The Danger of Santa Claus
As a kid, I can still remember my parents and grandparents yelling out the phrase, “If you don’t behave Santa won’t bring you any presents on Christmas!” In fact, I remember a time not that long ago that I heard that phrase being harshly whispered in the grocery store as a frantic mother dragged off a young boy who had just torn open a candy bar and taken a big bite in the middle of the aisle. Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing inherently wrong or sinful about watching or reading the heart-warming stories about Santa Claus, his magical elves, or flying reindeer. In fact, these stories which have developed into a fun and fantastical mythology have their origin in the real generosity of a third-century Christian man named Saint Nicholas of Myra. The story of Santa can be very entertaining and even promote good moral decision-making and provide healthy character traits to emulate. However, there are several problems that arise when we present the fairytale of Santa Claus as factual and then use that story as a means to disciple children.
He sees you when you’re sleeping…
Firstly, let me just say the song “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” is just pretty strange. It presents Santa in line with the cultural narrative as a jolly gift-giver who is checking lists and deciding who is naughty or nice, but it’s a little creepy. Is he always watching? When I was younger, Santa was always presented to us in this way, as a real person with amazing, even supernatural, powers. But when we got onto the playground in 3rd grade, we quickly found out that Santa Clause was just some made-up figure that parents used to manipulate us kids to be good little children. What happens then when these same 3rd graders get into Sunday school, and they are being taught about a God who judges the living and the dead? Kids are left to conclude that God, like Santa, must then be some parental ploy to coerce them into following the rules. But nothing could be further from the truth.
The God presented to us in the scriptures is trustworthy and has demonstrated His power and authority throughout human history. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” The Apostle Paul in the letter to the Roman church explains that all of humanity has no excuse for thinking there is no God because, “…[God’s] invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Rom. 1:20). The gospels present Jesus as a real human being who was the Son of God as John says, “…these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (Jn. 20:31).
Our God is real. Santa is only fun make-believe. But if we teach the myth of Santa as reality we inadvertently teach the reality of God as mythology.
He knows when you’ve been bad or good…
Another major issue with this approach is that it presents Santa as a someone who has the ability to judge others for their moral wrongs. It turns out only God has that capability.
“It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall.” (Psalm 75:7, NLT)
So, if a parent warns a child that Santa will punish them for their disobedience, doesn’t that communicate that Santa is, on some level, a god? Maybe. At the very least, it presents the unbiblical idea that there is someone who passes out ultimate judgment other than God alone, which is a dangerous lie to uphold.
So be good for goodness sake…
An additional result of promulgating this cultural fantasy is that it teaches children that attaining righteousness comes from obeying the rules. But the Bible describes attaining righteousness in a radically different way.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
If we are constantly teaching children that being good is the answer to finding happiness and ultimately being right with God, then we are subtly promoting legalism while denying the unearned grace that can only be found in the gospel. The truly amazing thing is that God is nothing like Santa Clause.
God brought us the most precious gift ever given despite the fact that we were naughty. That gift was Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, who not only humbled himself to live a human life being born as a baby but also by living the only truly righteous life which He ultimately gave as a sacrifice that brings salvation to all who turn to Him.
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
Jesus is the true hero of Christmas, not Santa, and He doesn’t require that we attain some standard of good behavior in order to receive the reward of eternal life. Jesus only asks that we humbly accept the free gift of salvation by faith alone.
Again, let me be clear. I am not saying that we should take all of our Santa sweaters, our copy of Elf the movie, or those fuzzy Chris Cringle ornaments and burn them in the backyard. As long as we keep Santa securely in the cultural myth category and don’t confuse him with the actual reason for the season then the Christmas Holiday will remain a worshipful and humbling time. We can remember that we give gifts because it was God who first gave the ultimate gift to us.
