The Santa Dilemma for Christians

I see no problem at all with USA children having Santa in their lives when they are small. My children even to this day as grown ups appreciate the fact that they were told there was a Santa out of love and as they got older and realized we were continuing the Santa thing never felt “betrayed.” I actually feel sorry for believers who are so paranoid about their Christianity that they obsess about Santa and similar things. If one’s Christianity is this fragile there are deeper problems. When you think about it if you tell the kids that Santa brings the gifts you are unselfishly giving gifts to your kids that you can take no credit for.. If you teach them there is no Santa they are going to feel isolated from their friends and their friends will think they are strange. To quote our pastor “if people think you are weird who wants to be like you?” In other words its hard to witness to folks who have no desire to be like you. When my oldest daughter was a little girl one adult told her there was no Santa because this adult was too selfish to give Santa the credit for the gift. That really upset me so that year I began dressing like Santa and have done it every year for the last 28 years. In our family Santa brings the gifts just before Christmas dinner. Also everyone still gets Christmas stockings even my 41 year old son! With kids and grandkids that’s 15 stockings now plus one for the dog! Its also a witnessing opportunity as each “child” gets a book that deals with Christianity and believing. In past years have given Tony Dungy & Joe Gibbs books to appeal to the guys and similar for the girls also children s Bibles and this year “The Real George Washington” This year the question of why I still did Santa came up so I searched though a box of old papers and found the original letter Santa wrote to my little girl 28 years ago. When I realized I had found it my hands trembled as I opened the envelope! I read it Christmas Day and broke down crying so one of my daughters finished it but all eyes and ears were glued to us. Attached please find Santa picture, original Santa letter and the verses I read before Christmas Dinner.