The idea of Santa has been around for many years, but it seems to be a hot topic this year and with our own little one on the way, will we tell our children about Santa?
No we won't.
We won't lie and say he never existed. We also won't lie and say he does exist every year on Christmas. We'll say there was a generous man name St. Nicholas who lived once upon a time, but the fantasy has been blown out of proportion. I am a Christian, a Christ follower and I believe the Christmas season is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We put symbols around our home of Peace on Earth....
And the cross... where Jesus died for us, to save us from eternity in hell.
I'm not going to take the attention away from my Savior Jesus Christ and give any credit to Santa. If you want to teach your kids about giving and sharing there are other ways.
Jesus in the manger, his birth 2,000 years ago was a beautiful picture of giving and sharing, family and love. The 3 wise men traveled from far away to give gifts and they were thoughtful, valuable gifts, and that is a true symbol. Santa isn't even truth. The shepherds shared their love for the new baby. There was family all around and animals, angels, wise men and shepherds. Why do we need to include Santa at all?
We teach children to be good little girls and boys, send their letters to Santa and they will get whatever they want. Then they rip open their packages on Christmas morning, giving no thanks to mom and dad for their generosity, or giving any thought to Jesus. They get the confusing message to whine and complain for whatever their wishlist and when not everything on their list is received, they throw tantrums. Do we want to teach selfishness or selflessness?
We teach children to be good little girls and boys, send their letters to Santa and they will get whatever they want. Then they rip open their packages on Christmas morning, giving no thanks to mom and dad for their generosity, or giving any thought to Jesus. They get the confusing message to whine and complain for whatever their wishlist and when not everything on their list is received, they throw tantrums. Do we want to teach selfishness or selflessness?
Christmas time is a special time of year, a time to worship the One True King and thank Him for sending His son into this world to save us, a time to love family and love others, a time to have fun with our children, nieces and nephews, and a time to remember what's important. Let's hold onto the true meaning and focus on Jesus Christ this season.
Merry Christmas everyone!
If you want to know more about the legends of St. Nicholas (now referred to as Santa) follow this link to Pastor Mark Driscoll's article
http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/mark_driscoll/2010/12/what_we_tell_our_kids_about_santa.html
If you want to know more about the legends of St. Nicholas (now referred to as Santa) follow this link to Pastor Mark Driscoll's article
http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/mark_driscoll/2010/12/what_we_tell_our_kids_about_santa.html
The Christmas Story can be found in the Bible in Matthew 1:18-25; Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-20.
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