I am diving into the controversy of the ages…a place even angels fear to tread…you guessed it…the Santa-war.
I am reading about a dozen different sites which appear every holiday season concerning the Santa dilemma. Should we or shouldn’t we? Is it harmless or evil? Will kids have fun or be ultimately harmed?
Silly me…
I have decided to jump in…
Short version…Santa is not the problem…at least not the main one…and I can’t fight this war.
Long version…
There is no winning the Santa controversy. Some believe Santa to be the devil in a red suit which needs to be vanquished, while others see Santa as a mythical game which honors the benevolence of a 4th century Greek monk named Nicolas who needs to be emulated. (And yes, I understand the evolution of Santa Claus from some Germanic paganism as well as the commercializations of Charles Dickens and Coca-Cola.) In fact, a wise person would let the participants of the great debate of, “Yes, Santa -or- No, Santa”, exhaust themselves on the hill of “No Winners”. It’s not because a person, most presumably a parent, may not have an opinion, perhaps even a strong opinion, on whether Santa is a feature of their Christmas time or not; but rather, it’s a hill that isn’t worth the energy or sophistry to die on. In fact, I want to suggest that “to Santa or not to Santa”, is an ironic diversion to the greater cultural questions and problems of the day.
I want to say again, if you love Santa or hate him, it’s your call to do with him as you please. It’s your house…your call. My wife and I had our opinion and applied it in our household when the children were young. For us, Santa was a game, he was a euphemism for surprising one another with unexpected gifts. Our kids spoke of Santa, but usually in the same terms they might have referred to the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, or the Great Pumpkin (of which we practiced none of those myths). We loved watching movies like “Miracle on 34th Street”, “White Christmas”, Tim Allen’s trilogy on “The Santa Clause”, or “Elf”, of which all treated Santa as if he were “real”. I confess, we sang the kid’s songs of the season like, “Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer” or “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. We watched the old 1960’s animated specials featuring Santa and (gasp) Frosty the Snowman. We hung stockings out on Christmas Eve and used Christmas paper with Santa images on it. I know…some are reading this right now and think I may need deliverance.
All that being said however…As parents, we clearly underscored and accentuated the birth of Jesus. Some years we practiced the lighting of Advent Candles with them to emphasize just that point. Every year in our household we baked a “Happy Birthday Jesus” cake and sang “Happy Birthday to You” to Jesus Himself. Apparently the Santa exposure they received didn’t veil their eyes to the reality and need for a personal Savior or the incarnation. My oldest son is a pastor in Northern Ireland, my middle son just graduated from a Christian College and will be working for a church in the accounting department, and my daughter will receive her degree in a little over a year from a Christian college as she seriously contemplates her service to Christ and what that looks like. Santa, apparently, didn’t defile them.
Now, I have no idea what millions of homes do with regards to Santa. I am neither advocating for him or against him. I am quite sure many have Santa, rather than Jesus, at the center of their celebration. I am sure many deceive and lie far beyond any sense of appropriate “game-playing”. That is sad. Let me be clear, before I am accused of idolatry, that if a person is genuinely replacing Jesus for Santa, or if they are worshiping their Christmas tree as they lay their offerings beneath it as some suggest Jeremiah 10:3-4, is alluding to, then yes, there is a problem. But there is also a problem of picking a fight with the culture thinking they cannot distinguish the difference between the holiday myth of Santa and the revelational reality of Jesus Christ. Beating on Santa, Mother Teresa, or any other benevolent character doesn’t necessarily drive people to Jesus. An anti-Claus person may think they are helping to unveil the truth behind this innocuous figure, but in fact it appears to the culture as if they are simply beating on a sympathetic benefactor. Whatever “win” might be established, is lost on appearance. In fact, these are hills that I am convinced are not worth dying on. I know Santa-theology has great error, but so far as I know, for many people (including Christians) they have never paused long enough to consider any theological ramification. It is simply an innocuous holiday celebration to them. Anyone who knows me or has followed this blog knows I like precision and orthodoxy when it comes to doctrine. I have no problem exposing darkness and engaging the culture on numerous fronts. No one is awaiting to award me with the Nobel Peace Prize for my political correctness. But I simply cannot muster the passion to fight Santa. Honestly, Santa is not our problem. To me, the Santa-war is a rabbit trail that gets us off the main road of evangelization, discipleship, and reformation. It makes great click-bait for folks to read a blog site, but I do not see how it establishes Christ’s kingdom in the earth. Destroying the myth of Santa may add a notch on our gun of theological accuracy, but it does nothing to…
…Help Christian brothers and sisters who desire to operate their businesses in accordance with their Christian conscience and maintain that Liberty.
…Stop the wholesale slaughter of pre-born children to a culture of convenience.
…Present the Gospel of redemption from sin and the Lordship of Christ.
…Open the door to greater opportunities of influence.
Maybe this sounds strange to some who have journeyed with me on this blog site. I can be a “stickler” on so many cultural errors that my reluctance to fight the Santa-war seems out of character. Honestly…I don’t see the reason for the fuss on this one. I just can’t beat on a fat man who gives kids presents when there are scores of challenges far greater staring us in the eye. The finite energy I have simply cannot be wasted on a Santa-war.
Whatever you end up doing…
Honor the Lord and His coming first…
Practice benevolence with those who really need it and appreciate it…
Go to church this weekend and gather with those of like-faith…
AND
Take the time to appreciate your family and friends…
Merry Christmas!
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