Blog #126: Department Store Santas
A lot of families, neurodiverse or neurotypical, will have this as a holiday tradition getting their children a picture with a department store Santa Claus. The problem is that a lot of kids will not want to have their picture taken with a department store Santa Claus, but they are forced to endure it anyway.
This is a psychological problem that can be more traumatizing than exciting for most children especially neurodiverse children. I get the fact that Santa Claus is one of the patron saints of children along with Dr. Seuss, Walt Disney, Jim Henson and Fred Rogers, but he’s certainly no different than you and me.
Even as an adult, I still believe in Santa because he’s a representation of my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. It may seem hard to believe, but Santa is really St. Nicholas, a bishop known for his generosity during the Roman Empire.
The trouble is that a lot of families, particularly who aren’t as deeply as religious, don’t really view Santa as who he is and a lot of children are often left in fear of him because they don’t really know the truth about him.
If you are a parent who wants your child to meet with a department store Santa, I would strongly recommend doing some research on the origins of Santa Claus. Talk to your priest, reverend or vicar and they will help you better understand Santa for who he really is. Yes, Santa is real, but not in the way you really think.
Of course, a lot of families will often base Santa on the commercial aspect of the holiday. Yes, I am sure we have seen Santa many times in both film and television and a lot of families will often assume Santa is just that…a commercial symbol of the holiday.
You can talk to a family and ask them what they view Santa from and they will say that they see him as a Santa from a holiday special like “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” or a classic movie like “Miracle on 34th Street.” But, that’s not who Santa really is and I think a lot of families sadly overlook it.
I think that as a neurodiverse individual, I believe that families should do research on Santa because not only it will give your neurodiverse child reassurance, but also give you an idea on what to expect.
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Next, there is also the matter of the actor playing Santa Claus himself. A lot of Department Store Santas are usually very lacking in self-awareness of the children sitting on their laps.
If you are someone who is eager to portray Santa this year or some year down the road, it’s important to get yourself an awareness of what goes through a child’s mind when they are on your lap…do they want to be on your lap? What are their sensory needs? Do they want to meet you in a private setting and not a loud setting like a mall or department store?
In addition, if there is one thing that the COVID-19 Pandemic has brought to light, Santa can meet you and your child virtually without the sensory overload that comes with a department store Santa visit. This is especially true when it comes to neurodiverse children, you can sit with your child as he or she talks to Santa and they are taking in the experience just as well as it would be in a department store.
In conclusion, I get the fact that families will want to make holiday memories with their autistic/neurodiverse children, but sometimes there are some memories that cannot be made the traditional way and you are going to have to bend your will to better suit the child’s needs during a very stressful, yet joyous, time of year.
Catch you all later!!
