We Apologize for Interrupting Your Holiday and Christmas Shopping…

A few years ago we first published my wife Susan’s letter to Santa. It was actually a question really but one that seems as important today as it ever was. It’s a question that has implications for politics, religion, social relationships as well as for parenting.

Questions about good and evil, Heaven and Hell,reward and punishment and love, forgiveness and understanding have been around it seems since the beginning of history. And it has changed over time, varies across cultures and differs from person to person. remember the Catholic sin of “eating meat on Fridays?”

All religions it seems have drawn a line between acceptable and not acceptable to God/Force/Gods/Enlightenment/Nothingness/Whatever or However it is appreciated by it’s founders, leaders or followers. and white, cut and dried clear cut yes or no, once we begin to delve just a bit deeper the simple becomes murky and blurred and we may have to weigh in with our own response as to what we believe is right/wrong, good/bad acceptable/not acceptable. This could be a scary place for us, and no one really wants to be responsible for deciding on our own what is right/wrong. Well, some do maybe, but it is usually based on someone or something else. It is much easier to point to… law, the Bible, Koran, Scriptures, teachers, leaders or anyone we believe “knows” or has the answer. 

But for now, let’s just stick with the Santa issue. I see it almost daily during this time of year and hear it from many parents, department store Santa helpers and family members… “have you been good this year?”
Hmmmm. Let’s see what Susan has to say, then you weigh in and tell us what you think. Are any kids really bad?