Santa is Competing With Christ for the Worship of Your Children
Every December, a rotund figure clad in red velvet descends upon the collective conscience of Western civilization, not through chimneys as legend would have us believe, but through malls, movies, and mantelpieces. His name is Santa Claus—a jolly old saint, they call him.
But don’t be naive. This isn’t the benevolent figure of yore, a generous bishop pointing weary sinners to Christ. Today’s Santa is something even more sinister. He’s a usurper, an idol, and an affront to the glory of the Incarnate God who is the true focus of Christmas.
And worse still, he is embraced—even, promoted—by many who claim to worship Christ.
Let’s start with the obvious. Children are practically taught to treat Santa Claus like a deity. They bow to him, literally and figuratively. They sit on his throne (if he allows it) and whisper their deepest desires into his (or some weird old man’s) ear as if he holds the power to grant them.
They write letters to him, petitions more fervent than many adults’ prayers to the God of the Ages. And what do parents do? They encourage it. They orchestrate it. They go to painstaking lengths to perpetuate this lie, feeding their children’s imaginations with stories of Santa’s omniscience (he sees you when you’re sleeping, doesn’t he?) and omnipresence (he visits every home in one night, doesn’t he?). These are attributes reserved for God alone, yet parents—even Christian parents—hand them over to Santa with a wink and a smile.
This is not harmless fun. This is idolatry.
Santa isn’t just a figure of fantasy, he’s a competitor, competing with Christ Himself for the worship of children, and the world has been more than happy to make room for him. Think about it. Children sing songs in his honor, songs that extol his virtues and his power.
They sit for photoshoots with him, eager to bask in the glow of his presence. They leave offerings for him—milk and cookies, laid out like a pagan ritual to curry favor.
Some children even pray to him, clasping their hands and whispering requests, because Santa—let’s not forget—has become their benevolent giver of gifts. And while all of this unfolds, parents stand by, chuckling at the “adorable” display, never once considering the spiritual implications.