When parents tell their young children about Santa Claus, they are embarking on a lie that they will perpetuate for years, that will ultimately lead to the shattering of the child's trust in their parents. Many parents will go to great lengths to keep their children believing in Santa. As the child gets to be around four or five years old, many parents don't want the moment to end, so they begin adding props to substantiate the lie. How many of you remember seeing (or actually being responsible for) half eaten cookies, or empty glasses of milk? One neighbor even went so far as to track soot from the fireplace to the Christmas tree on boots! This might provide another year or two, but eventually, the child realizes that there really is no Santa. The impact of this on the child can range from mild disappointment to an outright loss of faith and trust in what their parents tell them about everything.
Let's take this a step further. The child believed in Santa, despite having never
seen Santa actually put the toys under the Christmas tree. Now that the truth has
been revealed to be a lie, the child will begin to wonder what other things the parents
have said that were not true. The list may include the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the
Great Pumpkin (just kidding). When these are brought into question, the parents again will
be forced to tell the child that these too are imaginary characters. This all leads up to
casting doubt on the one thing that is real: Jesus Christ. Despite reassurances to
the contrary, the child will wonder when the parents will fess up to God being
make-believe, just like Santa. Could Satan himself have devised a better plan for
destroying the faith of little children?Even the whole concept of being good to get your presents on Christmas, flies in the face of the message of the cross. Being a good little boy or girl doesn't get you into heaven, only a child-like faith in Jesus Christ's finished work on the cross can get you to heaven.
There are some who hold to the
notion that Santa is Satan, just spelled differently (and both wear red). I definitely
would NOT go that far. But Santa is a deception and Satan is "the father of
lies." Taking Santa Claus out of Christmas has many benefits. There can be a greater
focus on the real celebration, the birth of Christ. Tell your children about the real Saint Nicholas, instead of a fictitious figure. As far as the
presents are concerned, now the child will know that God provided the gifts through you,
not some mythical benefactor.