If you move the "n" in "Santa" to the end of the word, what does that spell?

Satan. That's right folks, it gives you the name most commonly attributed to our enemy, the father of lies, the one who seeks to steal, kill and destroy. He prowls around like a lion (think Scar from the Lion King--who is actually not a half-bad analogous lion--and not Aslan, because that's Jesus), searching for souls to feed upon. And other times, he comes cleverly disguised like a cheery old fat man, dressed in a red suit and sporting copious amounts of white facial hair ("Angel of light" anyone?).

About now seems the appropriate time to say, "Don't worry, I'm not actually saying that Santa IS Satan." And while that isn't really what I'm saying, (after all, Santa, at least the one of the North Pole and flying reindeer, is merely a fictive character) I do think it is fair to say that Santa is a pretty effective puppet for Satan. John Piper puts it this way:

" 'Religion is the opiate of the people.' That statement is not simply classic Marxism. It is classic American materialism. The difference is that American materialism doesn't outlaw religion; it imitates it and then uses it. That is the real meaning of Santa Claus."

But Santa can't be all bad, right? I mean, he must have some redeeming qualities.... But consider the following story from my fiancee's CRTW (Critical Reading, Thinking and Writing) class:

"There was a lot of discussion and murmuring on both sides of the issue. Disturbingly, though, the only solid reasons people could give in favor of telling your children the myth of Santa was that they would be that one kid in the class who knew the truth, and they may tell other kids that they're believing a lie. Oh, what a travesty! There were no arguments for the benefits of telling them about Santa except that they may not be able to conform to the world at a young age."

Now, I realize that this example isn't the end all be all of the argument. For instance, one might argue that Santa helps to engender creativity and imagination in children. But really? Santa? Is that the best we have? And the thing is, we don't present him as imaginary but as a real, primary figure of Christmas. Which I guess you could argue isn't a big deal since we jacked the holiday from the pagans anyway. But if creativity is what you are going for, check out some Dr. Suess or other excellent literature like Where the Wild Things Are or The Chronicles of Narnia. Or just find some other creative outlet, be it music, acting, theater, what have you, but please, PLEASE don't settle for a culturally defined, socially acceptable (really crappy) imitation of the greatest gift-giver that has ever lived on the earth:

"The true meaning of Christmas—that God sent his Son into the world to save us from our evil hearts of sin (Matthew 1:21), and to destroy the works of the devil in our habits and homes and schools and workplaces (1 John 3:8), and to rescue us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10)—that meaning of Christmas is unacceptable to the spirit of this world. But the impact of the truth of the incarnation is so undeniable after 2,000 years of influence, that the god of this world behind American materialism cannot oppose it outright, but simply imitates it with Santa Claus and a hundred other trappings in order to direct the religious impulses of the masses into economically profitable channels."

And sometimes, the things that are close to the truth lead us the furthest away. (See: prosperity gospel, Mormonism, Emergent theology, etc.)

What about St. Nicholas? Well, he wasn't really as big as Santa was on instilling moral legalism, but rather focused on helping the poor. He loved Jesus, suffered for his faith, and gave gifts to poor children. So if you think children need to know about an old man around Christmas time, give them a story worth hearing. And use that to point them to an even better story: the gospel. Katie says it well:

"All kidding aside, what are we learning by promoting Santa? If you are good you get presents and if you're bad you get coal. This Santa knows what you're doing at all times, knows when you cry and when you laugh, everything. What are we teaching our kids, really? That in order to receive gifts you must present yourself worthy? I would much rather my kids believe they received gifts because they are loved, not because they were "good" enough. No wonder we have a complex over whether or not God loves us. We have been taught since birth that only the "good" kids get shown love and the others get crap thrown at them. May it never be said that God treats His children that way. He loves beyond our disobedience. He is faithful beyond our unfaithfulness. Praise God for He is a good father, very unlike our Santa Claus."





Addendum: To be fair, I realize that not everyone is going to want to "kill Santa," and how we present him to children makes a big impact on the type of influence he will have on them. So here is where I offer you a link to some other ideas about what to do with Santa, via the brilliant mind of Jon Acuff (You should subscribe to his blog. Really...go do it). My main point here is to get us to think twice about the patron saint of American pop culture, before we just embrace him wholeheartedly. The devil is a crafty (hence the serpent), and I think it is important that we remember that the Church is at war here on Earth.


Second Addendum: I saw this quote and I thought it was funny. It is from someone who commented on a John Piper status about the "prosperity gospel": "prosperity gospel. almost the same as believing in santa."


Third Addendum: And maybe the most important of them. Here is a website that I think helps to give a better perspective on Christmas. From what I've seen in it so far, it's pretty solid, so go visit the Advent Conspiracy.