During a season marked by unity, many Christians have found a particularly unflattering way to quarrel.
Truly, the Santa Claus debate has descended to new depths of ugliness with the advent of YouTube and social media, but this is not to say that the conversation surrounding Santa Claus is altogether unfruitful or meaningless. Many consider the issue to be of great practical importance since it affects the developing faith of children and the relationship of that faith to the world in which it is exercised. The problem, as usual, is not the disagreement itself, but how we conduct ourselves in the mist of disagreement.
Christian parents on both sides of the Santa aisle are confident that they have good reasons for engaging in Christmas traditions in the manner that they do. On the one side, many believers are convinced that there is no harm in imagining with their children that a far-Northern toy-maker, who travels by deer-drawn sleigh, fills their stockings, brings them gifts, and is concerned about moral uprightness.
Others are equally, if not more convinced that engaging in such persuasive fantasies has the potential to either distract their children from the wonder of the Incarnation of Christ or, upon finding out that Hollywood’s portrayal of Santa does not exist the way they were told, lead them to distrust their parents and grow skeptical of biblical tales.
Usually, however, I hear the former opinion exchanging serious dialogue for mantras such as “It’s really not that big ‘a deal. My parents did Santa with me and I don’t question my faith,” as though we are always keenly aware of how each childhood event affects the formation and stability of adult belief.
On the other hand, the latter side often sidesteps the gracious route with one-liners such as “Lying to your children is a sin” and “We worship Jesus, not Santa.” Or how about, “If you rearrange the letters of Santa, you get Satan!”? (I don’t feel I need to explain why this is unhelpful…) Seeing no imminent end to the disagreement, I suggest both sides take a time-out to reflect and then re-enter the conversation winsomely—not forfeiting confidence or conscience, but guarding them with newfound grace and humility.
Having said all this, I’d like to offer my own perspective, having children of my own and at an age that makes this issue practically relevant. Specifically, I would like to make three points defending the tradition of Santa. But before I lose an entire side of the aisle, I have four caveats:
- This is what we call an “in-house” debate. I’m speaking to those who are concerned about the faith of their children and who care about making Jesus the focus of our festivity. Therefore, I’m not concerned with addressing the natural tendency of unbelievers to replace Jesus with Santa or to express worshipful tendencies toward Santa.
- I’m not touching the issue of celebrating Christmas in general. A number of Protestants avoid Christmas due to its lack of scriptural approval. As the argument goes, the result of appointing a day as holy when God has not designated it as such is idolatry at worst and presumptuous at best. This is not my view and this would render the Santa debate meaningless, for obvious reasons.
- Throughout this article, I use the titles Santa and St. Nick interchangeably, whether I am referring to the historical person or the modern figure. I realize the anachronism will bother some, for the historical figure was never called Santa. This is simply to make a point about his identity—sue me.
- My wife and I have decided not to encourage our children to believe that Santa himself stuffed the stockings.
A Historical Hostage-Rescue Mission
First,the history does matter. Love him or hate him, the Hollywood-inspired Santa Claus that comes quickest to the imagination of the Western mind is not an altogether different figure from the St. Nick of history and tradition. Regardless of how exactly the life and legacy of the 4th century bishop evolved into the Santa we imagine today, it is important to recognize that his devotion to Christ gave him a certain reputation for good works and generosity—especially toward children—that has rippled through time and continues with vitality throughout the world, in one form or another.
I’m not saying that embellishment hasn’t taken place or that historical details haven’t been forgotten. I’m simply drawing attention to the essential characteristics which identify the man of history and the man of modern Western tradition as the same man.
While certain Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican Christians have long commemorated St. Nick on his feast day of December 6th (or 19th), the nearness of his commemoration to December 25th eventually tied him to celebrations of Christmas among certain American Protestants. Admittedly, this is a gross oversimplification. For an in-depth look at the historical details, check out Gerry Bowler’s Santa Claus: A Biography.
In light of the tradition and history of St. Nick, I see three main ways we as Christians can engage with the current Santa.
- We can reject him outright, believing that he differs so much from his historical antecedent and that the two are virtually unrecognizable.
- We can accept the current Santa on purely festive grounds, finding little to no value in the figure of church tradition.
- Or, rather than forfeiting the traditions of St. Nick to Hollywood and Hallmark (and Coca Cola?), I propose, in the spirit of Hebrews 11 and with a bit of holy jealousy, that we fight for the seasonal commendation of this ancient church leader through the current Santa traditions we have in front of us.
But here, the question arises, Is this really possible through the current version of Santa? I believe it is, but it requires walking the difficult line of giving true recognition to a timeless individual after he has been (metaphorically) captured and leveraged for commercial ends. Put another way, this is a call not to throw away today’s Santa, but to recapture him for the glory of Christ, shaking off his service to secular ends and re-establishing him in true Christian vesture. Together, Hollywood and Hallmark have so commercialized traditions commending St. Nick that the risk of losing his historical root is very real. However, as different as the current Santa is from his origin, he would not be who he is today without it. His history does matter.
Commending the “People of Old”
Second,there is a difference between commendation and worship. The fact that this distinction can be made successfully is proven by the author of Hebrews. When we commend the faith and deeds of the saints, we never do so at the expense of the glory of God, nor do we recognize them for their own sake, apart from their testimonies to the grace of God. When we see the faith of such flawed individuals, it gives us hope that Christ will preserve that faith in us as well. Moreover, the recognition of the saints provides us with tangible demonstrations for imitation. Here, we follow the Apostle Paul’s command to imitate those who imitate Christ. I suggest we teach our children about Santa in this manner.
We are not worshipping Santa when we take hold of his current representation and invoke his true and long-standing persona. As I previously mentioned, my wife and I have decided not to encourage our children to believe that Santa in-the-flesh stops by on Christmas Eve. However, we do want to encourage the spirit and wonder of giving and receiving that St. Nick traditionally embodies. Just as I might want Abraham’s spirit of faith, David’s spirit of courage, or Ruth’s spirit of loyalty, we might want Christmastime to be marked by Nicholas’s faithful spirit of generosity. We must remember that our God is not the god of the dead but of the living. St. Nick is just as alive today as any saint who has fallen asleep in the Lord and we have this entire multitude of holy ones as a great cloud of witnesses.
We must also remember that the biblical term “saints,” or “holy ones” includes angels as well as men. Throughout the scriptures, angels are given the title “saints” along with humans. Most Christians are perfectly fine invoking the memory of saints during Christmas when they are of the angelic variety. Ideally, including Saint Nick in traditions of remembrance and imitation would create no theological trouble. Just as we do not worship angels, but commend their wonderful obedience, I likewise propose we do not worship, but commend the timeliness of Nicholas’s generous spirit. Further, being human rather than angelic, our imitation of him during Christmas seems even more appropriate. The distinction between worship and commendation is possible when the object of recognition does not steal the glory due to God. Traditions that acknowledge faithful believers should always seek to encourage perseverance, imitation, and hope in God alone, “For by [faith] the people of old received their commendation” (Hebrews 11:2).
Erecting Stones of Help
Lastly,traditions and rituals (done right) magnify rather than distract. This is where the rubber meets the road. How exactly do Santa traditions embody the practice of commendation? And with all this talk of recognizing and imitating the spirit of Santa, where is the Incarnation Christ? While I have stepped aside from the central focus of Christmas, I am not suggesting that traditions of St. Nick’s generosity overwhelm the wonder of God’s greatest gift. But if the mere invocation of Santa at Christmas causes discomfort, then it might be that we are unnecessarily wary of ritual and tradition.
Done poorly, rituals and traditions muddy the waters of Christian belief and practice—they become vehicles for pride (among other distractions). Done right, however, they provide for creatures the help they need in relating to an invisible God. For similar purposes, the saints of old set up eben-ezers, or “stones of help.” Ebenezers were erected to memorialize a significant event or in special cases, a place where God came through. The ancient tradition of “helping stones” reminds us of our humanity, that God has given what is tangible to help us understand and remember the intangible. The stone itself is humble, but the event it represents is magnificent. If the stone does not magnify the event, then it has failed in its purpose. This is the lens through which we should view all traditions and rituals—and in this case, the Santa tradition. To condemn outright the expression of spiritual realities through visible “incarnations” reflects only a modern tendency toward Gnosticism (an ancient belief which included the devaluation of the physical world).
Granted, we might deem certain material symbols inappropriate, but this fact poses no threat to all material symbols generally or, I would argue, the Santa symbol specifically. Acknowledging the distinction between worship and commendation, human subjects are for us the best ebenezers. Not only does the Incarnation of Christ prove this to be true, but we know from personal experience how often God mysteriously manifests himself to us through people. This is why the church is called the body of Christ. If Santa is welcomed into the Christmas tradition, it is essential that his purpose be to magnify Christ. He is to be a stone of help, guiding the eyes of our hearts upward to more fully experience the most valuable Gift ever given and he is to encourage us to respond with the joy of giving. In this light, Santa is not a competitor to the Incarnation, but simply one voice calling and one finger pointing our spiritual senses to behold the advent of Christ.
A Simple Vision of Responsibility
I propose we have a vision for Christmas that includes tangible “stones of help” which aid us in the worship of Christ. The world does not know Christ, so we should not be surprised to see Santa’s reputation employed for some not-so-blessed means. But Hollywood and Hallmark do not own him and they do not define him. First and foremost, Nicholas is our brother, who even now sits beside Abraham, having received a “Well done!” Moreover, his legacy belongs to the church. To us belongs the stewardship of the reputation of saints among men. What we know of St. Nick’s earthly life was given for Christ and we are responsible for his true commendation. I am not here to say exactly how Santa should be involved for each family. I am not an expert at this—my children are very young. But I do hope to provoke thought and offer a humble perspective from the side that continues to involve Santa in Christmas. So let us invoke and imitate the Apostle Paul’s spirit of unity as we debate the role of Santa this Christmas.
