We did not dwell on what we did not have and I don’t mean to
I Hated Santa Claus
Well,. When you are a child, you really believe that the world will be just and fair in the end, that something or someone will recognize your plight and help make it better in some way.
If your parents can’t give you what you want because they canada goose outlet location can’t afford it, and God won’t give it to you because he has a plan and he may be ‘testing’ you, surely, SANTA has no reason to withhold his treasures. All you have to do is be ‘good’, canada goose outlet miami and Santa will reward you.
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Christmas MorningChristmas morning was always cold. Very cold. Excited at the prospect of getting up and finding wrapped presents under the tree, we would grab our sleeping bags or covers and make the chilly trek down the stairs. The canada goose coats uk small house was heated by a coal (yes, coal) furnace in the basement. The furnace was woefully inefficient and made less effective canada goose uk by the rusted and worn pipes. Until a grown up got up and started the fire, there was no heat at canada goose outlet trillium parka black all. In Western Pennsylvania in December, this was saying a lot.
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canada goose black friday sale The problem was that to a young child, there was no good reason for this. Santa should be the great equalizer. You behaved well causing your parents no real problems. You did well in canada goose outlet parka school without getting into fights or trouble and teachers generally were glad to have you in their class. All of this should point to a BIG reward from Santa. But, it didn’t. canada goose black friday sale
The little snob with all the advantages in life STILL got the best presents. How could Santa do that? Didn’t he know what a little selfish, mean brat she was? Shouldn’t she have gotten next to nothing? Should I have been rewarded with the finer goodies?
Canada Goose Outlet I would bet that most poor kids stop believing in Santa well before their more advantaged counterparts. It only makes sense that it would happen that way. All kids believe they will have their wishes granted on Christmas. Those who do have no reason to question. Those who can’t quite figure out why Santa hates them figure it out. There is only one reason that the bounty of Christmas canada goose outlet in uk is correlated to their general income level. So, another explanation was necessary to reconcile canada goose outlet ontario the discord. I don’t remember how (made it up or someone hinted at it) I came to believe it, but I had the general idea that parents had to pay into a ‘fund’ for Santa like a tax, although I didn’t really canada goose outlet store near me have that concept down at the time. I think I created that in my head to explain in the only way that made sense why rich kids got more and ‘better’ stuff. Canada Goose Outlet
So, I never hated Santa or resented him. And, I never really believed Santa hated anyone.
canada goose coats And overall, this uneasiness with Christmas only lasted for a couple days out of a couple canada goose outlet edmonton years those years where you are aware of the comparisons between you and your peers AND you believe in Santa. So, it wasn’t a huge deal. But, I do remember some confusion and the occasional feeling of ‘unfairness’. I am very, very fortunate that my financial woes are far behind me and I have children of my own who will not know how it feels to be ‘the poor kid’. canada goose coats
buy canada goose jacket cheap To be honest, this Santa poor kid rich kid discrepancy bothers me WAY more now than it ever did as a child. It breaks my heart to think of children still wondering why Santa has forsaken them, canada goose outlet in vancouver trying to understand what they did wrong. buy canada goose jacket cheap
canada goose store So, every year at Christmas I talk to my children. I tell them that there is a special fund that parents pay into for Santa. Kids who are LUCKY have canada goose womens outlet parents who can pay more and therefore, can get better gifts. But, more importantly, I don’t buy my kids their biggest, most desired gifts of the year at Christmas. They get those for their birthdays or other events. We aren’t perfect, but are doing our best. canada goose store
At Christmas, we try (TRY) to keep it to more simple gifts. Of course, this is easier said than done, thus the explanation above about the ‘Santa tax’. I’ll canada goose outlet in usa be damned if my children go to school and make others feel badly, whether on purpose or inadvertently. I will try to avoid that as best I can. Of course, they have never been in the deprived position, so they can only understand to a certain degree at their young ages. We are fostering that awareness, slowly but surely.
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canada goose deals We also try to sponsor a family for Christmas. Several charities in the area will provide you with the ‘wish list’ of families in need. This way, you get to actually BE Santa for someone. This is my favorite way to help. I have never gotten feedback or direct thanks for the gifts I have sent (and some have been quite generous, if I do say so), but I don’t need to that’s not what it’s about. I KNOW how those kids feel when they get the thing they really wanted and never thought they would get. Knowing that you can give that feeling to someone is priceless and puts a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye even as I write about it here. canada goose deals
canada goose coats on sale Note to the Reader:Christmas was still an overall joyful time of year. My family made sure we had special memories with family and I still treasure those memories above all. We did not dwell on what we did not have and I don’t mean to imply that it was gloomy or sad. But, when you are poor, you can’t help but become aware of the differences and it could occasionally be disheartening. I see the potential for children to feel inferior if it seemed that even Santa didn’t reward them and their canada goose outlet store uk self esteem is not reinforced in other ways. My point here is to remind parents of all economic levels to be aware of the messages we send our children and our children’s peers at this time of year and always about their worth. canada goose coats on sale
My kids will not think that the extravagance of Christmas presents theirs or other childrens’ has anything to do with their value as humans.
Canada Goose Parka What Can You Do?Christmas is generally full of warm fuzzies and there is nothing wrong with that. But, I think making our children aware of the discrepancies and being sensitive to what they might be thinking no matter where you fall on the spectrum is so very important at this time of year. Canada Goose Parka
buy canada goose jacket Let’s let them know that what Santa brings isn’t really a measure of their worth. And, this is just as important for those «with» as those «without». buy canada goose jacket
I actually despise the idea that children are taught that they get lots of presents if they are «good», because let’s face it that just isn’t true. There are plenty of good people who get next to nothing. And there are some little shits who seem to have it all, and then get more at Christmas.
Let’s all raise our children to be aware of the differences and understand that it isn’t their fault. Teach them to treat others with compassion and to be grateful for what they have whatever that is. Despite the lack of material goods, we had great food and lots of laughter with extended family at Christmas. Those were the moments that made official canada goose outlet Christmas special and the memories I treasure above all others now. The toys, even if they had been stacked to the ceiling would be long gone, but those moments those one of a kind, special, treasured memories they are still there. They can’t be erased or replaced. Make those memories.
