Santa Claus Isn’t the Enemy of Faith

In particular branches of Christianity today, it has become fashionable to denounce Christmas as a "pagan" holiday. In this blog, I don't intend to get into the weeds of how these groups reach that conclusion; I only want to make not only a defense of celebrating Christmas, but also a strong argument for a mandate to celebrate this wonderful holiday, including the tradition of Santa Claus.

Christmas is the most universally celebrated holiday and for good reason. There is something genuinely wonderful about Christmas. Even if it is only for fantasy’s sake, everyone can appreciate and enjoy Santa’s question, "What would you like most like in all the world?" Who hasn't daydreamed about what they would do if they were given three wishes by a fairy godmother or a genie in a lamp? What if Christmas really was a time when all your hopes and dreams came true? Would you celebrate that?

Some Christians refuse to celebrate Christmas because they say it is a pagan holiday. But “What would you like to receive?” is not a pagan question; it is a human question, a question Jesus often asked people.

Jesus asked a blind man an insulting and painfully obvious question: “What do you want Me to do for you?”

And the man who was blind said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!”

Mark 10:51 NASB Though it was obvious that the man needed sight, Jesus asked the question because of His great respect for human will. God, like Santa Claus, waits to be asked for things.

After John the Baptist pointed his followers toward Jesus, two of John’s disciples started following Jesus.

Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. John 1:38 NLT

On another occasion, two blind men followed Jesus, calling out to Him.

And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Matthew 20:32 NASB

James and John approached Jesus with a request: “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask of you.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Mark 10:35-36 NASB

So, the question, “What do you want?” is a very Biblical question.

The Christ-like Nature of the Legendary Santa Claus

Santa Claus, both the legendary fictional character and the actual historical figure, is a fantastic guy.

The imaginative character of Santa:

“Sees you when you are sleeping,

He knows when you are awake,

He knows if you have been bad or good,

so be good for goodness sake…”

The information in the song above about this Santa amounts to friendly advice because “Santa Claus is coming to town.” “Clean up your act, bro. The boss is coming, and Christmas bonuses or possible judgments are right around the corner.”

Does this message sound familiar? It should. Before you heard it in a pop Christmas jingle, you heard it in the mouth of John the Baptist:

And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

 “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,


 ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,


MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.

‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,

AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW;

THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT,

 AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;

AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’”

So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “Indeed, the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Luke 3:3-8 NASB

Similar to the pop song’s sentiments concerning Santa Claus’ arrival, John’s announcement of the Messiah was both good news and a warning: the one who is coming is good but also just.

One of the beautiful things about the functional Santa is that, though he is all-knowing, he is also benevolent. We never get the sense from Santa that he is hard to please or placate when wronged.

Santa is…

…compassionate and gracious,


 Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

He will not always strive with us, 

Nor will He keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,


Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Psalm 103:7-10 NASB

If you find yourself on the naughty list, it never seems too difficult to get transferred to the nice list. The last thing Santa wants is to pass you by.

The fact is, many people trust the figure of Santa Claus more than they do the God of the Bible because Christmas celebrations have, in many ways, done a better job of representing God’s character than a great many sermons. It’s easier to believe actions than to believe words, and Santa Claus appears the same every year, distributing gifts in generosity, even to people who don't deserve it.

The Real Saint Nick and Jesus

Protestants get nervous about similarities drawn between Santa and God or Santa and Jesus. But there is a very good reason for this parallel. “Santa” is a derivative of the word “saint,” and Nicolas is a historical figure of the Church who performed remarkable actions that the Church recognized as “saintly” behavior. As a Protestant, I believe that, according to the Bible, we are all saints in Christ. But I also recognize that some Christians get farther along the path of maturity in this lifetime than others and bear more saintly fruit. Saint Nick did some incredible things in his lifetime.

The most memorable story of Saint Nick concerns generosity, when he gave away his inherited wealth to rescue some young women from being effectively trafficked. The story says that a father had three daughters but no dowry for their marriages. Therefore, the father was “forced” to sell his girls to a brothel! When Nicolas heard about the plight of the young women, he secretly supplied the money for their dowries so they could afford to marry. The legend says that Saint Nick threw the gold through the window in the middle of the night, and it landed in the girl's stockings that were hanging to dry on the bed’s footboard. This remarkable story reminds me of Psalm 127:2:

“For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.”

The real Saint Nick gave to the poor while they were sleeping, and the legendary character comes in the middle of the night to give to children while they are sleeping, just as our Heavenly Father gives to us in both our literal and figurative sleep. For the scriptures also say, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 NASB

Saint Nick was born wealthy, but he gave his wealth away to make others rich, just as Jesus left the glory of Heaven to put on flesh and share in our poverty so that we might become rich.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9 NASB

The Christmas traditions, including the legend of Santa Claus, provide the church with a wonderfully tangible expression of the love of God the Father and the good news of Jesus Christ.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NASB

On Christmas Eve, fathers and mothers place carefully wrapped presents underneath a tree, with name tags designating the recipient of each gift, so God gives us the gift of life under the tree of Calvary, and the gifts of His Spirit following Jesus' resurrection and ascension.

“He ascended on high,

He led captive a host of captives,

And He gave gifts to men.”

Ephesians 4:8 NASB In the book of Revelation, we learn that God provides white stones with secret new names on them for each of His children (Revelation 2:17), because God does not see us only as a collective, "His children," but as individuals for whom He has specific interest, knowledge, and care. God doesn't give gifts randomly, any more than Santa does. God is intentional, thoughtful, and specific in His gift-giving.

Christmas is truly glorious when you realize that Santa Claus, the man and the legend, is real. We find all that we love about Santa in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Many children try pulling off the beards of mall Santa Clauses to see if they are real. To pull the beard of Santa is to express doubt about His genuineness; it is an accusation. Satan, the accuser of the brethren, also tried to pull the beard out of Jesus to mock Him. Jesus bled from the abuse, and His blood taught the world that He was the real deal and revealed Satan as the fraud.

Saint Nick was an actual person and an exemplary Christian figure. The legend of Santa Claus is also real in that Jesus embodies all that we love about this man of truth and generosity. So, have a very Merry Christmas! You have a Father in Heaven who knows what you need before you ask Him and who promises never to leave you nor forsake you. And this God and Father has provided a tree through which He freely distributes His love and life to all who come to Him. So, go tell the world about the Savior who has been born!