Santa Ain't Jesus

Bill Brinkworth

During the Christmas season, many of the traditional songs are played. One of the most popular is “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”. It was written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespe and was first aired in 1934. Many of the modern beliefs about Santa originate from this song.

Although most adults certainly know that Santa is a fictitious character, this song and others like it, attribute many of Santa’s characteristics to something no man, make-believe or real, should be given credit for. The Santa fantasy includes miraculous powers that only God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have, and certainly not those of any person. Even his title, “Santa”, implies he is a saved child of God, as “santa” is Spanish for “saint or holy”.

This song encourages unbiblical teachings. Although most allow their children to temporarily believe in this man with supernatural powers, it starts a young life off by believing wrong things. Also, as many politicians have discovered, if you tell false facts enough, people will believe it as the truth or will question truth.

Some of the powers attributed to Santa Claus in “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, in the most popular portion of the Christmas song, include:

You better watch out		The song starts by teaching that there is another, other than a judging God, that we need to be wary of.
You better not cry		Be on your best behavior reinforces doing good works to please this “Saint”.
You better not pout		“Pouting” is not being content and complaining. That is sin. Here it is warned not to sin because of “Santa”.
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town		“Saint” Claus is the other “judge”, and he is coming. This is reminiscent of the true judge, Jesus, who will one day return and judge.
He's making a list		Santa is recording all we do. Only God can do that. This verse also implies that he is everywhere and all the time seeing all that each person is doing. Only God is omnipresent! “For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.” Job 34:21 Also: Jer. 23:23-24, Mat. 18:20, Psa. 139:7-10.
And checking it twice;		Supposedly Santa is a “righteous”, diligent judge. In reality, it is only God that will be the only righteous judge.
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice		Only God knows the “evil and the good” that each of us do. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Pro. 15:3
Santa Claus is coming to town		The real judge is here all the time. He is God!

He sees you when you're sleeping		“Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” Psa. 139:12 Only God sees you all the time!
He knows when you're awake		This again attributes God’s omnipresence to this make-believe character.
He knows if you've been bad or good		“For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.” Job 34:21 Only God knows what you have done.
So be good for goodness sake!		Being “good” may be enough to please man, but the Bible says no man is good. We are all sinners and unless we trust Christ the Saviour as payment for all our sins, we will have no hope of Heaven.“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Rom. 3:23

urely most will ignore the accusation that this song is teaching heresy and potentially dangerous untruths. Most will write off this song as “harmless fun for the children.” However, damage to one’s beliefs in the only God in Heaven is often a slow eroding of truth. Belief in fantasy may do more harm than is realized.

Encouraging a belief in a fictitious character and teaching our youth that others can have the same supernatural powers as God may cause future problems when the child faces the decision to trust God in his life. One of the first obstacles he may face is “Is God real or is he just like Santa — make believe?” Doubt and credibility may also arise when the child weighs, “If my parents lied to me about Santa, are they lying to me about God also?”

Christmas is one of the few holidays we have honoring our Saviour, Jesus. It should be kept as a celebration of a day when the hope of the world was born into this world. Do not detract from the remembrance of that day by supporting supernatural abilities in a make-believe character.