It is interesting to note that Christmas is a Christian holiday, except in America. It hasn’t always been like that either. At one time the pre-Christmas season was one of joy and fellowship, not a rush to get every type of electronic gizmo and gadget before a certain date. Yet this is far more than a cultural quark. It is an act of worship. Christmas hasn’t become non-religious; the problem is that the religion has changed. We can trace that change to the invention of Santa.
Ironically, St. Nicholas of Myra, from whom the legend of Santa Claus came, had nothing to do with the materialistic gift-giving of the 21st century. Living a fairly short (287-340), but productive life, Nicholas of Myra launched a pro-life crusade in Byzantium that had a generational impact for nearly a millennium. George Grant describes him in The Micah Mandate. "His tender pastoral care saw his flock through the fierce conflagrations of persecution and heresy. In the end, orthodoxy owed its survival to his evident compassion as much as it did to the theological foundations of his Nicean peers."
However, the American ideal of Santa Claus came about in 1821 when the first lithographed book came out entitled The Children’s Friend. The book was filled with fanciful tales and pictures of Santa Claus and his reindeer. This tradition was continued in 1863 when Thomas Nest published a serious of cartoons about Santa in Harper’s Weekly. His purpose was to support the Union and boost the soldier’s morale.
The problem with this picture, obviously, is its detraction from the real meaning of Christmas. Furthermore, parents are being encouraged to lie to their children and create a completely false hope. How will these children believe when their parents tell them about Jesus? Instead, Christians should use Christmas as an opportunity to celebrate the Lord’s birth by giving to others as he gave to us.
Yet, a Christian’s gift-giving should be radically different from the world’s. The world focuses on what people want, we should focus on what people actually need. Trying to live life simply, we should give to others what would either influence them for Christ or help them build His kingdom. More importantly, our satisfaction should be on the cross of Christ. The Cross isn’t comfortable, enjoyable, or painless. But neither was Christ’s incarnation.
-Jewel
Diem Declectare, Dieu laudes decorare
