The Real Reason for Santa

[Life49]

This is how it happened…..

I had just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree.

He placed a finger over his mouth so I would not cry out.

“What are you doing?” I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, and I say he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know

He then answered me with a simple statement, “TEACH THE CHILDREN!”

I was puzzled; what did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood bewildered, Santa said,” Teach the children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a days Christmas has forgotten.”

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle. “Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man’s thoughts turning toward heaven.”

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. “Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise.”

He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. “Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness.”

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. “Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection.”

He then pulled from his bag an ornament of himself. “Teach the children that I, St Nick, (Santa Claus) symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December.”

Then he brought out a HOLLY LEAF. Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly represents the blood shed by Him.”

Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said, “Teach the children that God so loved the world that HE gave His only begotten Son…” “Thanks be to God for His infinite gift of love.”

“Teach the children that the wise men bowed before the Holy BABE and presented Him with gold, Frankincense and myrrh. We should always give gifts in the same spirit of the wise men.”

Santa then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. “Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherd’s crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy is the symbol that we are our brother’s keeper.”

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. “Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior’s birth. The angles sang, “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good will toward men.”

Suddenly I heard a soft tinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL. “Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return.”

Santa looked back and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said,” Remember, teach the children the TRUE meaning of Christmas, and DO NOT put me in the center; for I am but a humble servant of the One that is. And I bow down to worship HIM, our GOD Jehovah; and His Son Christ Jesus our LORD and our SAVIOR.”

 

[garza33]

Can't the children be taught the meaning of the symbols of Christmas without propagating the myth of Santa? And given that so many of the symbols of Christmas are of pagan origin, would it not be better to leave them out altogether?

 

[AbbysAunt]

Response To Real Reason for Santa

What you have shown us and written in your post while quite beautiful just doesn't settle right with me.

The main reason for Christmas isn't Jesus anymore...what is the first question an adult asks a child around the holidays..." are you ready for santa?", What will santa bring you?" or they tell kids " you better be good cause santa is watching you"...where is the question of " Are you ready to celebrate Jesus and His birth and how He came into the world to save us...the questions are never about Jesus, so to me santa is nothing but a ploy to push Jesus aside so our children don't learn what was supposed to be the true meaning of christmas. Another thing that always bothered me was the whole " he knows when you are sleeping, knows when you've been bad or good" thing. The only one who knows everything including when i'm awake, sleeping, good, bad and knows me through and through is Jesus not santa clause...to me its like putting santa right up there with Jesus and saying he is everywhere...my friends Jesus is the only one who can truely know these things and everything there is to know about us and by telling our kids that santa knows everything what are we really teaching them?

satan will use what he can to get us and our children's mind and hearts away from Jesus and that includes using santa clause to do it. I believe its satan's intention to take away from Jesus and always has been, so what better way than to do it in form of a seemingly harmless jolly old man who delivers toys. But my friends think on this...if you rearrange the letters in santa what do you get...satan..thats right....if that doesn't say it all right there I don't what does.

 

[evangeline]

Hi life49,

I don't want to be a party pooper, but I agree with the other posters.

It's sad, and quite possibly confusing, to use a fictitional santa to teach children about our real and living Lord and Saviour -Jesus.


evangeline

 

[Veracity]

There are a lot of "un-real" things used to teach children, stuffed animals, puppets, cartoon characters etc. If Santa were actually being used to teach children about Christ that would be a better concept. Just the other day I drove by a house that had one of those large lite up nativity scenes including camels etc, all facing the manger, and there on the side was a fan blown stand up Santa with his back to the street also looking toward the manger. That was the best decor I had seen this Holiday.

This is what I told my children growing up, "Santa is real as long as you believe, but Jesus is real whether you believe or not".

Santa is a fun concept, but, not when parents choose to leave Christ out of Christmas, however that is between them and the Lord in the long-run. I am sure there was more to the Santa tradition that has been tossed aside for Visa and MasterCard, and the rights of those who do not believe in Christ to begin with.

 

[sports441995]

I don't see the harm Santa Clause. He's based on a real man (St. Nicholas) and represents the spirit of giving. Without this concept, little kids might just think of Chritmas as the time of the year they get toys and presents.

I do, however, believe that Jesus should not be left out of Christmas. even from a young age, children need to understand the importance of their faith.

 

[garza33]

St Nicholas lived and died the same as all ordinary humans. Once he died, no one on this Earth ever talked with him again, or saw him walking again, or reported him missing from his grave, so there's no good reason to celebrate his birth any more than the birth of any other ordinary human.

Christmas is not supposed to be about celebrating the life and death any ordinary person. Christmas is about a birth and continued life.

To mix fairy tale in with the story of Christmas can undermine what you want the child to learn. When the child finds out you've lied about Santa, he may decide that the Jesus story is just another fairy tale.

 

[Maureen]

What you have shown us and written in your post while quite beautiful just doesn't settle right with me.

The main reason for Christmas isn't Jesus anymore...what is the first question an adult asks a child around the holidays..." are you ready for santa?", What will santa bring you?" or they tell kids " you better be good cause santa is watching you"...where is the question of " Are you ready to celebrate Jesus and His birth and how He came into the world to save us...the questions are never about Jesus, so to me santa is nothing but a ploy to push Jesus aside so our children don't learn what was supposed to be the true meaning of christmas. Another thing that always bothered me was the whole " he knows when you are sleeping, knows when you've been bad or good" thing. The only one who knows everything including when i'm awake, sleeping, good, bad and knows me through and through is Jesus not santa clause...to me its like putting santa right up there with Jesus and saying he is everywhere...my friends Jesus is the only one who can truely know these things and everything there is to know about us and by telling our kids that santa knows everything what are we really teaching them?

satan will use what he can to get us and our children's mind and hearts away from Jesus and that includes using santa clause to do it. I believe its satan's intention to take away from Jesus and always has been, so what better way than to do it in form of a seemingly harmless jolly old man who delivers toys. But my friends think on this...if you rearrange the letters in santa what do you get...satan..thats right....if that doesn't say it all right there I don't what does.

A agree whole heartedly with you AbbysAunt
I hate that 'what is Santa bringing you' question, and that's all you hear when out and about around people at Christmas time.

I once was told by a Salvation Army Captain as He was giving out tracts in town centre many years ago, 'They are trying to take Christ out of Christmas, and replace him with Santa', he had a Christmas card which depicted Santa in the manger to show me what he said was true.
I'm beginging to wonder now did people even have Christ there to begin with, I think not.
Its all so sad, and I think that's what I dont like about Christams time coming up, as much as I adore the birth of Christ Jesus, and there is nothing like it, I have to get myself 'into' the theme, read the story in the bible leading up to his birth, watch the 'Nativity' on DVD, etc all because it is so destroyed out there and to over ride what the world out there are doing, and it gets worse every year.

I love my Nativty set I display, and the banner I made which reads 'Christ is Born' reminds all my family when they come in what the 'true' meaning of it really is.

 

[abraham]

Can't the children be taught the meaning of the symbols of Christmas without propagating the myth of Santa? And given that so many of the symbols of Christmas are of pagan origin, would it not be better to leave them out altogether?

I agree with you garza. Many custom that christmas bring is from the orgin of pagans. Christmas was adopted by the europeans and they use to have the trees for a sign to make there harvest fruitful. The meaning of christmas went to commercial that is what I think.

 

[Davy]

From life49:
Quoting: "He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. “Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise.” End of Quote.

This is a subject that has puzzled me for some while: "Was the star of Bethlehem really sent by God?"

Matthew 2:1-12, Shows this was clearly no normal celestial star, as this moved through the sky so that it could lead men. But this star lead these astrologers which is a 'spiritualistic art' that is clearly condemned in the Bible so these men could not have had God's favor, and not to Jesus, but to King Herod in Jerusalem! Why not straight to Bethlehem? And would not God have known the murderous intent in Herod's heart to try and kill His son, so why would God send these, spiritualistic sin practicing astrologers to a evil man who would try to kill His son?

It seams clear to me, this "Star" was sent by "Satan" to try and kill Jesus. Why would God place His own son in such danger?

Luke 2:8-24: Shows God did announce the birth of Jesus, but it was a multitude of angels who proceeded to praise God, and they appeared to humble Shepperd's and told them where they could find Jesus, in Bethlehem!

On the night of Jesus' birth there were two messages from two different sources. One was from "God" and the other from "Satan." This in itself is a sobering message, not all messages are form God, in fact the apostle John, in 1 John 4:1, clearly warned the first century Christians not to believe every seemingly inspired sign, the same counsel applies today!!!

 

[Maureen]

They came bearing gifts, surely we are all lead to believe the wise men were of good intent, your thinking has threw me some what, I would have to read it again, but I am not at this moment convinced that what your saying is correct.

To go back to what Abbysaunt and Garza have said, I dont think we can put Christ into something that He isnt meant to be in, and I dont think we should either, I have spent some years over this one.
I have rid our house of all the stuff resembling 'pagan' right down to only having a Nativity set.
The Christmas tree which I wouldnt have, does go up, by my husband, hes not saved, so for peace sake, I keep quiet, otherwise it wouldnt be up either.

We are not told when Jesus was born, we are not commanded to celebrate His birth as we are His death and resurrection, The Lord's Table, tells me we aren't to, but I dont think its a sin to do so either, we all have a birthday, birthdays are mentioned in the bible, or ages so they kept a record of them.

If we didnt recognise it though would we be just as the Jehovah Witnesses, no I dont think so, they have a lot more they disregard, anyway that's my bit said.