My Thoughts on Santa Claus
Memories of a child and hope as an adult
The wages that sin pays are death, but God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23, CEB)
The fictional character Santa Claus came from the actual person named Saint Nicholas, a Christian bishop born in AD 280. Like Saint Nicholas, who had a heart for needy people, Santa Claus supposedly has a heart for children and gives them gifts one day a year.
Children today love to hear the poem ’Twas The Night Before Christmas, which tells a fictional story of Saint Nicholas, but children today know him as Santa Claus. A line in the poem states He looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
I remember believing in Santa as a child, but I have always had a big imagination. I could visualize that peddler opening his pack of toys and possibly giving me the desired gift. It was magical.
I had hope!
I am now a skeptical adult. When I hear the word “peddler,” I think of a sly salesman, a hawker, a con artist, a scammer, or a huckster. I am programmed to be wary of a sale that looks too good. “Nothing comes for free” is the mentality I have adopted because I know there is usually a high price at the end.
Yet this fictional character, Santa, gives gifts with no strings attached! As a parent, I know firsthand that the gifts come at a high price tag.
There is another character we hear a lot at Christmas time. His name is Jesus. He came as a baby but would be the Messiah, God in the flesh. His gift was much more significant than Santa’s. A toy may only last a day, but the gift of salvation extends from the past and into the future.
Do we dare hope?
At this point, you may remind me that I have a vivid imagination, and you may say I am childish, but I believe the whole Christmas story is true. In childlike faith, I have fallen: hook, line, and sinker.
My hope is renewed!
Jesus is not fictional, nor is He merely historical. He came to live His life as a sacrifice for the world’s sins. His gift to us was free with no strings attached.
Jesus had and continues to have a heart for the needy, depraved, and sin-sick humanity. The price tag was very high for Him: His blood, body, and life.
Those who claim Him as their Savior now become His righteous peddlers. We haul our packs of blessings in our hearts, minds, and souls and dole them out all year long, not only at Christmas.
So this Christmas, let your hope soar.
We have the greatest gift ever! If it seems too good to be true, it is, and it isn’t. The gift of eternal life through Jesus is too good for us. His message definitively and infinitely gives us the authentic thrill of hope!
The weary world rejoices!
