sure, but every year Father Christmas whips pretty much everyone into a frenzy for a fortnight or more. Perhaps the church would do better if they got some guys with big beards and a white robe to make appearances in schools and playgroups. And, there are all those beardy guys out of work 11 months a year. Perfect!
Seiko disagrees with this point of view on the basis that if she's going to spend her money on Christmas presents for the kids, she'd at least like a little gratitude (although expecting gratitude from a young child is a bit like sitting next to the fireplace on Christmas eve waiting for Father Christmas).
I disagree with both of them on the basis that Father Christmas does exist. I saw him, and so did both the children. He made an appearance at Alex's school, and he turned up at Akira's baby and toddler group. Fat guy, red suit, white beard, sack full of presents. Definitely him. What's more, I have reason to believe that he really was in more than one place at once (which is vital for distributing presents worldwide on a single day).
Now I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, that was just some guy dressed in a Santa suit. Well, yes, but consider this. A guy driving a taxi is a taxi driver. No-one ever says 'You're not a real taxi driver, you're just a guy driving a taxi'. Similarly, a guy in a Father Christmas suit is Father Christmas. Of course it helps if you say 'Ho Ho Ho' a lot and distribute presents. But he did!
And the spirit of Christmas is powerful. Seiko is a dedicated bah humbug merchant, but unless she manages to escape to Japan, even she cannot avoid it. She grudgingly makes offerings at those altars to Christmas consumerism called 'toy shops'. She eats and drinks, and occasionally her resolve slips and she is slightly merry.
Really God has got nothing on Father Christmas. God manages to get a small proportion of British bums on pews on a weekly basis, sure, but every year Father Christmas whips pretty much everyone into a frenzy for a fortnight or more. Perhaps the church would do better if they got some guys with big beards and a white robe to make appearances in schools and playgroups. And, there are all those beardy guys out of work 11 months a year. Perfect!
posted by Tony @ 23:13
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home