What attitude should Christians have regarding Santa Claus?

Here’s a question that I have received:

Isn’t Santa Claus an idol, and spreading the idea of his existence – idolatry? It is allowed for Christians to accept Santa, even if he is fictional? What attitude should Christians have? What shall a mother and a father tell to their children? What does the Bible say about this (Santa Claus)? When some teenagers were asked: what is the first thing you think at when you say “Christmas”, they answered: Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, gifts … no word of Jesus and His birth. What to do?

People don’t think of Santa Claus as of an idol

Last year I wrote an article about the origins of the word “Christmas”. There are many versions of the origin of this word, and regretfully, less of them are associated with the events from the Gospel. For most Christians from our country and around the world, regardless of denomination or church, Christmas is associated with the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Santa Claus is a character as any other one from a fairy tale whom children expect to come and bring them gifts. Nobody associates the character of Santa Claus with an idol to worship.

Our children have experienced the fairy tales world

In a greeting card that I received from my daughter, who is now 17 years old, among the things for which she expressed her gratitude and appreciation, was that we were able to grow her in a world of a fairy tale and she was waiting for Santa Claus when she was in 6th grade. Her colleagues at school said that there was no Santa Claus, but parents bought the gifts and put them under the the pillow or under the Christmas tree. But she said: “It is not true. You are not good kids, so Santa Claus is not coming to you.” At the same time, all these years we were studying the Holy Scriptures every day with our children and now we, as parents, are so happy to see their spiritual maturity and discernment they show when they must stay strong for the cause of the Gospel.

Let us help Santa Claus to tell children about the Birth of the Savior

Christians should take the best advantage of the Christmas event and offer themselves to play the role of Santa Claus to tell to all children the true history of Christmas, as we find it in the Gospel and to help children that, through the gifts that they will receive, to realize the value of the greatest gift that Jesus Christ came to bring us – the gift of eternal life.

Translated by Felicia Djugostran