Comments on: Santa Claus and Children’s Ministry: How Do You Respond?

By: Linda Weddle

Linda Weddle — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:17:58 +0000

My parents told me there wasn’t such a thing as Santa right away as a child so I did not believe in him. We said the same to our kids and treated him as a fictional character such as Cinderella – allowing them to draw or color in a Santa coloring book and even to visit him at the mall (something they would want to do NOT to tell him what they wanted, but to get the gift he would give out to those who talked to him).

In the preschool I directed, we did not emphasize Santa at all. If a child brought him up either that she believed or didn’t believe, we redirected everyone back to the task at hand. We were aware that we had parents who told their child there was a Santa and those who were very anti-Santa – so we avoided the subject and focused on Luke 2 and things like snowmen, bells, wreaths etc.

My co-director was adamant about this. She was told there was a Santa. When she was as a seven-year-old her mom told her that he wasn’t real, she immediately decided that God wasn’t real either and it took several years for her to believe the Bible once again. She determined right then she would never tell a child that someone was real that wasn’t.

By: ishadot griffin

ishadot griffin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:26:36 +0000

That was truly well said Shay my thoughts exactly, parents need to stop telling there kids about santa.This is a subject every year that makes me extremely uncomfortable and during the Christmas season that is all you hear and see is this santa claus.I know that satan uses this as a tool because if he can get our kids believing in santa claus, the easter bunny and the tooth fairy when the kids find out that all of them are a lie then it will be very hard to convince our children that Jesus Christ our savior is real, this is very dangerous satan is very clever and he knows what to do to take our kids to hell with him.Parents please stop being an evangelist for satan and making your kids believe in this satan claws.GOD Bless please put JESUS first !!

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:09:51 +0000

I am a parent and a pastor of children and my wife and I have battled with the Santa Claus issue since I have become a Christian less than 10 years ago. My 10 year old daughter has special needs, so when she was able to appreciate presents under the tree she simply looked back at her mother and I and said, “Thank you mommy and Daddy, thank you!” We never swayed her heart that it was really some fictional fellow that gave her those gifts and not the love and nurture of her parents that found “just what she wanted.”

When my 5 year old son, Fisher was born we decided to make a few changes to the way that Christmas was celebrated in our home to recapture the true meaning. So we celebrate advent in a way that celebrates the redemptive work of Christ (see grace2kids.wordpress.com) and brings our hearts into contact with the true gospel.

That said, we do not celebrate Santa Claus. There are no Santa Claus ornaments. No Santa Claus music. There is most certainly no way that I could see my kids asking for everything under the sun and pretend that that is okay. It is entirely selfish. Then we turn and say the “Spirit of Santa is giving.” Number one, this is just not true, the kids don’t even know who gave, they only receive. So the “Spirit of Santa” is receiving. This is not what I want to teach my kids. I will relay one questions my 5 year old asked after getting in trouble in school for telling kids there is no Santa. I told him that he cannot do that that it is up to their parents to do that, he responded, “Why do their parents not want them to know that they want to give them presents?” I had no answer. Number two, Santa has no spirit! He is not real! He certainly is not God. He is pretend! No I do not explain that Spider-Man is not real to my son, I do not pretend that he is either. My son gets that, he is then free to pretend. He cannot understand healthy and true belief and faith in this age of “your truth is your truth, God is real, if he is real to you” if we confuse the real faith of the Creator of the Universe with some silly man in a red suit that has captured the culture of this country because it promotes higher levels of spending, not giving, spending.

The advice that I give to parents is to find ways to be Christian as Christmas. For my family, Santa didn’t make the cut.

By: lily cavazos

lily cavazos — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:49:42 +0000

In the times we live in today, Santa, Clause has always been part of society. There is no way getting around it. Of course Christ is the reason for the season, but we can’t be blind to what surrounds our children. Its up to us as parents and Children’s Ministers to teach our children what is real and what is not. We cannot live in a box, yes children need to know the truth. Putting santa down to an unbeliever may destroy the child emotionally. some children have santa and who know what else to believe in. That why its so important to use our words wisely in front of our children. Our children take part in many things in activites in school that have nothing to do with God. Are we going pull them out of school during easter, christmas and other holidays? I don’t think so. That why it is so important the word of God be planted into the heart of the child, so that although he/she may take part in the singing of songs and santa decorations in school in their heart they know the true meaning of christmas. ( Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it). Why not turn the picture and turn santa into a character who is giving, and compassionte to those in need? According to the story he did give to those in need. In his heart he felt compassion for those less fortunate. Please do not misunderstand. Christ should always be the center of our teaching. the children do need to know, the difference between the power of Christ and santa clause. The gift of Christ is not in the month of December, but its an everyday gift God gives us and our children.

By: Shay

Shay — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:55:13 +0000

We chose not to tell our children about Santa. I explained to them that Santa was not real. When people in the stores would ask my kids what Santa was going to bring them I just told them we didn’t do Santa.

At church, when kids bring up the subject, I do not tell them one way or the other. I tell them to go talk to their parents about it and I do not let the kids argue about Santa either. I would tell them that at church we celebrate Christmas as Jesus birth and I leave it at that.

I recently made a post about how I feel about Santa…

As a child I remember going to church very few times. I was raised with the knowledge of Santa, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and took part in dressing up on Halloween. It wasn’t until I was in 10th grade that I attended a Christian school where I had a daily Bible class and a weekly church service that I had to attend.

When I became a Christian I saw these things very differently and the Lord has convicted my heart in regards to those things I listed above.

I am really amazed at how many ‘Christians’ allow the world into their holiday celebrations and how they go about rationalizing their thoughts.

As a mother, I have no desire to lie or mislead my children by telling them that something exsists when it doesn’t – it’s just not right.

Santa is everywhere. Just go into any store and you will see more of Santa than Jesus. When my kids were little, around the holidays, we would go into stores and my kids would be asked, “What’s Santa bringing you?” As I said, it’s all about Santa…what a shame…

Have you ever thought about Santa…I mean REALLY thought about him…

?he knows if you have been naughty or nice
?he is a rewarder of good
?he is everywhere
?he sees all things
?he performs miracles

Who does this sound like? Yes, it sounds like God.

Satan is a liar and a deceiver. He is very crafty. He uses Santa to lure people away from Christ. Just rearrange the letters in SANTA and you get SATAN.

The Easter Bunny is the same. Satan’s tool to lure people away from the truth of the resurection of Christ.

If it weren’t for Santa and the Easter Bunny to distract the world, how many more Christians do you think there would be today? How much more focus would be on Jesus? What if the Christians would have taken a stand and said NO to these characters and took a firm stand in their homes against them?

“Oh, it’s just fun for the kids. It doesn’t hurt them.” Really? Does it bring them closer to God or further away from Him?

And for those churches that have ‘Breakfast with Santa’ as their outreach…just how many of those kids make a profession of faith? How many of those kids come back to church on a regular basis? And just want damage is it doing to the kids already attending church?

Jesus always taught the truth. I don’t find where he used pagen things in his stories or parables. Do you think Jesus would be for Santa, the Easter Bunny or for celebrating Halloween?

“What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?” – 2 Corinthians 6:16

We are called to change to world, not by being of the world, but by being different.

1 John 5:21, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”

By: brennaphillips.com » Blog Archive » When Santa Comes to Church

brennaphillips.com » Blog Archive » When Santa Comes to Church — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 11:30:11 +0000

[...] Responses from other Children’s Ministry leaders [...]

By: Martha Wilson

Martha Wilson — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:12:12 +0000

As to how to handle the Santa issue. Years ago when my kids were little.
I told them about the orginal St Nicholas and what he did. Then told them about how much fun it is to prtend how he is real now etc. I found it interesting that after all that “truth telling about Sant’” how they continued to enjoy “believing in Santa” They just enjoyed the idea of Santa
presents and the cookies being put out and thinking that he could be on our roof with the rein deer. I of course, would gather them every night for the advent candle and have them take part in a scripture, lighting the candle and singing a song together and I hear more about that then what Santa brought them after they are grown,now. We’d also do the manager scene and put the wise men a ways away and share with them how it took them awhile to get to baby jesus etc. They enjoyed all that.

By: Santa Claus and Children’s Ministry (Children’s Ministry Think Tank) « Dad In The Middle

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:02:30 +0000

[...] case you missed it earlier this month, the latest Children’s Ministry Think Tank was just published over at Ministry-to-Children.com. I was going to promote it then, but I [...]

By: George L. Walters

George L. Walters — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:58:35 +0000

To be a parent in a real Christian home it would be elementary to say, “You should not ever lie”. Is the believe and teaching to Children about Santa a lie. “YES” , Then don’t do it. Have You ever studied the origin of Santa Claus? I challenge You to do so. Their is nothing of Christ Jesus in it. The same with “Trick or Treat”, the easter bunny etc. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, for if any Man love the world , the Love of the Father is not in Him. Allow The Spirit of Christ to take over Your life and give up the traditions “Lies” of the world. Be strong in the Lord and serve Him with a new backbone to replace the weak one we all sometimes have.

By: Barbara Graves

Barbara Graves — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:48:55 +0000

As an “old” Children’s Pastor and a mom of 4 grown kids, I have seen a lot of ways kid’s church handles Santa, mostly just ignoring him. I took this year as an opportunity to use the subject in this past weekend’s service, not to prove or disprove Santa, but to remind the kids that their parents are the people to go to when other kids tell them things they don’t believe. It was a good example of how someone at school may disagree with what they believe. And if their peers are telling them things different from what they believe, talking with their parents will help them understand why they believe what they do.

As far as the argument of “you lied to me about Santa, so you must be lying about God, too” argument, I did a blog about that last week. I copied the main point here:

Third: And really the only valid reason here, hopefully, our children see enough of God in our lives all year long that there couldn’t be a doubt that God is real. Santa is only in the picture at Christmas and when the threat of the naughty list is needed to keep wayward kids in line. God is with us every day. When we as parents live out our faith day to day, our kids have seen God provide for our needs whether they be financial, physical, or any other realm of need we may have. When we live out the Deut. 6 family, our kids know there is a God.