(This is a repost from last year, but for those who haven’t read it yet (and/or for those who want to be reminded of this… enjoy!)

While many parents are content with having their children believe in Santa Claus, there are still many other parents who wonder if it is right thing.  This post is meant to make you think about it perhaps more deeply and more Biblically/Theologically.

Despite the ambiguous and somewhat tainted origins of the warm, friendly, and even jolly Kris Kringle, this modernized mythological figure is in opposition to Christmas.  By, “Christmas”, here, it is meant the Christian and sanctified idea, apart from most of its own somewhat ambiguous and tainted history.  The word, “Christmas”, comes from two old words meaning, “to gather together to celebrate Christ(’s birth)”.  This is the idea that is meant here: The exalting of and exulting in Jesus the Christ, the only sinless Savior and supreme Lord, as being conceived supernaturally of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin in order to display the greatness, grace, and glory of God!

This is what our modern idea of Santa Claus opposes.  It is not that the person of Santa Claus is bad, for he is not a real person; nor is it that the historical person of St. Nicholas is bad, upon whom some of the mythical figure of Santa Claus is based.  The issue is that the modern understanding of Santa Claus hinders, instead of helps the worship of Jesus on and around Christmas.

Some parents adhere to the notion that it is mere harmless fun to let their children play make-believe, especially with regards to such an innocent figure as Santa.  Most of their reasoning comes from their own experiences and delightful memories of believing in Jolly Old St. Nick.  They believed in the myth, and feel better, not worse for it.  Therefore, they reason that we lose some of the magical wonder of Christmas and the spirit of the season if kids do not believe in Santa Claus.

But I would offer three contending thoughts to this sort of reasoning:

1. If it makes children happy to believe in and focus on the mythical figure of Santa Claus, how much more true and lasting joy can they have if they believe in and focus on the real, historical, and eternal Person of Jesus Christ?  (Luke 2:8-20, esp. verses 10, 11, 18-20).

2. It may not be the intention of parents to lie to their children, but a lie consists of at least three parts: 1) False content, 2) Evil motivations, and/or 3) Negative consequences.  Now to be sure, I know of no parent who has ever told thier children to (or let their children) believe in Santa Claus out of evil motivations.  However, it is still false content and I would contend that it brings about the negative consequence of distracting from the real and only worthy One of Christmas.

3. Why would any Christian parent want to waste or even muddle such a rare and amazing opportunity to teach and witness to their children about Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas.  Santa Claus, and all that comes with him, is at best distracting people from Christ and at worst being exalted and exulted in, in addtion to, instead of, or above Jesus Christ.

Now each person, parent, and family must decide who or what will be the conscious and ever-growing focus of their house, especially on and around Christmas.  For Christians, whatever we do, we must make an intentional effort to keep the glorifying focus on Jesus Christ.  How will you do it?