Move Over Truth - Here Comes Santa Claus (Again)!

By Mary Rediger

Faith Telegraph Guest Columnist

Monday, December 7, 2009

“Jolly Old St Nicholas” is everywhere this time of year. I don't mean the real saint who gave gifts to others and helped the poor. I mean the one who fits in a chimney and flies with reindeer.

His presence around the holidays in America can't be missed, but what about his presence in Christianity and Christmas? Disturbingly, one doesn't need to make a list and check it twice to find it. I am shocked at how suffocating Santa's influence is on a day that we should celebrate Jesus' birth.

This year I have been invited to more 'Santa' parties hosted by churches and Christians than in every other year combined. Santa is the ultimate party crasher -- it isn't his birthday, but he shows up and steals the show anyway.

My family recently bought our first house in rural Texas. Our realtor is a highly recommended Christian who has invited us to a party. (I love Southern hospitality.)

But there is one thing that I don't understand about this party: Our Christian, church-going realtor is having a 'Santa' party. But not just any 'Santa' party -- this one has invitations complete with a Santa picture and return address label. But no mention at all of Jesus.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt: maybe he doesn't want to offend anyone, like the company having a Christmas party that recently asked an acquaintance of mine to provide music but specified that no religious carols be played. That's right: A Christmas party with no Christmas music, in the hopes of not offending anyone.

Well, I'm offended and other Christians should be too! Something is wrong when Santa is accepted but Jesus is not. The only begotten son of God and Savior of mankind is being replaced by a ruddy arctic man with an  uncontrollable appetite for cookies.

Santa presents a worldview that is in direct conflict with Christianity. In the make-believe world of Santa, he keeps a list of everyone's name. He watches you during the year (or someone does – that detail is a little fuzzy) and keeps a record of how many times you do something good or something bad.

And you'd better be good, for goodness sake:  If the good deeds outweigh the bad, you get a reward – presents! This is all eerily familiar to many religions' false teaching that a person can save themselves through good deeds.

You may think I'm being a little dramatic, but here's just one example of the danger of this thinking. While teaching in a Christian preschool/kindergarten class for missionary children, I told the children about Methuselah from the Old Testament.

Genesis 5:25-27 gives an account of Methuselah. It says, "When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.” (NIV) 

I explained to the children that 969 years on this earth made Methuselah the oldest person in recorded history. A five-year year old boy in my class began to shake his head and announced that “Santa's elves live longer than that,” to which I replied “Santa's elves aren't real. Methuselah was a real person.” The student then became upset and claimed that his parents told him elves were real and his parents tell him the truth, so elves must live longer than Methuselah did.

This exchange took place during our Bible lesson in front of the other students. This boy was so confident that what his parents told him must be true that he was giving the story of Santa the same credibility as God's Word and was not hesitant to defend it by disagreeing with his teacher in front of the whole class. And he was only 5!

I spoke with his parents after class about my concern that he did not understand the difference between truth and fiction and gently suggested that it may be a good time to tell him that the Bible is true but Santa isn't. The missionary mother was shocked at my suggestion and told me that she just can't be the one to disappoint her little boy by telling him that Santa isn't real. Wow.

That was a wakeup call for me. It showed me how far our culture has drifted away from the reality and importance of Christ and Christmas. Not the holidays – Christmas. Believing in Santa and believing in Jesus should never be in the same category.

If there really must be a list that is made and checked twice, I propose two lists: one for the number of  times Santa is mentioned and the other for the times Jesus is discussed this Christmas season. I hope and pray the second list is longer.

Mary Rediger is a published author who lives with her husband and son in the great state of Texas.  She can be reached via email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/maredig.

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