As I was scrolling through my Facebook feed this morning, an old co-worker had posted an interesting post that piqued my curiosity. The post was a picture of an anonymous woman’s post, discussing why expensive gifts (iPads, new bikes, etc) should not come from Santa. Originally, I found myself slightly annoyed at the audacity of the woman—immediately jumping to the idea that people should be allowed to handle Christmas and gift-giving however they want.

However, as I kept reading, her point became clear. The issue wasn’t in giving expensive gifts to children, but rather in giving those gifts in Santa’s name. The point she ultimately got to was the idea that children who receive small gifts—often gifts of necessity, such as new gloves and a new hat—do not understand why Santa brought them only small, practical gifts, while some other children are getting huge, expensive, fun gifts from the same Santa.

This, she attested, creates a situation where a child is potentially set up to feel like Santa is discriminating against that child. Why did the good-acting child, hypothetically, receive only mittens, when the bratty, always-in-trouble child received an iPad? The bigger gifts, she suggested, should come from the parents. As she states, “you can explain the value of money to kids, but you can’t explain Santa’s discrimination…”.

To be honest, I am not sure how I feel about this issue. I love her point, and yet I’m not sure I see the practicality of it. I am torn between being a realist who recognizes that discrimination and “unfairness” come in all shapes and sizes, to people of all colors and differences, and an optimist who feels like we can somehow learn, as a society, to manage these discriminations as a much broader issue.

The point of this particular blog is not for me to take a side or even input an opinion, but rather to start a conversation and hear others’ perspectives. So please, if you feel up to it, take a moment to share your own thoughts and opinions on the matter!