Christian Parents! 5 Reasons to tell your children the truth about Santa Claus

Don’t lie to them

When our children were much younger, one of the decisions we had to make as parents was whether to tell them the truth regarding Santa Claus.

Just like many of us who grew up in America, my parents initially told me that all of the presents that were under the tree came from the magical Saint Nick.

That if we were good, he was going to bring us everything that we wanted on our list.  But, if we acted bad, we would receive coal or nothing at all.  

Now that I think of it, what a terrible way to convince children to behave.

Nevertheless, as children, we waited with anticipation for Christmas morning to see what jolly ol’ Saint Nick had delivered to us.  

Yet, eventually, my parents did tell me that Santa was not real and that they had bought those presents for me.  

Instead of having to go down that path of correcting a lie, we decided to tell our children from the beginning that Santa was not real.  

We did not want to establish mis-trust in the eyes of our children. 

I say mis-trust because if children get a sense that their parents lied to them regarding Santa Claus, how can they be sure of everything else that their parents say to them?

With that backdrop, here are some reasons why Christian Parents should tell their children the truth when it comes to Santa Claus:

Only God is Omniscient

He knows when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake…this is the refrain from the popular song, “Santa Claus is coming to town”.

Only God knows when we are sleeping, when we are awake.

By saying that Santa Claus has this capacity, then we are making him out to be a god.  There is only one God.

It takes away attention from Jesus

This time of year is to commemorate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. 

Yet, if you visit a large majority of homes in this country, you would think this season is for Santa. 

There are hardly any references to the birth of the Savior and the love that God showed towards humanity by sending His Son into the Earth.

Establishes materialism and self-centeredness

When all that children think about is how they can be good in order to get something, that plants the seed of materialism. 

Businesses are using the image of a Santa Claus to project hyper-materialism upon families during this time of year. 

Families feel the innate desire to buy gifts for their children, even when they can’t afford it.  

And, what does this do to the children?

It creates a sense of self-centeredness. 

Children truly believe that at this time of year, everything revolves around them and what they want.  They are only acting good because they want to get something in return. 

They are not behaving properly because it is the right thing to do. 

They are being performative instead of genuine.

It can lead to a feeling of rejection and unworthiness

If a child does not receive all that is on their list, undoubtedly some will feel a sense of rejection or unworthiness.  Why didn’t I get that red rifle that I wanted?  Was I not good enough?  Did Santa not like me?

Those are some of the thoughts that will enter the minds of the children. 

This gives the devil room to take those thoughts and further amplify them as they grow older. 

Potentially, it can lead to lifestyles and decisions that are unhealthy.  All because they did not receive the gift that they desperately wanted from Santa.

God is our source

Children must begin to see God as the source of their needs as soon as possible.  This will enable them to trust Him wholeheartedly as they grow and mature.

By implying that Santa is the source of gifts during Christmas, we are deflecting from God being our source and relying upon someone or something else.  

This can hinder the development of faith and total reliance upon God.  They will look to other things first before God to meet their needs.

These are just some of the reasons why we as Christian Parents should not lie to our children regarding the existence of Santa Claus.  

It’s not meant to condemn those who happen to tell their children about Santa.

We must realize that everything that looks innocent isn’t always beneficial.  

We must place everything under the lens of a biblical worldview.  

Besides, this saves us from having to eat those cookies.