After waiting in endless lines, most children settle into Santa’s lap for a quick chat and obligatory photo.
But one kid from Miami wasn’t having it. She told Santa “no” – and he was only too happy to hear it.
“When she said ‘No,’ I was like, ‘OK, I’m Santa. It’s a huge responsibility,'” Steve Lantz, a pastor and paid Santa in Miami, Florida, told Fox News Digital.
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“Because you’re not just a celebrity impersonator, there’s a legacy. Even before he was Santa Claus, he was Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra,” Lantz added.
“I have to do it right.”
Steve Lantz, pastor and paid Santa, went viral after a young girl told him that no, she didn’t want to sit on his lap. (Caroline Apey)
Last week, Katie Love and her three-year-old daughter Adley dressed up to visit Santa at the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne in Miami.
“They were having a Christmas party and my daughter had been so excited for weeks to meet Santa and tell him she wanted a purple bike for Christmas,” Love, a social media strategist, told Fox News Digital.
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“Actually, we’re Jewish, but she’s obsessed with everything related to Christmas”, added the mother.
While they waited in line, Love said her daughter watched as the children went up to sit on Santa’s lap.
Katie Love (left) and her husband Aaron Martin (right) are Jewish, but their daughter Adley (center) is obsessed with all things Christmas. (Katie Love)
“I could tell she was getting a little nervous,” Love told Fox News Digital.
“So I said, ‘Adley, you can go up there, but you don’t have to sit on his lap. It’s your choice. You can decide what you feel most comfortable with. ‘easy.'”
Then it was finally Adley’s turn to go up and talk to Santa.
Sitting on a large red padded chair, Santa asked her if she would like to sit on his lap. And the child said, “No.”
“It could have been a time for Santa to make her uncomfortable or uneasy, or he could have even just ignored it,” Love said.
But instead, Santa confirmed Adley’s decision.
“The idea of exchanging physical contact to get something or receive a gift is a concept I want to move away from as I try to teach my daughter to be a confident woman.”
“I think this is my opportunity as minister to be a real Santa Claus,” Lantz said.
“So I don’t think about ‘ho ho hos.’ I just think about what’s good, what’s loving, what’s kind, what’s right, what’s divine.”
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Katie Love took out her phone and started recording.
Lantz told little Adley it was her choice whether or not she sat on his lap — a message Love said she wanted her daughter to hear.
When “Santa,” whose real name is Steve Lantz, asked Adley if she wanted to sit on his lap, the girl replied, “No.” (Katie Love)
“He told her it was her body and she had to decide — and that even Santa couldn’t make that decision for her,” Love said.
“And I thought it was a really amazing moment because the idea of sitting on Santa’s lap is very old-fashioned,” the mom added. “The idea of exchanging physical contact to get something or receive a gift is a concept I want to move away from as I try to teach my daughter to be a confident woman.”
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Love posted the video to her TikTok account – where she collected two million views.
“I didn’t expect the video to resonate with so many people, but I’ve received so many messages and comments from people saying they feel the same way,” Love said.
During the meet-and-greet with Santa, Katie Love took out her phone to explain how Lantz encouraged Adley’s response and ability to say “No.” (Katie Love)
“We love an educated Santa,” one TikTok user commented.
“Way to teach your little lady boundaries early,” another user wrote.
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“All Santas take note,” another person commented.
Lantz, a father of two young children himself, said there was a song called “My Body” that he and his wife taught their children.
“I think teaching my daughter that ‘no’ is a complete sentence and that she should be empowered to say it without ramifications has been very important.”
“This is part of a program to protect your children from sexual abuse,” Lantz said.
“The refrain is: ‘My body is no one’s body but my own.’ You run your own body. Let me handle mine. Instead of warning them about weird phenomena and instilling fear, we thought: Let’s teach them how precious their bodies are, how precious they are, and that they are in control of their bodies, not adults. “
Some viewers said they thought the girl looked confused by the whole interaction – and neither Love nor Lantz can deny that.
“Her mother said she was probably even more confused because I hadn’t responded to her request,” Lantz said. “That she’s probably saying, ‘Wait. I said I wanted a purple bike, and you’re telling me my body is my body.'”
Lantz is also the father of two young children and he taught them both a song called “My Body,” he said. (Lynda Lantz)
Love said other commenters on TikTok thought Adley was “much too young” to receive such lessons.
“I really don’t agree with that,” she said.
“Children have so little control, and it’s very important that she understands that she has control over who touches her body and who she wants to give physical contact to. I don’t think that’s something she should expect to learn. “
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The most important message, Love said, is for women to stand up for themselves and listen to their instincts.
“I think that teach my daughter that ‘no’ was a complete sentence and that she had the power to say it without ramifications was really important,” Love said.
Katie Love encouraged her daughter to set personal boundaries. (Katie Love)
“I grew up saying ‘yes’ and trying to please people. We were just taught to be polite and hug the uncle we didn’t want to hug or sit on the chairs. Santa’s knees.”
In this very first season as a paid Santa, Lantz said he has already learned a lot.
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“One thing I’ve learned, and it’s learned very quickly, is that every child matters,” Lantz said.
Katie Love recorded the moment Santa (aka Steve Lantz, left) told her daughter she didn’t have to sit on his lap and that “no” means “no.” (Katie Love)
“You have to take care of the child in front of you. You can’t worry about waiting in line. And so you treat each child as special and you don’t rush,” he added.
At home, Adley is a loving child who gives her mom and dad hugs and kisses all the time, Love said.
But she knows how to draw a line.
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“Kids can still have a magical interaction with Santa without having to sit on the lap of someone they don’t know,” Love said.
“As she grows up, I hope this is something she remembers and that it leads her down the path of feeling strong and empowered.”
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