I was recently reading an article written about Santa Claus. It was written by a man named John MacArthur and I got to thinking about what he had to say. John MacArthur made some very good points, fact is, and I believe he is spot on in his article. The article got me thinking about not just Santa Claus but about fairy tales in general and how they impact our life, our thinking as we grow older. It is all rather bizarre how these stories impact our lives. We all want to believe in good and happily ever after but there is only one place to find it and it has nothing to do with fairy tales or Santa Claus or even Christmas. 
Fairy tales become part of our lives from the time we are very young. Girls all have their “Cinderella” dreams, outward beauty becomes so important to us and we all imagine life as being “Happily ever after,” but the story doesn’t ever go on to tell us what life was really like once Prince Charming carried the young beauty off to his castle. Boys dream of adventure and strength and conquering the elements and their foes with super powers, the slaying of dragons and all that hero stuff, rescuing the damsel in distress. It is all fairy tales, fantasy and not what real life is like at all but still we dream and we imagine and we are disappointed when life isn’t all that. Life never is. Those are just delightful stories someone made up. So is Santa Claus.
One of the points the author made in his article that struck me as more than a little off base when we celebrate Christmas is that if Christmas falls on Sunday, the common day when most “Christians” at least go to church to worship God, Jesus; many churches cancel that Sunday Worship service so not to interrupt the holiday festivities, all that excitement over Santa Claus coming to your house. Um, isn’t worshipping God, honoring Jesus what Christmas is all about? Maybe not since it seems Santa Claus has pushed God out or at least placed God on the back burner. That doesn’t seem quite right since we are supposedly celebrating God’s Love come down to Earth but I am as guilty as the next person of doing that, not so much today but definitely very guilty of it in the past and I admit I still get caught up in the secular and politically correct Christmas traditions that have sprouted up in this world we live in.
What happened to Christmas? It is nothing really knew. It has been being celebrated in on fashion or another since around the fourth century AD as established by the Church of Rome to incorporate pagan celebrations with the beliefs of Christians of that day. Santa Claus is an American tradition that is derived from the story of Saint Nicholas and was not celebrated in America until around the 1830’s. It has evolved into a secular and commercial holiday since then.
I grew up believing in Santa Claus and raised my children to believe in Santa Claus and not much was ever said about Jesus when I was young other than in the Christmas Carols we sang, at Sunday school when I went. 
I grew up knowing about Jesus and the Nativity but Christmas was more about Santa Claus and being good so not to get on his naughty list and get no gifts under the tree or a stocking filled with surprises on Christmas morning. I adored Santa Claus but I was petrified of him as well. I was so afraid I would not be “good enough.” After all, Santa Claus sees all, knows all and he is watching you and if you want gifts come Christmas day you had better be very, very good. What child doesn’t look forward to gifts, rewards for good behavior, or even those naughty times that get overlooked come Christmas?
I got to thinking about what this author said and he is right. We’ve made Santa Claus into a sort of godlike character that terribly misrepresents the one true God and what Jesus birth, God’s son coming to Earth was, is all about and Santa Claus has become more of a Christmas celebration than Jesus birth and why He came. Santa Claus is a fictional character, not real and yet it is Santa Claus and the threat of getting no gifts that hangs over our heads as children who might be tempted to be naughty rather than nice.
It is Christmas and Santa Claus is coming to town so be very, very good or very, very scared you may not be good enough to please Santa. What a horrible thing to instill in the minds of children and yet we do it with no thought to what it may do to the minds, the emotional wellbeing of the children. After all we know it is just a story and someday they will realize the truth too, that Santa Claus is just a myth.
As a child we see Santa Claus as having super-human powers, godlike powers that are strangely similar to the powers of the true God that is the reason Christmas is celebrated in the first place though we know it is not really Jesus birthday and it was never celebrated by the original followers of Jesus, His church.
Santa Claus is magical and not subject to the physical laws of nature and of this world we live in. He is fat and jolly and even fits down chimneys while carrying a huge sack of toys and other wonderful gifts and he likes cookies. Santa Claus has the power to watch each and every one of us at all times. He is omnipresent in his spying but he will only show up once a year to give you your reward for being very good. He sees everything we do or don’t do that we should have done. He knows when you are awake or sleeping and knows where you are and what you are doing. If you are good Santa knows and you will get good gifts but if you are bad he will leave no gifts or maybe some switches or some other awful reminder of how evil you have been. Santa Claus used to scare the living daylights out of me even though I tried to be very, very good but knew I wasn’t good all the time and probably was never good enough yet come Christmas morning there was always something in my stocking and something under the tree from Santa. I liked Santa on Christmas but the rest of the year, especially as Christmas time came near, Santa could really intimidate me. Santa was very good and wonderful come Christmas and on Christmas I didn’t think a lot about Jesus if I even thought about Him at all, that is not until I got older. He was just a little baby in a manger that we sang songs about.
Santa is also surrounded by a host of equally magical beyond the human realm creatures that also have super human powers and defy the laws of nature, like elves that make thousands of tons of toys and all other wished for things that come to you absolutely free, they don’t cost a dime and everyone gets something; and tiny, magical reindeer that can fly and can transport Santa Claus in a huge sleigh capable of carrying enough toys and other goodies for every boy and girl in the whole wide world, up, down and all around an entire planet in 24 hours from sundown to sundown, one day or night and stop at every single home on the entire planet and leave gifts for all the boys and girls even if you really weren’t all that good because Santa Claus is the spirit of Christmas and overlooks the misdeeds of the year and you will get at least something for Christmas. At least that is what children are lead to believe when they wake up Christmas morning, at least most children. And Santa carries all those gifts in a sleigh that is pulled by eight tiny reindeer (sometimes nine if you include Rudolph) and Santa becomes the shining star of Christmas. God may have angels but Santa Claus has elves that make wonderful toys and other good things.
Santa Claus has become the god of Christmas but certainly a god of questionable character, a character that is made up of promises and threats. If you are good and always obedient you will get gifts but if you’re not, well you will probably get switches, yet in the end come Christmas Eve somewhere between sunset and sunrise Christmas Day Santa arrives at your house (so long as you are sleeping and not peeking) and you are forgiven your bad deeds, this time, you find a stocking stuffed with surprises and gifts under the tree; and if your best friends got more and better gifts that is only because they weren’t as naughty as you were maybe but in the end everyone receives Santa’s favor and he rewards disobedience as well as obedience though the very good and wealthier you happen to be, those folks may receive more and better or so it would seem. And you feel bad or even worse and promise Santa you will do better next year so maybe next year you will get bigger and better and more wonderful gifts.
Santa instills jealousy, envy and greed in the hearts of children and by the time they realize that Santa is a fake and just a story and it is Mom and Dad or some local charity that puts the gifts under your tree, they have also figured out it is okay to lie so long as the lie brings good results to your benefit. It worked for Mom and Dad and all for the price of an X-box or whatever and convincing you that Santa Claus is watching you, spying on your every move.
Santa is a liar and someone of highly questionable character, deceitful and controlling, judgmental, showing favoritism; yet I grew up believing in Santa and taught my children to believe in Santa and then passed it on to my grandchildren and it is still going on today, children believe in and love and fear Santa Claus. Santa has become what Christmas is, but that is not what Christmas is all about or at least not what the basic religious principle is all about.
Santa makes empty threats and rewards disobedience in the same way he rewards good works and obedience. It doesn’t really matter if you have done everything you were supposed to do or if you were a terror-tot all year there will still be a gift for you under the tree and if you are counting, you will have the same number of gifts whether you are good or bad depending on the will and wealth of Mom and Dad. Santa has overshadowed and outshines the Christ in Christmas. It has lost its love factor and is now more about who gets the most toys.
Christmas isn’t supposed to be about Santa Claus or parties and other festivities or who gets the most presents. It isn’t supposed to be about flying reindeer or magical elves. It isn’t about Christmas trees and mistletoe or stocking hung by the chimney with care in hopes that Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) soon will be there. Christmas is more than just about a poor and helpless baby in a manger in the town of Bethlehem. It is supposed to be about remembering the greatest Gift of all, God’s son, Jesus, Emmanuel (God with us), God come to Earth bringing His love with him to all mankind. It isn’t just about a baby that was born. That baby grew up to become the Savior to the world and gave His life for the redemption of the sin of mankind. He lives and is Lord of lords and King of kings and sits now at the right hand of God, our mediator and redeemer offering us the greatest gift of all if we will only believe and accept it. A gift is not a gift until you accept it.
Christmas from a religious perspective is about God and His endless love for each of us. It is about Jesus, God’s only begotten son. It is about the greatest gift of all, the gift of God’s love, mercy and grace. Jesus is God’s son, the Messiah, the Christ. He is God incarnate, the very image of God and He is not Santa Claus and Santa Claus is not even close to being God. Santa Claus is a fantasy, so much magical fairy dust that someone dreamed up ages ago. Christmas is a religious holiday that has been promoted by the Catholic Church and carried over into Protestant religions around the world and it all came about to incorporate pagan festivals into the Roman Church giving these festivals a spit and polish so they didn’t look so bad in the light of “Christianity.” Santa Claus is a fairy tale and not real and he never was.
God is very real and God does not lie and God loves us and wants us to love Him and come to Him and accept the gift He has given to us through His son Jesus.
For unto you is born this day (though it most likely was not December 25th) in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:11-14)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)
For he hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (Jesus). (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) And we are all a whole lot more naughty than nice.
And this is why Jesus was born and thank God he came. He didn’t have to do it but Jesus loves us that much and that is the greatest gift of all and the reason for the season.
Santa Claus is just another fairy tale. Santa Claus will let you down. God never will. No matter what we may go through in this life, no matter what happens, no matter what we have done God loves us and offers His gift of love, his mercy and grace to us, the gift of eternal life in his eternal Kingdom of God filled with peace, joy, good health, all we will ever need and God will dwell with us. We will never be hungry or scared or sick or alone or lonely. There will be no destructive storms, no wars, no crime, no hate or prejudice of any kind. Oh how glorious that Kingdom of God will be but the only way to get there is through accepting the Gift that is Jesus. God’s gift to us is far greater than any gift Santa Claus ever has or ever will give. All we have to do is believe God and accept the gift He is offering us. Now how wonderful is that?