random post 2
People always talk about how oblivious and naive young kids are and I wholeheartedly agree because as a child I was the rule. Growing up, every winter is filled with Christmas and Santa Claus. Not even just in school, we grew up with cable tv where every channel was filled with heartfelt, classic Christmas movies and spirit. Spirit that spilled over into every aspect of our lives.
My family is Muslim, so I did not grow up celebrating Christmas. However, they did not completely shield us from the idea and celebration of Christmas. We still would go to San Franscico Union Square and have a big dinner with my extended family. This was just a small part of our lives, their Muslim and Arab identities they taught us about and exposed us to was their forefront. However, they did not account for the extremely oblivious and gullible daughter they had. I still believed in Santa and got into a lot of arguments with my Dad about it.
I am very aware that it makes absolutely no sense. I have never celebrated Christmas, I was raised in a Muslim household, and my only Christmas exposure was in school and media. Every Christmas, until I was eight or nine, I would set out milk and cookies, track Santa on the Google Santa tracker, and tell my Dad we need to leave the fireplace unlocked so Santa can come down. He was baffled, "what are you talking about Santa is not real," I refused to comply. I moved around the living room insisting we need room for a tree and my poor parents reiterated over and over we don't celebrate Christmas, Santa Claus is not real. I was so sure they were lying and Santa was skipping our house because they wouldn't keep the fireplace open and wouldn't get a tree.
I am not sure when I finally snapped out of this delusion, but it is very funny to see if you really are deep and believe in your delusions as a child you will think it is real. Childhood naivety is a sweet phase, when it is as harmless and comical as mine was.
Hi Shahd! Your post made me smile because it's such a relatable and tender reflection on the magic and confusion of childhood imagination. Your story perfectly captures how powerful media and culture can be in shaping what we believe, even when it doesn’t quite match our reality.
ReplyDeleteHI Shahd, your post is very funny and reminds me of what it was like to be a child. Very interesting how your parents interacted with you while you tried to convince them to make a setup to induce Santa Claus to come over. It is also fascinating how media and symbols like Santa can supersede personal contexts such as religion.
ReplyDeleteI love your post! It is very wholesome and reminiscent of being an innocent child with no care for the world besides making sure Santa got his milk and cookies for Christmas. I also did not grow up celebrating the holiday so I can definitely relate to arguments you had with your dad.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree! When you believe in something, especially as a kid, it gives you so much confidence—sometimes even to the point of being a bit stubborn.
ReplyDeleteThis comment comes from your classmate Nick Abbasi: This post made me smile — your childhood belief in Santa was so endearing! I loved how you tied it into a reflection on childhood innocence and how strongly we can believe in something when we're little.
ReplyDeleteSanta Claus, the Easter Bunny, and Tooth Fairy still very much exist in my household. You are the embodiment of the power of childhood imagination. It is admirable how much joy Santa brought you despite religion.
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