There are a lot of things unique to the Duggar family. From their strict rules on dating, courtship, and marriage, to the ways they handle their money, the large family is known for their strict and somewhat controversial views. And so, with the holidays fast approaching, many are wondering: Do the Duggars believe in Santa and the gifts he delivers? As the family is very religious, it makes sense that they would choose to focus on their beliefs during Christmas — not on Santa Claus.
While the Duggar children who are starting their own families now can probably partake in their own traditions, it's unclear just what each individual member of the family believes. However, what is clear, though, is that the Duggar family typically chooses to spend Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. In fact, according to In Touch Weekly:
They hang up banners that say, "Happy Birthday, Jesus," "Christ is Born!" and "Joy to the World!" Then they sing "Happy Birthday" to the son of god.
Clearly, faith is very important to the Duggar family. In fact, one of their main goals is "sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ," in everything they do, as Jessa Seewald (Duggar) shared in a blog post, which would logically include how they choose to celebrate Christmas — without Santa.
In fact, a 2013 blog post on the TLC website, matriarch Michelle Duggar explained the family Christmas traditions, and why they purposefully decided to lay off the whole Santa thing:
Early in our marriage, Jim Bob and I really wanted to focus on the real meaning of Christmas. And so, we didn't focus on Santa. We kept that idea out of the whole celebration, we explained to the children who Santa Claus was historically, but focused on his good deeds and his ministering to children.
So, while the family doesn't necessarily ignore the myth of Santa Claus, they likely aren't telling their children that he still exists today and brings them presents when he drops in through the chimney.
Michelle went on to explain that the family usually tends to "tell them about the true person of Saint Nicholas, but we don't sensationalize him. In fact, when our first kids were young, we probably didn't even bring that up at Christmas time."
Of course, it really is up to each family to decide how they want to handle the whole Santa thing with their kids. And while many families love the element of surprise, mystery, and fun that Santa brings at Christmastime, there are still many families who choose to not include the jolly good fellow in their traditions. And with such lines in Christmas carols like "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," it makes sense for some parents to choose not to even tell their children about the legend in the first place. (I mean, seriously, "He sees you when you're sleeping," is a pretty creepy line, y'all.)
But for the Duggars, it isn't really about the merits of Santa Claus. For them, Christmas is a celebration of the life of Jesus Christ. Per Michelle's 2013 blog:
Our goal was to bring out the real meaning of Christmas. It was Christ's day, the holy day of mass, Christ mass and what we're celebrating is the day that Christ was born. We explained that to them from the beginning and how it is a huge celebration. We really make it a big deal.
Such a big deal, in fact, that according to In Touch Weekly, "There isn't a giant Tenenbaum for the Duggars to put all their presents under, because, you know, the tree is distracting from the whole Jesus thing." To each their own, of course, and it seems as though the Duggars are truly happy with the way they celebrate Christmas.
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