Santa Claus

Every year in December Christmas fills our lives with bright lights, beautifully wrapped presents, hot chocolate and baked goodies, caroling and the gathering of family and friends. For those of us who are Christians, Christmas also means celebrating the birth of our Savior and rejoicing in God’s gift of eternal life. But what should we do with Santa Claus?

There are those who think Santa is a harmless fairy tale that brings excitement to the Christmas celebrations. Others incorporate the fun of Santa Claus while acknowledging that he isn’t real. Still other believers feel that Santa has no place in our Christmas celebration.

I’m thankful God has given each family the ability to make their own decisions on whether or not to bring Santa Claus into their homes for the holidays. I sure don’t have the answer for everyone. For our family, we leave Santa Claus out of the celebration but acknowledge that the mythical figure of Santa Claus is based on a real man who loved God. (You can read more about St. Nicholas here.)

If you are still wrestling with the Santa Claus question in your home then perhaps you might want to check out the articles below. And no matter what you do with Santa Clause, I hope that the joy of our Savior’s birth fills your hearts this Christmas.

What to do about Santa?

If I was going to write a post about why we don’t do Santa in our home it would look a lot like this article by Sara Wallace over at the Gospel-Centered Mom. She did such a good job of summing up many of my concerns that it seemed best to share her post instead of writing my own.

Santa, Strategically

Jen Wilkins, over at The Beginning of Wisdom, wrote an excellent article on how her family incorporates Santa Claus into their Christmas traditions while keeping the focus on Christ. You might enjoy her ideas (and cautions) if your family enjoys Santa Claus.

Rethinking Santa

Here’s a short audio clip and transcript from Desiring God where Pastor John Piper addresses the issue of Santa Claus and Christians.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas!