How Should Christians Handle Santa Claus at Christmas?
Although Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Christ, there can be a lot of competing messages in our culture about how we celebrate it. As Christian parents, it’s our responsibility to manage these expectations and realities carefully, and be intentional when it comes to what we communicate to our children.
The following article details how I personally handle Santa Claus in my own home, after much thought, research, and prayer, but I encourage you to not just take my word for it. Go the Word. Go straight to our Source, God, and pray thoughtfully about how your family will handle it.
-Pastor Candace Pringle
The Origins of Santa Claus
“As with many things in our culture, Santa has his beginnings in a Christian past. As the legends have it, the concept of Santa is rooted in the real Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, dating to the fourth century. Nicholas inherited a large amount of money and used much of his fortune to help the poor. Nicholas gave freely to meet the needs of people around him, fulfilling the commands of Christ to aid the poor.
After his death, the Catholic Church recognized him as a saint—hence the common American usage of St. Nick as a substitute for Santa. The red clothing is likely founded in the red robes worn by bishops. The white beard and other trappings (e.g., reindeer, sleighs, elves, etc.) are likely adopted from various cultural influences being mingled together over the centuries. If you study the celebration of Santa (a.k.a., St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, and Sinterklauss) around the world, the similarities are obvious, as shoes are substituted for stockings and the North Pole for the mountains of Lapland.” Additional Articles: https://answersingenesis.org/jesus-christ/birth/wintertime-worship-santa-claus-or-jesus-christ/
Mommy, is there really a Santa Claus?
I explain to my children that Santa Claus, as we see him in the movies, is not real, but that St. Nick was real. I love to tell them all about how he gave to the poor because of his love for Jesus, and we give presents to people we love, to celebrate the Father’s love for us. We can also use Santa as a reminder to give to the poor or needy in our communities too, and we look for ways to do that together as a family.
I also love to explain to them that I won’t lie to them about people they should look up to. Santa isn’t real, the Easter bunny isn’t real, the tooth fairy isn’t real, but JESUS IS. God is real, He’s good, and He loves them SO much.
God, alone, is worthy of our adoration and awe. Many parents have a problem with “bursting the bubble of childhood” with their children...I just believe that bubble should never be burst. Non-believers have to create a bubble of faith in their children...but they are creating faith in something that doesn’t exist. The child will inevitably find out, and when they do, they run the risk of disillusionment in faith altogether. We should all be childlike in our faith, but it might be impossible for my children to continue to believe what I tell them about God, if I raise them in a fake awe about Santa.
Jesus OR Santa?
‘Santa Claus’ can still be a fun game. We can play pretend and make believe, we can use the model of Santa and bless the poor, and sneak presents to the people we love. It doesn’t have to be either/or! St. Nick was a Jesus-follower, not a bad guy! The spirit of Christmas is that God gave his son, and so we give too. St. Nick believed that, do you?
What if we’ve already started?
If you’re still not totally convinced, or if you’ve already started the Santa story with your kids, I thought this was a pretty creative & intentional “script” for handling it as well.
—————————-
SON: “Dad, I think I’m old enough to know now. Is there a Santa Claus?” Not being the world’s fastest thinker, I stalled for a time.
DAD: “Okay, I agree that you’re old enough. But before I tell you, I have a question for you. You see, the truth is a dangerous gift. Once you know something, you can’t un-know it. Once you know the truth about Santa Claus, you will never again understand and relate to him as you do now. So my question is: Are you sure you want to know?”
Brief pause. SON: “Yes. I want to know.”
DAD: “Okay, I’ll tell you: Yes, there IS a Santa Claus.”
SON:" “Really?”
DAD: “Yes, really, but he’s not an old man with a beard in a red suit anymore. That’s what we tell kids to illustrate the spirit of giving that God sent Jesus to model for us. We explain it to them in a way they can understand. The truth about Santa Claus is that he’s not a person at all; he’s an idea. Think of all those presents Santa gave you over the years. I actually bought those myself. I watched you open them. And did it bother me that you didn’t thank me? Of course not! In fact, it gave me great pleasure. You see, Santa Claus is THE IDEA OF GIVING FOR THE SAKE OF GIVING, without thought of thanks or acknowledgement, just like God gave Jesus. When we help others, even without them knowing it’s us that is helping, we are being Santa Claus to them.”
SON: “Oh.”
DAD: “So now that you know, you’re part of it. You have to be Santa Claus too now. You have to help us look for opportunities to help people, and instead of getting the thanks or glory for yourself, you give it to God. He’s the one who gave to us first, and we give to show that love to others as well. It’s all because of Jesus.”