Santa < Hope

When we place our hope in our Provider rather than in our provision, we have made the right choice. As humans, we can never be completely prepared for whatever unforeseen eventualities might come our way. We can never be sure we will have enough money to cover unexpected calamities. We may not be able to accumulate enough vacation days to get through an unforeseen emergency. We can never have enough wisdom to make the right decision every time. We are totally limited in our humanity to cover all the potential struggles we will face in this fallen and broken world so it really is senseless to place our hope in what we can do when we have a Provider that already has all our needs in His sights.

As I was thinking about all of this, I wondered what we, as people who love, teach and influence children, can do to help them grasp exactly where their hope should rest. How do we adequately show them how to place their hope in Someone they cannot see? Suddenly, it occurred to me that we do this annually, about this time of year…quite effectively. Probably the majority of parents in North America are able to spin the tale of Jolly Ol’ Saint Nicholas in such a way that their kids believe in gravity defying reindeer, magical elves and the man in the red suit that knows if they are naughty or nice. We make them believe that the gifts they receive are in direct proportion to their behavior. How are we able to pull off such a feat? Well, we have a lot of help... from television to storybooks to the marketplace to the media. We are immersed in the culture of the fantasies of yuletide and we love participating in the magic… at least until they find out we were part of the deception they bought into all those years.

Now, before you label me as Ebenezer Scrooge, let me say that I have no problem with children enjoying fantasy. Who doesn’t love Disney and Daniel Tiger, right? The difference is that we don’t go to all the trouble to convince our children that they are a reality, yet they love them just the same. There is no “un-telling” when they mature and discover that mice can’t make a gown for the ball and tiger cubs don’t really talk. Santa is a great legend when we emphasize his generosity to those in need. It’s fun to be silent and listen for reindeer on the roof. I love to watch the movies where the North Pole is full of wonder and I’m not above imagining that God could have designed such magical things, if He so chose.

I don’t believe that Santa is evil. I don’t believe there is a battle between a mystical elf and a Mighty God for the role of Hope of the world. I don’t know of anyone who has called out to Santa for their salvation with their last breath. We know that Jesus is our Hope. We see Him as our Provider. He is our Savior… God with us. Now then, how do we take the effort and the energy we have used in the past to make a mythical legend real to our children and invest it instead in helping them to believe in the One who came from heaven to earth on a starlit night centuries ago because of a love we will never understand?

Consider for one moment that you knew that Jesus would return to take His people home on the day after Christmas. How would that change the way you prepare for Christmas with your children? How would you be helping them to know the One who came to save the world 2,000 years ago and is coming again to take His followers home to heaven?

What if, this Christmas, you presented Jesus as the Hope and the Provider of all things good…focusing on the Babe in the manger who came to earth so He could be with us always, even though we cannot see Him. What if we spoke to them of needs rather than wants? What if we helped them be generous to others with the money we set aside for Christmas each year? What if we taught them that sharing joy with others is what Jesus desires for His birthday gift?

What if, this Christmas, you presented Santa as a generous man who lived long ago who lives on in the stories we tell and the traditions we enjoy. What if they see he is not a real and eternal person, but a wonderful, warm, rich legend with all the fun that goes with it? What if you never had to worry about their reaction when they discover that you have perpetuated an untruth to them for years?

What if, this Christmas, rather than a mischievous elf on a shelf, you started the tradition of the finding kind and generous acts for him or her to do. Catch that elf in the act of unselfishness, doing something for someone. Discover lists that he has made to bless others. If there is to be mischief, let it be because his plans for good were foiled by elfish mistakes. Perhaps he could even make suggestions to the children of ways they can bless others, since, after all, Elves can only work during sleeping hours... so they need our assistance. 

Remember that God gave you these children and they are yours to teach. Teach them that Christmas is our reason for a hope of a happily ever after with Jesus someday. That is no myth and it's a story you will never have to un-tell. To the vast majority of people in this world, you are rich, so use your wealth to teach your children how to appreciate what they have and to have generous hearts.  

 “Command those who are rich not to be arrogant, 

nor to put their hope  in the uncertainty of wealth…”  

(or in Santa Claus).  

I Timothy 6:17