Personally, I really enjoy Christmas. There are a lot of things I like about
Christmas that really have little to do with Christmas Day. I love Christmas Carols. I’m not too embarrassed to admit that I look
forward to rocking out to Elvis’ Blue Christmas for most of the year. I love seeing colorful Christmas lights
everywhere—the more the merrier! I love
decorating the Christmas tree. I love
seeing the lights on the tree. Who
doesn’t love seeing gifts under the tree?
I love my family’s tradition of Christmas Eve dinner, the opening of one
Christmas gift, going to our church’s Christmas Eve Service, and ending the
night by watching Elf (yes, you read that right). I love the laughter and joy this season
brings.
I share the previous paragraph with you so you know that I
really do like this holiday. I’m not
opposed to having fun through imagination.
I’m not bunkered down teaching my kids that “Santa is just Satan spelled
differently.” However, I am very careful
with how we’ve handled the issue of Santa Clause with our children and with my
teaching at the church.
I love the imagination and creativity that God has given
us. I’m not looking for a history lesson
on the origin of Santa Claus—I’ve already checked out his Wikipedia entry.
I’m fine with telling stories and having fun with creativity. However, I don’t understand when parents push
the line from fantasy or imagination to reality and outright deceit to their
children. I know, I know, that sounds
really harsh. I need to lighten up,
right?
Have fun with your
imagination. I’m all for imagination. I’m not suggesting that Santa can’t be a part
of the Christian’s holiday plans. God
gave us creativity and imagination. Use
it, have fun with it. Children have a
special connection to the make believe that I wish I were better at
reconnecting with as an adult. I love
that my kids help me tap into my inner child—my wife may not be as thrilled
with this as I am. Just leave Santa
here.
Protect your
children’s trust. I have never lied
to my kids about Santa. They have always
known that he is make believe, just like the tooth fairy, and any other make
believe people. I will not intentionally
deceive my children for a number of reasons, but I want them to know that they
can trust me no matter what. There is
nothing greater than anyone’s trust, especially your children’s. Why would we jeopardize this trust by
pitching something as truth when we ourselves know it’s just in fun?
Why this matters to
me? I’m a Christian. Meaning, I have a personal relationship with the
Creator of the universe through Jesus Christ my Lord. I didn’t come to know Christ until I was an
adult and when I did, I came to understand the overwhelming historical evidence
concerning His prophetic coming, His life, death, and resurrection. In hindsight, I see that during my youth,
I’d begun to lump Jesus with Santa Claus, the Boogey Man, and Tooth
Fairy. Jesus has nothing to do with
fairy tales and I want no part in deceiving my children or confusing them about
who Jesus is. This is ultimately why I
take the matter of Santa so seriously in my home. We can get our pictures taken with Santa,
threaten coal for gifts if they’re naughty, but let your kids know that it is
all make believe.
For the skeptics out there, I encourage you to really
investigate the gospel. My prayer is
that this would be the greatest Christmas of your life. Jesus came and died for you so that you might
find life in Him. This grace of God is
indescribable and is truly the greatest gift one can receive. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year!
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