This has been a debate forever.
Some say it’s hurting the cause of Christ to allow Santa into our homes. Others say Santa is a harmless fantasy that makes Christmas fun.
Here is my take on this debate. (Read to the end, please.)
- We didn’t teach our kids Santa is real.
- When they saw plastic Santa’s in stores, they asked, “Who is that?”
- We emphasized the Christmas story of Luke 2 every year.
- We had a bunch of adopted kids that we needed to trust us – we didn’t see lying to them even for fun being an option.
Let me explain why we nixed Santa.
Besides the fact that Christmas is a time of celebration of Christ’s birth, I had a negative experience when I was little. That formed my opinion on how I would parent my kids. My brother told me Santa wasn’t real when I was around 6 or 7 and I remember distinctly that moment when I realized I’d been lied to.
Now, don’t get all in a huff, hear me out.
Up to that point everyone had upheld the Santa story and I faithfully filled out my Christmas list every year. It was a fun time. But when my brother spilled the beans I was embarrassed and felt betrayed. I remember I was in my closet playing around on the pole…doing chin-ups.
My brother came in with a friend and told me with a smile on his face. Apparently it gave him pleasure to reveal the secret – little kids…what are we to do with them? That moment is forever burned into my memory – 50 years later I can still picture it.
Yet, I know other families who teach the Christmas story as well AND include Santa in the festivities.
Who is right?
I’m here to tell you that it’s up to each parent how they will handle this issue. If they never had any issues and can keep it a fun little fantasy then what’s it to us? Seriously. Why debate and point fingers? Every family is different and every family must decide for themselves what they will and will not do with their kids.
I honestly don’t think Christ cares AT ALL.
As long as those of us that name the name of Christ give Him the preeminence in our lives and give Him the proper respect and devotion then I don’t think He really cares what silly little fantasies we play around with. If He has His rightful place in our hearts then everything else just pales in comparison.
Really. Do you think God cares one whit about Santa?
Let’s focus on the right things. Forget the debate. Forget about judging other families and just enjoy the season and all it brings to us. There is too much fun stuff out there to waste time considering this issue. Just decide what is best for your family and go with it. If the Lord has a problem with it, He’ll tell you – if you are listening. If you’re not, then how much chance do I have that you’d listen to me?
Christmas time is amazing. Focus on family, the beauty of the decorations, the fun of the gifting and leave the rest to God. I would say focus on the beauty of the “snow” too but we’ve not seen any yet!
I’m pretty sure Christ would prefer we all focus on Him rather than being bothered by the Jolly ol’ Soul.
Tell me what you do in your family – do you do the ho ho ho holidays? Leave me a comment, I’d like to hear what you think.
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Sarah
This post made me smile. It’s funny how heated the Santa Claus debate can get, and I appreciate your perspective on it. I take so much flack from friends who think I’m nuts for not doing Santa Claus with our kids. It’s not that we don’t do Santa Claus, he just is a nonfactor. When the kids would ask if he is real, my response was always “what do you think?” I didn’t want them to ruin it for their friends either, as children are prone to do. But I also wanted always to point to Jesus, point to salvation. Our Christmas time devotionals are structured to that end. We actually include a couple books with Santa Claus in it, but never do we portray that he is anything but a story. I grew up not believing in Santa. In my childhood home, Santa had my dad’s handwriting and always brought my mom jewelry. 🙂
Val Frania
I never could accept the idea that my kids would think my gifts were from a fictitious person. I wanted them to know I put thought and effort into their gifts.