I’ve been dreading this Christmas.   I’ve known it was coming for a long time, but now it’s upon me.  It‘s a rite of passage for sure, but one few parents look forward to.  It’s a sign of our children growing up, and a reminder that one day they will fly the coop.  This year is the year we tell our daughter The Truth about Santa. 

But what is the Truth about Santa?  As I’ve thought about it, I think it is so much bigger than many of us were told growing up.  Many of us were simply told that Santa was a made-up character from children’s stories to add magic and anticipation to a holiday of giving.  But that’s not the whole story and certainly not the truth. 

The Santa Claus of lore is actually based on a real man, St. Nicholas (Santa evolved from the Dutch translation of Saint, Sinter, and Claus evolved from the Dutch nickname Klaas, a shortening of Nicholas), who lived from 280-343 AD.  St. Nick’s parents died when he was young, during an epidemic, leaving him with a wealthy inheritance.  As he was raised a follower of Christ, he attempted to live out Jesus’ call to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” and so he spent his inheritance giving to the needy and serving the sick. 

There are many powerful legends about the life of Santa Claus long before the image of him in a red suit, chimney hopping from house to house, leaving gifts for children.  St Nick became the patron saint and protector of children based on some of these miraculous events.  One such story is of a poor man who had three daughters.  As they reached marrying age, they didn’t have dowries to offer for marriage and would likely have been sold into slavery.  As each came of age, in the night, a bag of gold was tossed through a window into a stocking by the fire (leading to the hanging of stockings on the mantle) giving them ample provision for their dowry.  

All over Europe stories are shared about St. Nicholas’ generosity and help including many miracles even after his death.  After his receiving of Sainthood, December 6th was dedicated as St. Nicholas Day or The Feast of St. Nicholas.  People around the world celebrate it with gift giving and candy giving.  In the U.S., around the time of the founding of our nation, the Dutch brought stories of Sinter Klaas and celebrated his life and legends.  Over time they evolved into the Santa Claus that we know and love.  Clement Clark Moore painted a picture in words of this Santa Claus in the beloved poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” (published in 1823) creating much of our imagery of the jolly, old fellow that we all cherish today. 

The thing about myths and legends is that they are often based on some truth and offer to teach us some truth.  So, the Truth about Santa is HE IS REAL!  Yes, Saint Nicholas died December 6th, 343 AD, but St. Nicholas was a believer in Jesus Christ and so believed in heaven and the resurrection.  Thus, for those who also believe in heaven and the resurrection, Saint Nicholas is still very much alive while his body currently lies in the grave. 

The story of Santa teaches us several extremely important lessons about life, death, and living in the spirit of another.  St. Nick was raised a believer in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He believed in Jesus’ love for people.  He believed in Jesus’ calls to “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and “take what you have, sell it, and give the money to the poor.”  He lived these things out.  It’s his own living in the spirit of Christ that brings him legendary status and teaches us what it means to live in the spirit of someone else who has done miraculous things. 

And so, we find ourselves at Christmas, side-by-side with millions of other people, living in the spirit of Santa Claus through the act of giving.  His acts of giving and sacrifice to bring hope and joy to those he touched with his life, as he lived in the spirit of Christ, have taught us how to give and sacrifice to bring hope and joy to others, as we live out his spirit.  This, in turn, teaches us about living in the spirit of Christ just as he did. 

Sadly, many of those who label themselves Christians are simply believers,  but the Bible tells us even demons believe in Jesus—that doesn’t make them “little Christs” or “Christ bearers” (which is what the term Christian is supposed to mean). Those of us who claim that name are ALL called to bear Christ into the world—to be little versions of Him serving the lost and broken.  We are to be living in his spirit as St. Nick lived in his spirit, and in doing so, impact the world so much that it becomes miraculous.    

          St. Nicholas showed us this model of how to live as Christ.  Some would say, “Stop!  Look at what we’ve made of this so-called Santa model.  Now Christmas has become simply a season of going into debt to give our children toys that they’ll once again grow bored within a few months just to do this all over again next year.”  I get it.  But is that what is really going on? 

          For one, if we go into debt out of our overzealous need to buy our kids happiness, that’s our own fault.  My kids seem to get about as much fun out of the boxes the toys come in as they do the toys themselves.  On the other hand, making our children’s Christmas experiences memorable with their gifts is actually an important part of the season.  Let me explain by asking a couple of questions that seem off topic at first. 

Why have we kept this “truth” about Santa a secret from our children?  Why make up this whole ruse and legend of a jolly fat man that brings presents down the chimney?  Well, for one, there are many truths involved here that are abstract and cannot be understood by children without being put in concrete form. Let’s look at some of the symbolism here. 

In the U.S. we have connected Santa Claus’ giving of gifts to children with Christmas.  Christmas is the celebration of the coming of Christ as a baby, but a recognition of this cannot ignore the purpose of the coming of that baby.  This baby came to die to express the realness of God’s forgiveness of our sins through His love and sacrifice and teach us a new way to love and live. 

This baby grew up and died on a cross, sometimes referred to as a tree, to teach us those very things.  Santa leaves our gifts under a tree.  Originally, all Christmas trees were live trees, cut down to adorn our homes; sacrificed to celebrate the birth of a savior.  An evergreen tree is used because in the Christian tradition, an evergreen tree symbolizes everlasting life—a life granted because of what happened on that other tree.  These trees still look alive, and when decorated with lights and tinsel and ornaments, they are objects of beauty that represent a moment, while hideous in nature, beautiful in meaning.  One beautiful dead tree represents a horrifying tree of death that brings everlasting life. 

Some would stop me right here and say, “Hey, didn’t you know that pagans used trees and decorated them long before Christians and Christians just adopted the symbol because it looked cool.”  Yes, I’ve heard that.  I also did a lot of research that shows that many different cultures around the world have decorated trees for different reasons for thousands of years—even before the pagans.  Correlation isn’t causation.  More than one person likely invented the wheel in different places at different times.  There is just as much evidence and just as many historical legends that suggest Christmas trees did not have any ties to pagan traditions and evolved on their own.  Regardless, even if the tree concept was borrowed, it does not detract at all from the symbolism that has evolved, but this is not the place for that argument.   

Have you ever considered the color of the skirt many place under their Christmas tree?  Traditionally, it is crimson red; blood, crimson red.  No doubt, when Jesus hung on the cross, that brutal tree, beaten, whipped, broken and pierced, His blood poured on the ground below that tree.  Someone once told me that the skirt represents that blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

We adorn our trees with twinkling lights, but originally, trees were decorated with actual candles.  Candles not only give light to a dark room but bring an added warmth.  These things remind us of Jesus’ own words, “I am the way, the truth, and the light.”   This light of truth warms the coldness of our hearts when we realize God cares so deeply about us that He would step off His throne to show the full depth of His love.  They also represent the lights we become in a dark world attracting people to everlasting life (represented by the evergreen tree itself).

We often put a star or an angel at the top of the tree reminding us of the star that shone over Bethlehem leading people to the Christ-child or representing the angels that brought good news of great tidings to the shepherds in the fields directing them to the manger.   

          The symbolism continues even in our emotions and anticipation.  At the time of Christ’s coming, we read in scripture that there were prophecies of a King, a Savior, who would be born into the world.  It was such a significant prophecy that wisemen or kings from the East had been anticipating it for clearly a long time.  Many scholars believe it might have taken months, if not a year or more, for these men to travel to see Jesus.  In the mind of a child, the anticipation of Christmas often lasts the whole year (it seems as soon as this year’s presents are opened, they start asking when they get to do it over again).  Their hope in what Santa will bring is palpable. 

It is that very hope in anticipation that is key to communicating one of the most important truths—that the gift of the baby Jesus is the Hope that the world had been waiting so long for.  Most people think that only the Jews were waiting for a Savior, but the wisemen seem to make it clear that others were looking for someone special, someone different.  The world at this time was not pretty, and people were hungry for something new—a new vision for life, a new way, a new hope. 

          You can see it all through the gospels and Acts.   Great crowds followed this baby grown into a man.  They pressed in on Him from all sides.  They knew there had to be more to life than what they saw around them, but they couldn’t figure out what it was.  And this Son of God was teaching something new and backing it up with miracles.  In the book of Acts you see gentiles (anyone not born a Jew) flocking to faith in Christ by the thousands, and these thousands laid the foundation for St. Nicholas and for the millions who believe today.  And, while Christians disagree on a lot of things, they all agree that Jesus was the greatest gift the world has ever received. 

          Each year, children wake up to hope under a sparkling tree.  They reach under it and pull out something that brings them great joy from atop a crimson tree-skirt.  While this joy is fleeting, it does have a purpose.  It reminds us of the joy found in reaching under that dark tree of death to dip one’s dirty hands in the cleansing blood of Christ for a gift that is eternal.  Such realistic imagery is hardly palatable to even the most faithful believer, much less a child. Many still struggle to even comprehend how that even works, and that’s ok.  The point is, it works and sometimes our hearts comfort our minds, confirming that truth, without truly understanding.  That’s the power of faith. 

But children aren’t ready for that.  Their little minds can’t comprehend the abstract connections between the cross and salvation or that they even need salvation.  They aren’t really ready for exposure to the violent nature of the details surrounding that event.  Realistically, they cannot even understand the symbolic nature of the Christmas tree or the tree skirt or lights or how Santa lives in the spirit of Jesus, because symbolism itself is abstract.  Yet, they can understand the concrete emotions of having to wait patiently for Christmas to come, and the hope of joy that comes in receiving a treasure from Santa.  This expectant hope of what they’ll get for Christmas symbolizes the expectant hope of receiving Christ and his gifts—the gift of salvation and the gifts of talents and abilities we are blessed to use to glorify Him and usher in His kingdom.  Granted, younger kids can’t comprehend the abstract nature of such symbolism, but that’s not the point.  This is a setup for a future reveal.

And this is one of the key aspects about the Truth about Santa.  As I said in the beginning, the Truth about Santa is a rite of passage.  Rites of passage are crucial in the development of any person.  The overwhelming majority of cultures around the world, throughout all time, have engaged in rites of passage.  They are like signposts that help us recognize we are growing or changing or becoming and what we are growing into, what we are changing into, and what we are becoming. 

Rites of passage typically require “secret” information held only by adults or those who have already been initiated.  Such “secret” information is typically held in common and presents itself in the form of legends, tall-tales, or lore when shared with the uninitiated.  These truths are withheld because of the “magic” they possess that teaches us something about reality that may not at first be understandable.  Usually, such “secret” information is spiritual in nature, and such rites are intended to teach us that something spiritual through a ceremony or revelation. 

For example, in the Protestant church, baptism is a rite of passage.  When a person decides to make a public statement of their faith and be initiated into their community of believers, they go into the waters, a dual symbol for a cleansing bath in the waters of life and for the grave; are dipped backwards into a lying position, symbolizing dying to their old self; and are raised up again, symbolizing a resurrection and return to the community now clean.  The symbols stand to teach us that the old life has been washed away and we are empowered to go in the spirit and live new lives free from the burden of what was.  The Secret of baptism is the unknown. You don’t know what it’s like until you are baptized. Belief is the magic that makes baptism powerful—belief that the symbols carry power through what the Spirit of God does in a life through the act. And this magic empowers the person to go and be new as they feel new. As a caterpillar once consumed and destroyed is transformed into a beautiful butterfly that now pollinates and reproduces, we are transformed into “little-Christs” to continue His work in the world. 

And this is what Santa teaches us when we come of age.  When we learn that our parents are Santa, and we learn that it is now our turn to become Santa to those less fortunate and one day our own children, the magic is handed down to us—the magic of love and giving in secret.  It is now our chance to make Santa real in someone else’s life.  We become the magic.  We become the secret. 

The cherry on top is we learn that an ordinary person CAN CHANGE THE WORLD!  This whole time we’ve believed that Santa had special powers (I’m not suggesting for a moment that the miracles attributed to St. Nicholas didn’t happen, but that any such miracle was empowered through St. Nick by Jesus Himself); we’ve believed that Santa was more than human, but he didn’t.  He wasn’t an athlete, a musician, or an actor, or social media influencer yet he’s probably second only to Jesus Himself in being the most known person who ever lived.  The truth is, Santa was just like us, but he, through the power of faith and emulating Christ, lived such an inspirational life that he changed the world.  Knowing this reveals that WE CAN TOO!

And not only does this teach us about living in the spirit of St. Nicholas, but it also teaches us about living in the spirit of Jesus just as St. Nicholas did.  When we live on in his name, His Spirit lives on in us even though we know He is real and in heaven and His Spirit is all around us and in us.  This is how we make Him real in other peoples’ lives and introduce him to those who don’t know Him.  We become “little-Christs” or “Christ-bearers” in a world that needs that light of truth—a light that brings healing and Hope and true Joy that doesn’t fade. 

So, when you come to that dreaded year of telling your kids The Truth about Santa, tell them HE IS REAL!  Tell them he is in the presence of Jesus.  Tell them he lives through us when we give to others as an example of how Jesus wants to live through us by making Him real to a world that needs Him.  Tell them his magic has been passed down for generations from parents to children in the form of love through gifts to remind us of the LOVE of God and the Hope of the perfect gift and the Joy that gift brought in the form of the baby Jesus.  Tell them they get to be Santa now.  Tell them the magic is now in them to share their wealth and gifts with the less fortunate and change the world for the better through Christ.  And don’t forget to tell them the magic IS the secret—that The Truth about Santa has to be kept quiet for other kids until that dreaded day comes, but that the Truth about Jesus is something that never should be kept to themselves but instead shown like a light in the world.