Christians And Santa Claus: Do They Mesh?
If you want to really stand out in December, then I suggest you tell people that you don’t “do Santa” at Christmas. That will definitely get you noticed, but you might be surprised at the reactions you receive. The Big Guy in Red is the spokesman for American Christmas. He plays a central role in many families’ Christmas celebrations, and it is almost insulting to them if someone rejects Santa Claus. Despite the potential negativity from others, I’d like to ask Christians to simply consider whether or not Christians and Santa Claus mesh.
The History Of St. Nicholas
Each of us has addressed one of the biggest questions in life at some point in childhood. Is Santa Claus real? Well, it depends on how you look at it. In short, kind of. St Nicholas was a real man, and his life has helped inspire the Santa of today.
Historians believe that St. Nicholas likely lived between 280 A.D. and 343 A.D. He was a Christian bishop of Myra, a region in modern-day Turkey. Very little is actually known about his life. Generally, it is believed that St. Nicholas gained an inheritance from his parents’ deaths which he used to help others. The rest we “know” is pure imagination.
The most well-known story about St. Nicholas that may or may not be true concerns his humble generosity. Allegedly, he saved three poor sisters from being sold into prostitution by secretly gifting them with gold. The story claims he anonymously put the gold into their stockings as they dried. Today, people point to that story to explain the stockings we hang at the fireplace each year.
I Thought St. Nick Was Dutch
If you heard that St. Nicholas was Dutch, you are not alone. However, the actual man existed approximately thirty-five hours away (by car on modern roads) from the Netherlands. The real man and the adopted (i.e., imagined) Dutch Sinter Klaas existed in very different regions and cultures.
Nonetheless, the legend of St. Nicholas grew among Europe, especially among the Dutch, and various legends and traditions came into being. Today, many still celebrate the feast day of St. Nicholas on December 6th, the accepted day of his death. Dutch children, for example, put their shoes out the night before and awake to gifts left inside. I wonder if a new laptop would fit in my shoes…
The Santa We Know Today
American Santa began to work his way into our lives in 1773 when a New York Newspaper reported Dutch families gathering to celebrate Sinter Klaas on December 6th. By the 1840s, stores fully embraced the cash cow that we recognize today as Santa Claus. Christmas had always had an element of gift-giving and generosity associated with it, and stores realized that pairing that Christmas spirit with the lovable and jolly Fat Man would bring in fat dollars.
Stores began hosting live meet and greets with Santa Claus for children right there in their stores, making shopping more convenient. Even the Salvation Army got involved and began using Santa as a bell ringer in the early 1890s to bring in more funds for their ministry needs. Santa was officially a ubiquitous part of Christmas.
Now Santa Claus can be seen in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade every year. In fact, he’s in every parade – big and small – during the holiday season. He sells us Coca-Cola every December, visits malls and Christmas light attractions, appears in sitcoms, and he is on every parent’s speed dial when children won’t obey. (Or was I the only one who received this threat? “I’m calling Santa…”)
Christians And Santa Claus Get Cozy
What shocks me, though, is that Christians and Santa Claus have developed quite a strong relationship. At two separate Christian co-ops in two different states, I have discovered that leadership did not want to sing Christmas hymns when caroling in order to not offend anyone. Rather, they opted to sing secular Christmas songs…as a Christian group.
I grew up on secular Christmas music. I enjoy many of the old “classics.” You’ll hear Mr. Bing Crosby singing about a Hawaiian Christmas in my home. We sing about poor ol’ Rudolph getting bullied at the North Pole. And Ms. Mariah Carey can tell me every year what she wants for Christmas. I love it! But those songs don’t represent Christmas. Not real Christmas, that is. So, Christian groups opting to sing about Santa over Jesus’ birth is a bit worrisome.
Christians and Santa Claus Together: Is It Sin?
We all know that person who thinks everything is a sin. Essentially, if it isn’t specifically mentioned as a good thing in the Bible, then it must be evil. There are gray areas in life, though, and the Santa character can land there depending on how we use him.
My family does not practice the tradition of Santa Claus. My kids have always known he doesn’t exist, and they still manage to have fun without him. Yes, it is possible.
But we don’t hide Santa from them. My children know most other kids grow up thinking he’s real. They understand, however, that Santa is just a fictional character based on a real man in history that we see in movies and hear about in songs. Santa is no more real to my kids than Larry the Cucumber.
In addition, my husband and I are careful to keep Santa in his zone. As we see it, Christians and Santa Claus need to keep clearly defined boundaries in their relationship if they are to have one at all.
Why My Family Doesn’t Do The Santa Thing
1. We shouldn’t lie to our kids.
This reason usually doesn’t land well with most people. I’ve even been called “too puritanical” for saying this. That’s completely bonkers to me, though. Of course, we shouldn’t lie to our kids. We aren’t supposed to lie to anyone! This fact is throughout God’s Word.
The Bible tells us that “lying lips are an abomination” (Proverbs 12:22). According to Psalm 101:7, God warns us that liars will not “dwell within my house.”
Two others to strongly consider are below. They beg the questions: Am I lying to my children for some sort of temporal pleasure that only hurts my relationship with Jesus? And, if God is my Father, why am I modeling myself after the Father of Lies?
“The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.”
Proverbs 21:6
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (emphasis mine)
John 8:44
Quick Note: If we set up the precedent that we will lie to our children about something so extreme and extravagant, then how can we ever expect to have their trust? Think about how committed parents are to maintaining the illusion of Santa for years and years. Any other circumstance and we’d question the morality of that person. These “fun” lies, with closer examination, hardly feel like a gray area anymore.
2. Santa Claus is too similar to God.
We all know the attributes of Santa. The song, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” neatly packages some of them. One of the creepier verses says the following:
“He sees you when you’re sleeping
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
And he knows when you’re awake
He knows if you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake.”
So, Santa Claus sees you whenever he chooses. That suggests this guy is always there. He appears to know everything, too, because he already knows what you’ve been up to. Hmm. Does that sound like anyone to you?
God Is Everywhere
God is omnipresent. That means He is present everywhere at the same time. This attribute is found throughout Scripture, but Proverbs 15 is particularly interesting because it has a verse that sounds strikingly familiar to that old Christmas favorite.
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
Proverbs 15:3
God Knows Everything
Santa knows everything, according to the legend. In reality, it is God who truly is omniscient. Among other places in the Bible, we can see evidence for God’s omniscience in the Psalms.
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” (emphasis mine)
Psalm 147:5
Christians Entangled Santa Claus With God
The similarities between Santa and God are just too glaring to ignore. This, in my opinion, makes fertile ground for doubt and confusion.
Picture the scene. Mom and dad tell their daughter about God. They take her to church and live Christian lives. Meanwhile, they also tell her about Santa Claus. He’s not God, of course, but he’s gifted with a great deal of power that looks and sounds a lot like the Lord.
One day, this daughter finds out Santa is fake. Her parents have spent the last eight years perpetuating a lie because it was fun for the family. She might be mad about it. Maybe she’s just disappointed. Either way, life goes on, but she can’t help but notice the similarities between Santa and God. She wonders, “Would my parents lie about this, too, because they think it’s for my benefit?”
Plenty of kids grow up to love the Lord after believing in Santa. However, ask around, and you’ll find that the lie of Santa planted a seed of doubt. My question is, why risk it?
3. Santa Claus makes Christmas too commercial.
Even secular people can stand with me on this point. Christmas has become one giant corporate ploy to empty our pockets. Santa plays an enormous role in this commercialization of Christmas. He will bring good little girls and boys presents, so parents better load up on gifts. Otherwise, their children will feel punished or left out. Besides, you don’t want to be the stingy parent who ruined Christmas, do you?
The True Meaning Of Christmas
Christmas films pride themselves on answering the question: What is the true meaning of Christmas? Some say it is generosity. Others say love or family. Whatever the answer, buying gifts and the Big Man in Red are at the center. Don’t believe me? Have a Hallmark Christmas movie marathon. You’ll lose brain cells, but you will also see what I mean. Venture into this challenge at your own risk…
Are gifts really the point of Christmas? Most American kids will respond with a resounding ‘yes!’ And this is a serious problem. Christians and Santa Claus teaming up has led to a change in our focus at Christmas. Gifts! “We’ll try to make it to a church service, but my kids just want to stay in their pajamas and check out their new stuff.”
Christmas Is About Death
Every Christmas we fawn over the baby Jesus in our nativity scenes. We remark about how Jesus came into this world a helpless babe. Mothers wonder what raising a sinless child was like. (I promise, I have no idea!) Although, this is all fine, we miss the point if we don’t consider what Jesus’ birth was meant to accomplish. He was born to die for our sins, and Christmas is about His lowly entry into this world to sacrifice Himself for people who could never deserve such a loving act. Those people are you and me.
“Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”
Hebrews 10:5-7
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (emphasis mine)
1 Timothy 1:15
4. Santa plants the idea of a works-based salvation.
If you have read my post on Catholicism, then you know how seriously I stand against the teaching of works-based salvation. It is completely unbiblical (Ephesians 2:9), and Santa plants the seed for that way of thinking. Why does Santa bring gifts or withhold them? He judges children based on their performances. Then he weighs out the good and bad in order to decide who belongs on the naughty list and who gets onto the nice list.
Is it the biggest problem with Santa? I don’t think so, but I also believe kids are getting trained into some problematic thinking about the need to earn gifts. If I think I need to earn my gifts, then accepting the free gift of salvation is going to be a difficult task.
5. Christians and Santa Claus teaming up creates competition for Jesus on Christmas.
I don’t believe for a second that Christians are trying replace Jesus Christ with Santa, but I am certain that the world wants to do just that. Schools are replacing Christmas break with “Winter break,” Christmas hymns are often rejected due to their “divisive” nature in secular events, and Santa Claus is plastered on everything.
Santa is also the first thing people talk about with children when they mention Christmas. As soon as we flip our calendars to December, adults are questioning my children about Ol’ Saint Nick. “What are you going to ask Santa for this Christmas?” “Have you been a good boy this year or is Santa bringing you coal in your stocking?” “What kind of cookies do you leave out for Santa?” Meanwhile, my children’s reactions are like…
So, with so much emphasis on Santa Claus and the gifts and fun he brings, it isn’t surprising when kids focus on him and neglect Jesus. In a competition judged by a typical child, who do you think wins? On one side we have Santa. He is magic. He brings presents, is jolly, lives with elves and flying reindeer, mysteriously travels the world one night a year, and is associated with fun movies, songs, yummy treats, and all the beautiful decorations we see. The man’s the embodiment of a party! On the other side is Jesus. He died thousands of years ago in a gruesome manner, loves you, and is associated with sitting still at church, obedience, and uncomfortable church clothes.
This is a simplification of Jesus, of course. But think about how kids view things. It’s fairly apparent that most kids care more about the obvious fun and pleasures of today than about the immense gift given to us by Jesus through his grace and love for us. Kids aren’t bad for this. They’re kids for this. Christmas can be beautiful and fun even without Santa as the centerpiece. In fact, it definitely will be when we remember Jesus and all He has done for us.
Final Thought
Santa is not evil, but he is a distraction from Christ. At worst, he’s a direct competitor. Christians and Santa Claus have long been joined at the hip. We struggle at Christmas with the same thing we struggle with in everything else. All too often we want Jesus plus some of the world. We want to be born again while not missing out on the fun around us. Can you be totally sold out to Christ while celebrating His birth through another man and his secular traditions? I’m less certain than ever that Christians and Santa Claus ought to be on such friendly terms.
Do you celebrate Christmas with Santa? Let me know your thoughts!
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