Yes, It's Okay to Play Santa! A Christian's Perspective

I once read a comment online about how much better Hanukkah was because it wasn't super commercial. I don't entirely agree with this; I think that if you look past the ads and the shopping malls Christmas is magical for many people. (I also think that holidays aren't a contest and that we should stop yelling about others' traditions.)

Jesus is amazing. He was sent to Earth to save us and without being born, it wouldn't have happened. Material items aren't nearly as important. Santa is a good guy, but he's not real, and doesn't do what Jesus did.

But, kids need imaginations these days and I am cool with playing Santa. Santa can also be a great teaching tool for the faith. Here are some ways you can keep this tradition alive without making him into an idol. There are too many blogs out there that yell at people for how they participate. These are just some ideas!

HOW TO PLAY SANTA

Do teach kids the real meaning of the holiday.

According to an old infographic on Pinterest, 25% of kids believed that Easter was about celebrating the Easter Bunny's birthday. I'm not trying to be a prickly holiday judge, but this is dangerously close to idolatry. Teach them early. Take them to church, or read them picture books about the meaning. There are many.

Don't go crazy with shopping.

Does anyone else get super-sad to see that some people find Christmas stressful? I do! It's supposed to be a wonderful, joyous time of year! Don't let the need to buy 50 material items take away from that joy. In fact, the less you buy, the happier you'll be. And the more focused on Jesus, I might add. The Bible speaks out about how materialism is bad. We need to store treasures in heaven, not on Earth. Those are the best treasures! Santa doesn't even need to give many gifts.

I'm not opposed to gifts. They're a holiday tradition to show your appreciation at year's end, and aren't just for Christmas. The four-gift rule is becoming popular on Pinterest also. It basically goes, "one thing I'll wear, one thing I need, one thing I want, one thing I'll read." Easy enough.

Again, teach them early. If you implement this rule from the get-go, kids will never know what they're missing.

Do give your kids Biblical gifts!

From kids' Bibles to VeggieTales videos, there is many a Christian gift out there to give to your kids. If you really don't like material items, you might focus on these types of things.

Do present Santa as a disciple of sorts.

Santa likes to reward kids who are like Jesus! And even though we make mistakes, God's grace allows us to keep receiving Jesus' love. Thus, even though we are bad sometimes, Santa gives us gifts anyway. But, he is not the reason we celebrate. Santa exists to help spread joy and messages of giving, just like Jesus would want us to do. Jesus is the meaning; Santa is the helper. Even Santa needs Jesus in his life. How else do you think those reindeer fly? Faith!

Santa is also a huge do-gooder. He likes to reward Godly behavior. He comes to visit us in order to serve. (That said, don't confuse Santa with real disciples! He is just a helper.) 

There are picture books out there that present Santa as a helper. I've heard of one, anyway. Have some story time and learn about why Santa does what he does.

But Santa is also a good teaching tool for faith.

Even as adults, it's hard to have faith and believe in something we don't know for sure exists. Can you imagine how hard this concept must be for kids to wrap their head around? Yet, the legend of Santa Claus is spread far and wide and quite frankly, it's made so believable by traditions and word-of-mouth that it's hard not to believe in Santa. What if we did the same for God? 

Think back to your favorite Christmas specials. Remember how many centered on the theme of "believing" and loving each other, and bringing tidings of great joy? Don't the same messages apply to Christ? Even the music...couldn't Santa Claus is Coming to Town be allegory for the coming of Christ? (well, think about it! You don't have to go THAT far...but could it?) Even if you don't explain to your kids why it should remind them of Jesus after every viewing, the messages still sink in.

Elf on the Shelf often encourages good, Jesus-like behavior.

When your Elf on the Shelf arrives, he can reference Jesus in his letters to you. The elf is there to make sure your kids are being good, like Jesus would want. Some elves even ask you to do good deeds instead of make mischief themselves. 

I have a plethora of items you can use. My introductory letters let kids know that the elf is here so they can practice being good like Jesus. (There are two versions.) He can even bring good deed challenges to get kids thinking of how to share God's love with others. If they want the elf to return, they need to complete the challenge! Check out the rest of my elf collection here as well.

Let kids grow out of it....

If you randomly tell them one day that Santa isn't real, they may be upset at this and wonder if Jesus is real too. But eventually, the magic fades and they will realize that Santa doesn't exist. By that time, it won't be upsetting to them. They won't be tempted to go back on their faith, or will be less likely to. However, I've never heard of that actually happening. If they ever go back on their faith, it probably won't be because Santa wasn't real! 

...however, retire the tradition if your kids get super greedy and don't get it.

If your kids are of the "super gimme" variety, playing Santa might not be for you. If your kids are praying to Santa, that's also a good reason to stop. That's totally cool. 

There's a reason I like Santa but not the Easter Bunny. Santa emphasizes giving and learning how to believe, and is based off a Christian figure (I actually don't love worshiping saints, but that isn't for this blog). The Easter Bunny is solely about material items. Also, he's kind of scary. Have you seen some of those vintage Easter Bunny portraits? 

So yeah. Let kids have a little fun this holiday, but don't forget what it's really about. And if you don't want to or don't feel comfortable with playing Santa, that's great too! I'm not here to tell you how to celebrate your Christmas; that's not my job and people have different styles and traditions. These are just some ideas! It is definitely possible to play Santa and still love Jesus more.