Father Christmas
By Cara Anderson

“What do you want for Christmas, little girl?”
I scrutinized the red-coated, plastic-bearded man, judging whether I could trust him. I glanced at Mom and Dad in the crowd. They had already said “no” to my wish, but if this guy could get me what I wanted, why not take a chance?
Turning to the fake Santa, I told him with 5-year-old confidence, “A puppy dog.”
Unfortunately, Mr. Claus was all out of canine companions (or so he said; my theory has to do with parental bribery). What I did get was purple play-dough and about fifty other adults laughing at me.
Needless to say, Santa and I have not been on very good terms since.

I don’t know who came up with the insane idea of having kids spill their greedy little desires to guys in red suits, but it’s a nice thought. What kid doesn’t like the idea of some big, jolly dude obeying their every material wish?  After all, trust exudes from the very idea of an old man breaking and entering each house, stealing only cookies and milk while freakishly leaving every toy the child has asked for. Surprisingly, parents have yet to consider filing a stalking suit against Santa Claus—but I’m sure it’s coming.

The really sad thing is that Jolly Old St. Nick has somehow replaced the true meaning of Christmas. My theory is sometime back in the 1950s a bunch of Secular Humanists led by John Dewey (the fall guy for every Christian problem) got together and decided to remove people’s faith in God by replacing Him with a fat, red man with an unhealthy addiction to toys and Coke.

Seriously, though, how could we have become so materialistic? Our economy thrives on people’s selfishness. Adults and parents flood malls and stores to buy that one gift that appeases the receiver till the next holiday. Children wait in lines hours long to tell a complete stranger what toy they want underneath their tree. Instead of going to the Creator and Provider of every good thing, we look to the material things to provide us joy and meaning.

Don’t get me wrong, material things are fine. I’m not asking you to ditch your every possession and go eat honey-dipped locusts in the desert (although, as my Dad would say, “Nutritionally, that might be a good thing”). God is the God of the physical as well as the spiritual. He even uses physical material to shower blessings on those who obey Him. The point is, just like the Israelites, we have placed the blessings above our God who provided them—especially during the time of Christmas.
What’s so special about Christmas, anyhow? Why should we even celebrate it? Well, I’m no scholar (biblical, historical, christmassical, or other wise), but think about it for half a minute: The Word of God, Jesus Christ, who spoke everything into existence, who existed free from any restraints of matter, space, or time, who was one with the Father, humiliated Himself into the form of His creation! It was the monumental occasion in history when God’s promise for all peoples became a physical reality.

Yet, today, we can treat it with such triviality, tarnishing the precious remembrance of our Lord’s humility.
It’s so easy to grow stiff while longingly staring at the presents under the tree, to be captivated by Christmas traditions of Santa, gifts, or even family time. The problem is that we are called to something greater. Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of this world, rather than according to Christ.”

I know this verse is usually used in context of guarding ourselves against worldly thoughts, but don’t you think this could apply to Christmas? What has secular Christmas tradition become if not a lesson of the world’s elementary principle—the deception that things or even people will make us happy when all they really do is leave us empty?
So how do we escape it? What is this greater thing we are called to do? In what or in whom do we find fulfillment?

Paul says everything best. So “As you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, walk with Him…for in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form and in Him you have been made complete… Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in the appearance of man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross… The wisdom of this world is foolishness before God…so then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you…and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” (Colossians 2:6, 9-10, Philippians 2:5-8, 1 Corinthians 3:19, 21, 23)

So remember several things with me this Christmas season: The world’s Christmas traditions can only deceive and leave us empty. In Christ alone we are complete, and in this completeness we are called to humble ourselves to serve others all year, but especially on a day commemorating our Lord doing the same. Only in this way can we show the world its Christmas folly and the Lord’s wisdom. Since Christmas belongs to us, and we belong completely to God, let’s crawl off of Santa’s lap and return to the true Father of All Things—including Christmas.