Conflict in Church Over Santa

Dear Dr. Bill:

Long before our kids were born, my wife and I decided we wouldn't teach them about Santa Claus because we think what he represents can replace Jesus as the reason for this season. But we've been getting criticism from our family, friends and even members of our church who believe that we're somehow spoiling our kids' imagination.

Recently, a member of our Sunday School class sent around an e-mail that described all the wonderful things that Santa does a Christmas time. I responded to everyone, saying that we teach our kids about Christ first and that Santa is only an imaginary character. This led to several complaints, and the class leader asked me to keep my opinions to myself. He went on to say that none of the holidays are actually biblically-based, so it's okay if Christians want to believe in Santa.

Please help me with this. I'm frustrated because I feel like my church — the one place that should encourage the truth — is betraying me! What do you think I should do?

— Sam

Dear Sam:

I appreciate your dedication to biblical truth, but frankly, I think you need to relax. Here's what I would tell your kids in the midst of the church controversy:

"It's fun to believe in Santa, who is an imaginary character, but of course in our family, we know that believing in Jesus has eternal value. A relationship with Him gives our lives true meaning and purpose, and it guarantees that after we die, we will live forever with Him in Heaven.

Families all over the world have legends and stories about a person like Santa Claus, and young children love to believe in him. Santa represents a lot of the things that are good — like kindness, generosity, and fun. It's important for you to understand that Santa isn't a real person, but you can still believe in all of those good qualities."

You might also tell your kids about the real Saint Nicolas, upon whom Santa Claus is based. He was born in Turkey, about two hundred years after Jesus. He was a believer in Christ, and as a teenager, he heard about a poor family that couldn't afford to buy food. So he snuck up to their house one night and tossed a handful of gold coins through the window. They were overjoyed when they found the coins the next morning, but they never found out who did it.

Nicholas was so thrilled about helping a family in need that this became a regular habit with him. His family was wealthy, so he dedicated his entire life to sharing what he had with others.

Later, Nicholas became a bishop in the village of Myra, and because of his humility, he was given the title of Sainthood. From then on, he was known as St. Nick. Some people say that he still comes around once a year giving gifts to those in need.

By the way, Sam, you can feel free to share that information with the folks at your church as well. And you might want to order a special holiday DVD available from Focus on the Family called Christmas Story Keepers. After you watch it with your kids, perhaps you could donate it to your church's library so they can use it as part of their Sunday School curriculum at Christmas time. You can find out more about the DVD in our online Resource Center.

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