Whatever Is Excellent with Leanne Tuggle
Encouragement and Inspiration for women choosing to rise above the “just survive” mentality and instead set their mind on thriving in all that they say and do. The ultimate goal is to equip you to pursue whatever is excellent in the midst of your ordinary life and in all that you say and do.
Whatever Is Excellent with Leanne Tuggle
13: Santa Claus and Christian Parenting: Balancing Holiday Traditions
Have you ever questioned how Santa Claus fits into the celebration of Christmas within a Christian household?
This episode takes on the intriguing balance that parents face during the holiday season. We explore the historical roots of Santa Claus, tracing back to the generous 4th-century Christian figure, Saint Nicholas, and how his legacy of kindness has shaped modern traditions. Our discussion dives into the delicate act of maintaining honesty with children while ensuring that the essence of Christmas, celebrating Jesus' birth, is never overshadowed.
We also share personal insights on honoring St. Nicholas Day on December 6th, using this as a teachable moment about giving and kindness, all while keeping the spotlight on what truly matters during Christmas. Join us as we discuss the role of intentional conversations with your spouse in shaping family traditions and explore how celebrating the virtues of St. Nicholas can enrich your holiday experience. For those curious about a deeper understanding of his life, I recommend the book "Just Nicholas." Above all, our conversation is a reminder to align holiday celebrations with personal family values, ensuring that Jesus remains the true reason for the season.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Just Nicholas by Annie Kratzsch
The Courageous Series by Voice of the Martyrs
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You better watch out, you better not cry. Santa Claus is coming to town. It's Christmas time, and that means you and your children will be seeing a lot of the jolly old man in his red suit, from books to movies to pretty much everywhere you look. Santa Claus is everywhere. And so is the question what should Christian parents tell their children about Santa? First, before we really get into it, I think it is important to remember that there is no right or wrong answer to this question. As a believer, you have freedom in Christ to make a decision on how to address Santa Claus with your children. This is one of those personal convictions that you can discuss with your spouse and together make a decision on what is best for your family. For the purpose of this podcast, I would like to share some thoughts and perspectives for you to consider while you think through this question. The concept of Santa Claus is actually based on truth. The concept of Santa Claus is actually based on truth.
Leanne:Saint Nicholas was a Christian man who lived in the 4th century. He was blessed to be born into a Christian family and, upon the death of his parents, he was given a large inheritance. After becoming a priest at a young age, nicholas decided to gift his inheritance to the poor in his community. He often gave gifts anonymously, throwing the bags of money into homes in the middle of the night through the window, and sometimes even down their chimney even down their chimney After his death on December 6th. This day became an annual feast in which children would set out food for St Nicholas, who they pretended came down from heaven, and replaced the food with toys and treats. Eventually, this tradition became the inspiration for the man we now know as Santa Claus. It is interesting to see how this story, rooted in true events, has morphed and changed over the years, and while it is a sweet story, it is important to consider how far we, as parents, should take this story when it comes to Christmas.
Leanne:Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, our Savior. While it is unlikely that Jesus was actually born on December 25th, it is the day that we have traditionally set aside to celebrate His birth. The Advent season is a time that we remember Jesus' arrival and anticipate His return again someday. The true meaning of Christmas is summed up beautifully in John 3, 16. Up beautifully in John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. This is truly why we celebrate Christmas, because of this act of unconditional love and the greatest gift ever given. So when it comes to Santa Claus and whether or not parents should make a big deal of him or not, I think the first thing to consider is whether or not introducing Santa Claus will distract from the true meaning of Christmas, will distract from the true meaning of Christmas.
Leanne:The world has this way of taking truth and twisting it into something completely unrecognizable. We see more and more focus on Santa and the materialistic side of the holiday and less and less about Jesus and the incredible gift that he is, and this kind of seems like exactly a scheme of the enemy, doesn't it? To take something good and then make it more important than Jesus. It brings about confusion and uncertainty, which is again a scheme of the enemy, and this leads to another thought to consider. If you do choose to include Santa Claus into your holiday celebrations, you will need to wrap your mind around the fact that you are in essence, lying to your children, are in essence lying to your children. Even though it is a seemingly innocent lie, it is still a lie no-transcript. If you are a family who values honesty and integrity as core family values, then perhaps telling your children this little white lie isn't in their best interest. Even though, even though it is very unlikely that your children will be upset that you lied to them about something like Santa Claus, you are still sending the message that lying is okay in some scenarios. It's important to consider whether or not you are okay with this.
Leanne:In our family, honesty and speaking truth are highly valued. It is important to both my husband and myself that we cultivate seeking whatever is true in our home. This means anytime our children ask us a question, no matter how challenging, we will do our very best to speak to them about what is true, best to speak to them about what is true. We want our children to know that they can count on us to tell them the truth in love, no matter what, even if the truth is hard or uncomfortable at times. 1 Peter 3.10 says For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. So with this in mind, we felt it was important to tell our children the truth, even when it came to discussing Santa Claus. Again, I want to reiterate how this is a decision that our family made based on our personal convictions, and we have freedom in Christ to do what we feel is best for our family. You have that same freedom. You do not have to do whatever our family does. You simply need to be on the same page as your spouse and consider those personal convictions together when it comes to Christmas.
Leanne:I really believe that clear is kind. I want my children to understand the gift of Jesus coming to earth to be their Savior and I want them to see how much God has already given them. I want to give my children good gifts, just like our Heavenly Father gives us good gifts. James 1.17 says Every good and perfect gift is from above. I want my children to know that these gifts that they receive on Christmas morning are a result of God's blessing and provision for a family and that they don't come from a magical, mythical man with unending resources. I also want my children to understand that their goodness does not determine whether or not they get presents. Like you hear in so many of the popular songs, santa gives gifts to the good girls and boys.
Leanne:The message I hope that my children hear is that there isn't anything that they could do or say that would make God love them more or less. They cannot earn God's love. God is love and he gives these gifts to us regardless of how good we are. It isn't our goodness that determines our worth. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God, and yet he still gives us more than we could ever imagine. It is my hope and prayer that my children will come to understand this more fully over the years, and it is a message that I can reinforce and repeat at Christmastime and repeat at Christmas time. Personally, I don't want to let Santa Claus stand in the way of this hope-filled message. Even if Santa Claus is kind and loving and generous too, santa Claus doesn't offer salvation or eternal life or eternal life. So now the question on your mind is likely how does a family not include Santa Claus at Christmas and still have a fun and magical celebration Again?
Leanne:In our family, we honor the memory of St Nicholas and acknowledge the fact that he was a real person who did give generously to others. He didn't seek any recognition and went out of his way to bless others. As a family, we look for ways that we can do the same, that we can bless our neighbors. We bake cookies and deliver them to the neighbors. My kids and I like to do this at night and while we try to be sneaky, the neighbors usually figure out who gave them the gifts. We also like to participate in organizations like Operation Christmas Child or other organizations that collect gifts for those who might not receive something otherwise, and you might be surprised how much your children love to be the one giving the gifts. Sure, they love to get presents at Christmas, but I think that they would say the magical part of Christmas is when they give to others.
Leanne:On December 6th, in honor of St Nicholas, we like to set out little treats for our children and we read a couple of books about St Nicholas as a way of incorporating Santa earlier in the month and then leaving Christmas day for more focus on Jesus. Now our family still loves to enjoy all of those Christmas movies with Santa Claus and we read all of the books. We just make a point to remember that this is pretend and it's just for fun. It's kind of like a game to play at Christmas time. My children also know that other families celebrate Christmas differently and that that's okay. I encourage my children to be gracious in how they talk about Santa Claus with their friends, so as not to spoil it for someone else who may celebrate differently than we do.
Leanne:At the end of the day, it is important to think through this holiday intentionally and be prepared to have a conversation about your personal convictions with your spouse. You can rejoice in the good, godly qualities of St Nicholas and all that he did, while still keeping your focus on Jesus, who came to earth to be our greatest gift. Jesus, who came to earth to be our greatest gift, and whatever you decide about Santa Claus and the role he plays in your celebration, god is love and it is because of his great love that he sent his son to be your savior. What a joy it is to celebrate all of this at Christmas If you are looking for a resource that you can use with your children to help explain St Nicholas and the life that he led.
Leanne:The book Just Nicholas is a wonderful, beautifully written picture book that goes through his life as well as talks about how he started giving those gifts and how he wanted to do it anonymously. He didn't want anyone to know that he was the one providing the money he wanted the provision to be attributed back to God, and just knowing that about him and his character, I can't help but think if he was able to come back down to earth and see our present day culture, with so much Santa Claus inundated around everything, I can't help but think he would be a little bit shocked at how much his life has taken the focus, and I think he would tell us I'm not the main reason for this season. Please look to Jesus. He is the giver of gifts. I just feel like he would probably say something like that to us. So I think that's interesting to note when you are looking into St Nicholas and the person that he was and his character. He was so focused on Jesus. I think he would encourage us to do the same.