As a lifelong participant in the annual charade of Santa Claus, this is a question that haunted me in my youth. Now that I am older, it’s mostly just idle curiosity.
Have you or anyone you know ever made good on the threat of “Santa doesn’t leave gifts for naughty boys and girls”? When I was little, I was terrified of being on the “Naughty” list although I had never met or even heard about a kid who’d really gotten coal and switches.
As a parent, I don’t know if I would be able to do that, but luckily, I’ve not yet had to face it. Once, I did prohibit my oldest child from participating in Halloween Trick-or-Treating due to an unfortunate incident he instigated at school that day.
I was always good, but my stepbrother and stepsister both earned themselves a Christmas with no presents to open. They were not young children at the time, but in their teens. They knew it was coming, as they had been very, very bad and their mother was willing to dish out the tough love.
It was not just a case of regular naughtiness; the police had been called out to the house at least once and death threats were being received from the neighbors. Later, the parents had to resort to brat camp.
My mom made my brother and I destroy our Nintendo Game Boy by hitting it with hammers, as a punishment. This was one of the large, off-white, first-generation Game Boys, so this must go back to around 1990-ish. I realize this has nothing to do with Christmas (especially because we’re Jews), but it was definitely an example of tough love.
My husband and his brother received coal in their stockings (along with one small gift, I think) one year when they were preteens. They were despondent. Then their father sent them to get something out of the basement, where they discovered a second tree and numerous gifts. I’m still not sure whether that was funny or a dirty trick (or both).
My grandparents did something similiar to my uncle, ENugent. He opened his presents and got nothing but coal. Later, when the family went to their grandparents, his real presents were waiting for him.
One year, my preschool gave each student a small lump of coal. That was actually pretty cool.
I had a friend in high school who got caught looking for presents hidden in his parents’ bedroom. His father (who was already a Class A dick) threw the Christmas tree out the back door.
we had a coal year once. boy, oh boy, did that make an impression on all the kids of the family, not just coal boy.
yes, we do have a therapy fund in the family.
I’ve only ever made Christmas threats as jokes. For instance, my 14-year-old daughter is really, really wanting a fairly expensive mp3 player for Christmas. For the past month or so, whenever she gets mouthy, I’ll say something like “Is that any way to talk to the person you want an mp3 player from?” and she’ll say “Shutting up!” But we both know it’s only talk.
Santa threats don’t work with the five-year-old. She doesn’t like Santa, and never has. She made me send him a email telling him not to come to our house, that mom and dad will bring her all the presents she needs. She got an email back from him (actually her father) saying “I have several nice gifts for you; are you sure you don’t want me to come?” and she had me send one back telling him to donate them to poor children!!
Bottom line is that Santa threats only work for a couple of months a year, if they work at all. I prefer more consistent threats that I can actually carry out.
I’ve told Aaron that I have Santa’s cell phone number in my address book, and I’m not afraid to use it. That worked about half the time, until the Christmas season started in earnest. Now he’s looking forward to both Christmas and Hanukkah and he knows he’ll get lots of presents. (Airman’s family is Catholic and mine is Jewish, but this is the first truly meaningful holiday season for him.)
Robin, who’s already bought a backpack, sweatshirt and videos.
These stories are half sad, half hysterically funny. The tree out the backdoor is awful–he sounds like a jerk.
I don’t use Santa as leverage–never have. I had such a shit childhood in so many ways, that I don’t want to ruin Santa for my kids. So, Mom is the disciplinarian and Santa is a right jolly old elf etc.
I kinda equate the “be good, or no presents” stuff to the segment of Christianity that says, “don’t enjoy life/commit this sin/have sinful thought etc and no salvation for you!”.
Neither makes sense to me–if Santa truly cares for all kids, then he cares for ALL kids (I could never reconcile the lack of presents for Jewish kids when I was little-I was sure that Santa must somehow get to them, someway–maybe not on Christmas, but…'course, I didn’t know squat about Buddha, Vishnu, Mohammed or Wicca, either!). Same with Jesus/God–if He loves all the little children, and we are all His children, then salvation is open to ALL–including non-believers.
Not trying to hijack this thread–just trying to explain my childhood reasoning and logic (still holds true today, if I am honest).
Around here, they are selling “snow man poop” to replace coal for santa’s naughty list. Before anyone gets too alarmed, I should point out that the bags contain marshmellows.
Around here the whole Santa/coal thing was never a factor, if you were bad then Santa just didn’t come (and he comes here first so there are no second chances!).
Reindeer poo is popular though…choccy covered raisins!
I’m still not sure whether that was funny or a dirty trick (or both).