Is It Naughty or Nice to "Out" Santa?

     Outing” Santa Claus is dangerous. That’s what my granddaughter learned when she told a classmate that Santa is just pretend. The child’s parents complained to the teacher, the teacher reported it to my daughter, and my daughter was left trying to explain to our granddaughter why parents teach their kids that Santa is real.     
     So what’s the problem with believing that this jolly old man sees you when you’re sleeping, knows when you’re awake, and knows when you’ve been bad or good? It’s creepy, especially when used to manipulate behavior (“so be good for goodness sake”). Then, once the hoax is revealed, kids may experience a giant let down and wonder “what else have my parents lied about?”     
     Some say Santa introduces kids to the concept of God. Not really. Santa is omniscient, but not in a benevolent way. He makes a list and checks it twice to see who’s naughty and nice. Then he turns off the generosity when we don’t measure up. That’s not like the true God. As author Philip Yancey says, “Grace means there is nothing I can do to make God love me more, and nothing I can do to make God love me less.” Which is great because at times we all get on the naughty list. That’s why we celebrate Christmas, because Jesus came to take us off that list.          
     So what to do if you’ve bought into the Santa story? When my kids were young, I found it helpful to talk about the historical St. Nicholas, who gave gifts because he loved Jesus. Then if you enter into the Santa Claus myth, make it clear he’s just pretend, as Moana, Mary Poppins, and Han Solo are.      
     That’ll keep you off Santa’s naughty list for lying.
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     Historical information about St. Nick is here. Clipart is from Clipart Panda with text added.