Every year around this time, the question of Santa Claus tends to come up. Families who seek to raise their children in the faith of Jesus Christ want to spend Christmas focusing on one thing: The arrival of the Savior. They want their children to dedicate their lives to King Jesus without compromise and with full devotion. Every Christian parent desires this. That’s why many Christians don’t allow their kids to believe in Santa Claus. One concern they have is that belief in Santa would distract from the real focus of the season, namely, Jesus’ birth. Other Christians hold to a different view. They think it’s okay to allow their kids to believe in Santa Claus without doing so in such a way that will distract from faith in Jesus.
I have found that Christians tend to have very strong opinions about this issue. So, which is it? Should Christians allow their children to believe in Santa Claus?
In the latest installment of Practical Theology, we tackle the subject head on. Without spoiling the video for you, my own thoughts are that the Santa Claus tradition can actually be used to help children learn to seek Jesus with all their hearts. As it turns out, there is some evidence to suggest that St. Nicholas was a devoted follower of Jesus—someone who loved his Savior and his neighbor. In this vein, he was a saint worth imitating. (Although, we may not want to teach our children to slap heretics!)
At any rate, lots more to be said. I hope the video below is encouraging to you.