November 2010
     
    To: Preschool and Children’s Teachers
     
    From:
     
    Subject: Santa
     
    Just a reminder, as we draw close to Christmas…as wonderful as Santa Clause was and is, he cannot come to our church!
     
    Santa is a delightful part of Christmas celebrations in many Christian homes, but we must remember that Santa as we know him today is a pretend person.
     
    Young children are literal/concrete thinkers, trusting and vulnerable. It is extremely important that everything we teach children at church is true and biblical. If we hold a Bible in one hand and a Santa book in another, it is difficult for a child to figure out which one is the truth and which one is fiction. If a child sees a picture of Jesus next to a picture of Santa, how can he know that Jesus is real and Santa is fantasy? It is essential that no trace of Santa be present in our classrooms or planned activities so we do not risk children learning anything but truth from teachers at church. Please also avoid other pretend images such as reindeer and elves.
     
    Because their worlds are saturated with the secular aspects of Christmas, children will naturally bring Santa conversation to church. The best way to handle these situations is to acknowledge their interest and excitement, then divert the conversation in a different direction. It is best to neither affirm nor deny the information the child is sharing about Santa. Some responses you might use are:
    “Christmas is a happy time, isn’t it? I love to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.”
    “I’m glad you have fun times at home with your family. Thank you, God, for ____’s family.”
    “It’s fun to get presents, isn’t it? Baby Jesus is the best gift God ever sent to us.”
     
    Some families feel strongly that encouraging their children to believe in Santa is wrong, and we must respect this point of view. Hopefully children from those families have been taught not to contradict the beliefs of children who do believe in him. Other families choose to enjoy the fantasy for as long as their children believe. I have no problem with either viewpoint, and believe this is a personal family choice. Santa has been a part of Christmas in my family, and I still hang stockings on our fireplace. But that is the place for Santa at Christmas…in the home, not at church.
     
    Thank you for honoring this request. Our goal is to share the gospel so children may accept the greatest gift of all, the gift of eternal life.
     
     
     

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