Why Christian Parents Should Ditch Santa Claus [3 Compelling Arguments ]
I grew up with friends that were much older than me. For instance, when I was 8, the friends on my street were 13 or so. That's a pretty big difference. It’s no wonder that I was advancing through my youthful days faster than other kids. Part of this rapid growth was also the sudden realization that Santa Claus is not real.
It was another December day during Christmas break. Rainy and cold, yet filled with hope that Christmas was only a few days away. I began daydreaming about half eaten cookies and spoiled milk sitting on the table Christmas morning, the absolutely compelling evidence left behind by no other than Santa Claus himself. If he wasn't real then who snacked on the cookies? If he wasn't legit then who took a sip of the milk?(and let the rest go to waste too…man my OCD brain cannot stand this). It was obvious, he definitely came, and a quick investigation under the tree would confirm that he indeed awarded me with presents for being a good boy.
However, this fantasy all came crashing down when one of my much older friends said to me “You know Santa isn't real right?! You don’t believe in him still do you?!”. The tone in his voice was punishing me for even believing for one second in my life that Santa Claus was a real person. I responded, “No, that’s stupid.” Smooth kid, very smooth. It was at that moment I figured out it was all a scam. For the record, I love my mom very much. She did great, and this is in no way a knock on her, she’s amazing. I have just deviated from the family tradition in this respect. That’s all.
Now I would like to say that deciding to participate in the Santa Claus tradition is your call as a parent, not mine. My wife and I have never done the whole Santa thing with our kids, but that is a conviction we have. You may be different. I am just some guy on the internet, you are the parent of your child. However, that being said as your brother in Christ I do think it’s a good idea to ditch the whole Santa Claus thing. These kids are the future generation of Christianity and I think it’s important we do not do anything that could be harmful to them and their walk with God. Afterall, that’s what we care about most as parents, right? And hey, even if you do not agree with me, I still applaud you for taking the time to read this because it shows you are taking this parenting thing seriously and want to make informed decisions. God knows you are tyring. As a Christian parent, here are the reasons why I think you should ditch Santa Claus:
Santa Awards Omnipresence to Someone Other Than God
God tells us in His word “ I am the Lord. And there is no one else, there is no God beside me”.
Now, do I believe parents teaching their child about Santa is ranking him on the same plane of existence as God? No. Literally nobody is attempting to do that, I get it. But the subtle details of the legend of Santa Claus, do in fact give him a characteristic that is only appropriate for God. The legend has it that Santa Claus is omnipresent.
Of course, the lyrics in the song are a little more catchier and subtle than that. “He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake..” Okay, if we were referring to God, that line is a no brainer. BUT, If we assign it to a man who's premeditated the last 364 days of the year to break in your home and waste your milk( so irritating), then the whole thing becomes a little more creepy, wouldn't you say? “..He knows if you've been bad or good..” Again, of course God does, for Santa Claus to have this information he is either a hacker, or he’s omnipresent. One is terrible for public relations, the other is elevating Santa to God status. (I mean, that is what Satan wants too right?)
This is not something I want to teach my children. All over the Bible we see that God sees every action performed, every thought, and every intent of the heart. I personally am not comfortable awarding that attribute to anyone else.
2. Santa Redefines the Definition of a Gift
The Bible says “By grace you have been saved through faith. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast”
Salvation is a free gift from God that is offered only by faith in Christ, not of our own works. We are saved by God’s grace, not from any doing of our own. This is what a gift is. A gift is not something you work for. I would never give my child a birthday gift and then demand they work for it. It’s a gift, you just get it. Well, what does Santa teach?
The legend of Santa Claus teaches that he is watching you all year long, day and night, and knows when you have been bad or good. If you are bad, you get coal. If you are good, you get…wait for it….presents. See what’s happening here?
In the world of Santa Claus, being good= getting a gift. But this isn't how a gift works at all. You don’t earn a gift. I do not get my paycheck from my employer as a gift, I get it because I worked for it. The reason I am against this is because I want my children to understand when I talk to them about the most important thing, salvation, their eternal resting place, I want them to understand it’s a free gift that cannot be earned by being good. Nobody will be saved who believes that their own ability to be a good boy or girl will grant them access to heaven.
3. Santa Instills Distrust
Imagine a child finding out one day that everything they once believed was a lie. The Easter bunny is fictional. Santa Claus is a scam. The tooth fairy is nonsense. Well my friend, where does that leave Jesus in the minds of our children? Our track records as parents the moment they realize the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny and Santa are not real, becomes soiled. Everything we teach them from that moment forward will be taken with a grain of salt. From that moment forward, I believe it’s an uphill battle trying to teach them to believe in God.
Imagine if I came home late because I had to stop at the store and pick up bread. My wife asks why I came home late and I mention that I got caught in between the crossfire of 2 different street gangs of stray cats, and I ran into the store to get away from the warzone and seek shelter. Then one day years later she finds out the story was fake. There were no cats and no war. At that point, she would have every right to question if I even went to the store at all because I lied about everything else.
If we teach our kids about all these fictional characters, and make them believe for years those characters are real, they are likely to question us about other things after they find out it was all a lie. Even if we try to assure them that all the others were fake, but Jesus is real, at that point we've already lost their trust. A child’s trust is so precious.
I hope if anything this was helpful, and that it helps us all at least be mindful about the traditions we choose to participate in with our kids.
If you are not sure that you are going to heaven, please get this settled today by clicking here: How to Go to Heaven.
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