Santa Claus vs. Jesus Christmas

Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.  And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.   

 Mark 10:14-16  KJV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 NIV

     I get a nagging feeling of discomfort every year at this time.  It comes from the Santa Claus Christmas vs. the Jesus Christmas debate.  Does participating in the Santa Claus myth take away from remembering Jesus at Christmas?

     Most of the time, the question is academic -- that is, unless you have little ones in the house!  Then some decisions have to be made.  Do you tell your kids about Santa or not?  Are the gifts left under the tree from Santa or from the person who really gave them  -- you, Grandma, Uncle Fred?

     We never told our own kids about Santa.  Of course they heard about him from others and so, when they asked us if Santa was real, we told them that he was real in the same way that Big Bird is real.  They could draw their own conclusions.  Right or wrong, that's how we handled it.

     Then it occurred to me the other day that there is a parallel between Santa Claus Christmas and how we respond to God in our Christian walk.  Children anticipate Christmas with excitement and huge anticipation.  They believe that there is someone who will give them gifts freely -- just because his love for them is so great that giving them gifts is the thing he most wants to do.

      Giving us the gift of Jesus and eternal life with Him is the thing that God most wants to do.  His gift is free to anyone who will accept it  -- just as are the gifts from Santa.

     So, there are two parts to the parallel between Santa Claus and God, God's attitude and ours.  Are we like little children who eagerly anticipate the free gift that is given to us.  It is a gift that we can accept without guilt.  Who ever heard of a child turning down a gift at Christmas?  Santa certainly reflects God's love in his desire to give free gifts to us.

     I do not know the answer to the question of whether or not you should tell your child about Santa Claus. I do know that you should tell your child about Jesus and there is a metaphor that describes, very well, God's great love for us.