Santa: “I Killed Jesus”
November 26th, 2006 · Posted in Family, God Stuff · 8 Comments
I’ve been holding onto this image all year.
The run-down: some guy doesn’t like the religion of Santa Claus and so puts up a billboard to make people think about not lying to their kids. People get all crazy and angry because someone dares to suggest that we shouldn’t tell our kids about Santa. Click the picture to read the story.
Note: as far as I can tell, this guy isn’t a Christian, so it’s not even some religious wacko who thinks it’s wrong.
The whole deal with Santa kind of makes me sad – we give presents to one another at Christmas to celebrate Jesus’ birth and it should be a time of joy and thanksgiving. Instead it becomes a huge consumer-fest with people having to buy the right presents, and kids getting upset because they didn’t get the latest toy they wanted.
I also hate the idea of lying to my kids – telling them about an imaginary fat man who gives them presents if they are good. This subverts the whole reason why Jesus was born and died – it was grace, not deserved in any way. The whole concept of Santa is kind of distressing to kids too – there is someone who judges them and watches every thing they do, just waiting for an excuse to give them a lump of coal at Christmas (kind of like some people’s view of God…). Although even this view has been subverted – everyone gets presents now, even if they have been naughty. Rich kids get more and better toys… why is that again, parents?
I’m not going to be lying to my kids. Ruth lists a good way to broach the whole topic with your own kids, and basically outlines what Jen and I have been planning to do anyway. Santa won’t be visiting our house this year – or any year. We celebrate Christmas, and will be giving our kids gifts from us to them in recognition of Christ’s free gift to us. They won’t have to earn it – just accept it.
I love my kids and don’t want to lie to them – I’d urge you to do the same.
RodeoClown: seeing red.
November 27th, 2006 at 9:13 am
love that billboard!!
and i appreciate hearing your thoughts on (not) doing the santa thing with your kids.
November 27th, 2006 at 9:19 am
I thought it was pretty awesome.
It’s sad that so many people got all annoyed, it’s like “how dare you tell us not to lie to children!”
November 27th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Hi Rodeo.
I’ve commented over at Ruth’s blog too about this.
I like a lot of what you’ve got to say, especially about giving our kids free gifts because we love them, not because they’ve earnt them. I also like how the billboard highlights the fact that Santa gives presents only to rich kids, the irony of course being that St Nicholas (at least as far as the legend goes, perhaps historically true?? I don’t know) gave gifts to the poor. We personally don’t do the whole Santa thing either.
However, I’ve got to take issue with the whole idea that doing the Santa thing is lying to your kids. I really don’t think it is. It’s fantasy, make believe, fiction.
I think there’s such a thing as truth vs lies. But there’s also such a thing as truth vs fiction. They are on different planes though.
What do you think?
Anyway, it has all got me thinking about it again, particularly given my four year old is coming out with questions about Santa!
November 27th, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Hi Andy,
I definitely agree on the lies vs fiction thing, and in that sense I have no problem with people ‘playing’ Santa – but I know loads of kids (including my wife – not that she’s a kid any more) who really and truly believed in Santa, and when they found out that he wasn’t real it really hurt them, and they felt betrayed by their parents.
The parents might know it is make-believe, but often the kids don’t, and that’s what I think is wrong.
So many people get so upset when you suggest that Santa isn’t real, he has become his own little religion, where the adults all know it’s a game, but the kids don’t.
I really don’t like those aspects of it all.
November 27th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
Most kids I know are aware that the Santa thing is a game. You make a good point though about those kids that don’t – thinking their parents have lied to them.
I just posted about some anti santa cards I saw yesterday at church. I’d be interested in your thoughts on them.
When ‘A’ was younger, he stood incredulously staring at a queue of children lined up to sit on Santa’s lap in a shopping centre…and at the top of his voice called out pityinlgly – ‘look at all those poor children mummy, lining up to get presents from St nicholas’. I didn’t know there were so many poor children in Australia.’ !!!!
November 29th, 2006 at 11:06 am
I think that there is a real way that Santa is made to be a substitute god. Children believe that he is omnipresent and omniscient. People ask him for world peace, for miracles, healing, etc. And just as you point out, Ian, he is not traditionally showing grace, but earned rewards. At it’s worse it is a twisted replacement for god.
At its best, it is a benign game. It certainly can be just that, very benign. As for me, I did believe in Santa until one fateful evening when my brother pulled me out of bed to show me that our parents were putting our gifts out under the tree. I don’t really remember if I felt betrayed, but certainly confused. After I knew the truth, then playing Santa was fun. Leaving out cookies for him and wondering how they were eaten by morning. It was really fun to pretend.
So, yeah. I agree that what to do about Santa is a personal preference and there is not a black and white answer. But Christians will most likely modify the traditional way that Santa is portrayed and for good reason.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:40 am
I was looking for this billboard and ended up reading ur blog. great post. same thing happened this year with my 6 yr old. couldn’t lie to him anymore. i think it is black and white. don’t lie to ur kids. I took the scientific approach after reading about how the air resistane & velocity would burn up satan claus’ sled.
no other figure can take as much credit for the mess this planet is in. couldn’t find one passage in the bible where it said go out and buy a cheap plastic toy present made in China by child/slave labour from BrawlMart to be representative of your love and affection for your child.
we made all our gifts this year and donated to the food bank.
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:06 am
Hi Paul,
thanks for your comments.
I don’t know if Santa is the main reason for the mess in this world. I think the character (as he now exists) is a symptom of the greed and selfishness already present in us, rather than a cause.
I think your response – making presents and donating to charity is a great idea. We often buy presents from TEAR or World Vision’s gift catalogues, which provide for poor people throughout the world (didn’t happen this year for a variety of reasons, but we plan on doing it next year again).