"He Knows If You've Been Bad or Good..."

The holidays have arrived! I truly am excited. The time between Thanksgiving and New Years is always so much fun, not only because of the snow and the presents, but because of the time that I get to spend with my family. Personally, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I'm a bit sad that it's behind us, but now we're all focused on Christmas.

Christmas means different things to different people. In this article, I'm not going to delve into the error of observing it as a religious holiday. If that's something you're interested in, read this article I wrote back in 2009 (wow, that seems like such a long time ago).

What I'd like to focus on in this holiday-minded article is the question of whether we should tell our children that Santa Claus is real. My answer, and I believe God's answer, is "NO!" I'd like to share with you two very simple reasons you shouldn't lie to your children about Santa Claus.

First of all, it is a lie! Wikipedia defines a lie as "a false statement to a person or group made by another person or group who knows it is not the whole truth, intentionally." The Merriam-Webster Dictionary offers these two definitions: (1) to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive; (2) to create a false or misleading impression. In the Bible, the word "lying" is from the Greek word pseudos which simply means "a falsehood."

Is Santa real? If not, then aren't we lying when we tell our children that he is real? Many people hesitate to call it what it is, because in their minds, it just seems so innocent, or a matter of imagination. But it's one thing for our children to engage in pretend-play; it's another thing when we push a falsehood on them and go to extreme lengths to make the falsehood seem even more real. A lie is a lie, folks. The fact that it's your children you're lying to doesn't make it alright. The fact that it SEEMS innocent to you doesn't make it alright. The fact that most parents lie to their children about Santa doesn't make it alright.

Paul says in Ephesians 4:25, "Therefore, putting away lying, 'Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,' for we are members of one another." Revelation 21:8 actually says that "...liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Does God take lying seriously? Absolutely, He does. We need to see this from God's perspective, not man's.

Along these same lines, our word needs to mean something! In Matthew 5:33-36, Jesus condemns swearing. He concludes in verse 37, "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." In Galatians 5:22, one of the fruits of the Spirit is "faithfulness," which really means "fidelity." We need to be trustworthy and reliable. Again, when we're willing to lie to our children about Santa, the Easter Bunny and any number of other things, our children may develop distrust in our word. I didn't necessarily believe my parents every time they spoke. I never knew when they were telling the truth, or just trying to shut me up, redirect my attention or cover up something they were doing.

The second point I'd like you to consider has been well-summed up by my good friend, Bryan Dockens. He said, "I refuse to lie to my children about Santa Claus. The one who sees you when you're sleeping, knows when you're awake, and knows if you've been bad or good is none other than the God of heaven. I won't convince my children of the existence of an omniscient rewarder of good except the Lord Himself." You see, we're not just lying to our children about the existence of a random, fictional character; we're teaching them to believe in a being that shares the very attributes of God. How do you think God feels when we take the attributes that are uniquely His and give them to a fictional being?

Moses told Pharaoh, "Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God" (Exodus 8:10). Hannah prayed, "No one is holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God" (1 Sam. 2:2). After the Israelites gave their worship and praise to the golden calf, Moses said, "But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Exodus 34:13-14). Wow. You know, I get the feeling that God doesn't appreciate the fact AT ALL that parents hand over His uniquely divine attributes to a fictional character.

Before I conclude this article, I'd like offer a few quick thoughts and observations:

• I believed in Santa Claus as a boy. This is not some pet-issue of mine that I've held all my life. It's not like I've never been on the other side of this issue.
• There's absolutely nothing wrong with playing up the image of Santa Claus as a fictional character during the holiday season. My kids are familiar with the character of jolly old Saint Nicholas, have books that allude to him, and are, I'm sure, entertained by his character just as they are by Dora, Bugs Bunny and Sonic the hedgehog. So we can treat Santa Claus as the fictional character he is without lying to our children. NOTE: Even if we treat him as a fictional character, we still shouldn't attribute to him divine qualities. Honestly, I can no longer sing the lyrics, "He knows when you are sleeping" and so on in good conscience.
• You may tell yourself that even though "technically" it's a lie, it's a harmless one. Does it really cause children to distrust their parents? Maybe not. But even if it doesn't have that affect, it's still a lie. We can't justify a lie on the basis that it doesn't appear to do any harm. Also, consider this: the lie of Santa Claus may not negatively impact most children simply because most children are actually used to being lied to by their parents anyways; one more lie isn't going to destroy them. Beyond that, a good number of kids aren't raised by parents who actively and aggressively try to instill within them a deep-seeded faith in God. And so I think it's apples and oranges when you compare "most experiences" to what you're doing...assuming you're a Christian who is always honest with your kids, and actively teaches them the Scriptures.
• Similarly, just because you don't see any serious damage - or damage at all - doesn't mean that your lie hasn't damaged them. Maybe, just maybe, you have planted in your child's mind a hint of suspicion and distrust (when they find out the truth). I can tell you this - having been raised by parents who lied to me about Santa and many other things (which is common) - that I have to deal with nagging distrust in my own ability to have faith in God more than most other Christians I know, especially those who have been raised with faith. When we create an atmosphere where lying and deception are acceptable, I can assure you that in some way, we are damaging our children.

Please set aside your feelings and traditions and focus on this from a spiritual, biblical perspective. I'm not saying that we have to remove Santa Claus from our holiday festivities, but I am asking that we relegate him to the fictional status he deserves, stop lying to our children, and perhaps most of all, that we diligently guard the nature and character of our God.