this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2024
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Vicar’s Santa sermon ‘ruins Christmas’ for sobbing school pupils (www.thetimes.com)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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When teachers at a primary school in Hampshire invited the local vicar to give a talk about the birth of Jesus, they did not expect it to end with irate parents, sobbing children and a “ruined” Christmas.

Parents have complained after the Rev Dr Paul Chamberlain took the opportunity to speak about other elements of Christmas to a group of ten and eleven-year-olds.

Pupils at Lee-on-the-Solent Junior School began to sob as he told them that Father Christmas was not real, and added that their parents bought their presents and ate the biscuits left out for Santa.

Teachers at the school have now resorted to making badges for the children saying “Lee-on-the-Solent believe” to bring back the festive magic. A complaint has been lodged against Chamberlain and the vicar was expected not to be taking part in a carol service on Friday.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

My spouse and I opted not to tell our kid last year, with me not wanting to be the one to spoil it and her wanting to keep the magic "just one more year."

This year was already too late. The kid got into an argument at school about whether or not Santa was real.

My spouse and I planned it all out, planned on going out to get a hot cocoa, etc., etc. Instead my kid sat ME down and said they wanted to ask me something. So I got stuck telling answering that Santa wasn't real, but spun it that it was about learning to give without getting, and ended up pulling out Death's SPEECH from Hogsfather about believing in big lies.

The kid mostly cared that they'd still get presents, so it was a bust.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

in some ways though the pragmatism of how kids learn and interact with the world, their parents and hold their own emergency discussion summit is pretty endearing and heart-warming