It’s Christmastime and you can almost touch the frenzy of excitement and fun that young ones, especially children are caught in this season. Every mall, store, entertainment center, joint, the eatery is agog with the rush of happy-go-lucky kids, stomping, yelling, squealing, and frolicking with the fancies of the holiday season.
At the center of all the hype is the legendary figure that has become symbolically identified with Christmas— Santa Claus, or Father Christmas, if you like. To an average child, there’s no Christmas without Santa. All kinds of grottos are mounted in all kind of places, by all kinds of persons, to simulate the Santa Claus experience, of course, for pecuniary reasons.
Any Tom, Dick, and Harry can put on some bright red trousers, add a jacket, wear black shiny boots, tuck the trousers into the boots and show off the white fluffy trim on the boots, add some padding, belt up with a big buckle, wear a fake beard and white hair—and there you have your Santa. And wherever there is a Santa, children will gather.
While the Santa figure creates a very strong appeal for our children at Christmas, it’s important to never let them lose sight of the true legend of the Christmas story— Jesus Christ. In spite of the technique of saliency used by the media and the fun industry to glue the minds of children on the Santa image, we must not fail as parents or guardians to keep alive in the consciousness of young people, the message that Jesus is the real hero and essence of Christmas. Jesus is greater than Santa!
For a head start I’ve lined up a few tips here to help us prime the thoughts of our children around the superiority of Jesus over Santa:
Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is believed to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved children on Christmas Eve and the early morning hours of Christmas Day. Jesus is the central figure of the Christian faith— the real idea behind Christmas. He is God’s gift of love to humanity, to save us from our sins and give us a heritage of eternal life in His kingdom.
You have to wait in line to see Santa in his grotto, with Jesus there is no queue, because you have been accepted in the Beloved, and therefore you have personal and intimate access to Him.
Santa is a yearly fancy, but Jesus is an ever-present help who will never leave us or forsake us.
Santa stuffs you with toys and other perishable items, Jesus offers all things that pertain to life and godliness, as we’ve been born again into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
Santa doesn’t know your name, all he can say is “Hi little boy or girl, what’s your name?” Jesus knew our name before we were born. Not only does He know our name, He knows our history and future, and He connects with us uniquely and personally.
Whereas Santa would give virtually the same kinds of gifts to everyone, Jesus meets us at the point of our needs and endows us according to our individuality.
The best Santa would do is to make you chuckle (and sometimes he can be a fright to some kids), but Jesus gives joy that remains, and wads off fear and sorrow.
Jesus is the true Hero and Essence of Christmas!
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