What should Christians tell their children about Santa Claus?
Santa Isn’t Real
Perhaps as a parent you have felt the peer pressure from family and friends to lighten up and let your kids use their imaginations a little when it comes to Santa Claus. Many Christian parents have interesting stories to tell about the awkward moments at Christmas gatherings when their children, who are taught the truth about Santa not being real, meet up with relatives kids who are led to believe Santa is the one who brings the gifts for everyone. How many times has your kid been the one that broke the news to another kid, Santa isn’t real.
Santa Claus Takes The Focus Away From Jesus
For so many children the focus of Christmas is all about the man in a red suit who flies through the air behind reindeer, comes down chimneys, and leaves presents for those who have been good. As a young Christian parent, I never saw the point in telling my children anything but the truth about Christmas. Why ruin the goodness of Christmas with tales about a man who can be everywhere all at once delivering presents to all the children in the world, all in the same night. Only God is omnipresent, being able to be everywhere at the same time. It’s a stretch to believe telling your kids Santa is real fits the Bible’s instructions about training up a child in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6).
The mythical individual that Santa Claus has evolved into over the years is far removed from the actual Saint Nicholas who lived in the fourth century, and far from the truth. For Christians, Christmas shouldn’t be about Santa or Saint Nicholas. While Saint Nicholas makes for a good story about a historical figure, Jesus should always be the focus. Things such as Santa Claus only serve one purpose, to remove the focus off of Jesus.
Tell Your Children The Truth
If you are going to lead your children to believe in Santa Claus, you are going to have to lie to them. Many verses in the Bible tell us what God thinks about lies, including the Old Testament verse that says do not lie or deceive one another (Leviticus 19:11). Most Christians would agree that it isn’t okay to lie, yet so many want to make an exception for Santa.
Many Christian families have made great Christmas memories for their children by giving them gifts, while telling them the truth about where the presents came from. It’s great to be able to tell your kids that because God has blessed you with a job to earn money, you are able to buy them a gift. Santa Claus is not needed to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It’s the coming together with family, friends, and food, along with the giving of gifts that makes for a lifetime of wonderful memories.
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