Santa is dead pic.

PuritanCovenanter · #1 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 08:20 AM

I know Christmas is past but I saw this pic on a myspace and just cracked up.

And to put it into some context I will also share an old story of mine again. I posted it a few years ago on the board. I also think it is humorous and goes along with the picture.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuritanCovenanter

Before I was married I purposed in my heart to never lie to kids about St. Nicholaus. My reasoning was if I told them a lie about Santa who is to say that I am not lying about Jesus. So when I started having children I told them the truth. St. Nick was dead but that he lived in heaven with Jesus. I told them about the fables and myths and said it was wrong to make Santa Claus have characteristics that only God has.

Well, one Christmas we were in a department store and the cashier asked my two boys (probably around 6years old) if they were good and if Santa was going to come to their house. To which my oldest looked at her and said, "No, Santa is dead." You should have seen the look of horror on that ladies face. It was great. I then explained to her that we believe that the real St. Nick is alive in heaven with Jesus because Jesus died for the Bishops' sin, and that we wanted our son's to know that their parents always told them the truth. They could trust us when we said Jesus was real.

It is a great witness.

PuritanBouncer · #2 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 08:24 AM

Ha, cool story! I've seen that pic before.

kvanlaan · #3 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 09:04 AM

I've actually used that picture in a newsletter before. Great story!

Daniel Ritchie · #4 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 09:06 AM

This raises a question in my mind: do people generally think that Santa is immortal?

After all, they already believe his is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuritanCovenanter

I know Christmas is past but I saw this pic on a myspace and just cracked up.

And to put it into some context I will also share an old story of mine again. I posted it a few years ago on the board. I also think it is humorous and goes along with the small picture.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuritanCovenanter

Before I was married I purposed in my heart to never lie to kids about St. Nicholaus. My reasoning was if I told them a lie about Santa who is to say that I am not lying about Jesus. So when I started having children I told them the truth. St. Nick was dead but that he lived in heaven with Jesus. I told them about the fables and myths and said it was wrong to make Santa Claus have characteristics that only God has.

Well, one Christmas we were in a department store and the cashier asked my two boys (probably around 6years old) if they were good and if Santa was going to come to their house. To which my oldest looked at her and said, "No, Santa is dead." You should have seen the look of horror on that ladies face. It was great. I then explained to her that we believe that the real St. Nick is alive in heaven with Jesus because Jesus died for the Bishops' sin, and that we wanted our son's to know that their parents always told them the truth. They could trust us when we said Jesus was real.

It is a great witness.

BJClark · #5 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 12:50 PM

well, at least he lived a very long life....164 years..

I don't know if that would be a blessing or a curse..seeing how much the world changed over that time span...

jaybird0827 · #6 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 03:37 PM

Oh you better watch out.
You better not cry.
You better not pout,
I'm telling you why -
Santa Claus is DEAD

-- The Smothers Brothers

ericfromcowtown · #7 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 04:12 PM

This is an interesting thread, since it is something that I have been discussing with my wife. We're expecting our first child at the end of May, and we've been talking about whether or not we'll include Santa in our Christmas celebrations?

First, a little background: I wasn't raised in a Christian home, so I have plenty of pleasant Christmas memories surrounding my father leaving cookie crumbs for Sunday morning and rining bells on our roof so that we thought reindeer had just landed. The fact that we were later told that Santa, the Tooth Fairy and other assorted characters were make-believe wasn't inconsistant since we were also told that Jesus was make-believe. My wife grew up in a Christian home where Santa wasn't included.

We've dedided not to celebrate Santa, largelly because of the inconsistancy above. How do you explain to a child that we were playing make-believe with one supernatural being, but that another was real and could be trusted?

I hadn't thought about giving us God's characteristics of omnipresence, omniscience, and perhaps immortality, to Santa, as the poster above mentions. However, I have heard people make the parallel between the God of the Bible, and Santa, as God as we'd like him to be. Santa is always happy, never angry, always bestowing gifts and never bestowing judgment. Although Santa keeps a list, there's no nashing of teeth involved in the threat of a lump of coal left in your stocking.

Having said this, there are Christian couples at our church who include Santa in their Christmas celebrations, and I wouldn't want to 'major in the minors.'

Thomas2007 · #8 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuritanCovenanter

I know Christmas is past but I saw this pic on a myspace and just cracked up.

And to put it into some context I will also share an old story of mine again. I posted it a few years ago on the board. I also think it is humorous and goes along with the picture.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuritanCovenanter

Before I was married I purposed in my heart to never lie to kids about St. Nicholaus. My reasoning was if I told them a lie about Santa who is to say that I am not lying about Jesus. So when I started having children I told them the truth. St. Nick was dead but that he lived in heaven with Jesus. I told them about the fables and myths and said it was wrong to make Santa Claus have characteristics that only God has.

Well, one Christmas we were in a department store and the cashier asked my two boys (probably around 6years old) if they were good and if Santa was going to come to their house. To which my oldest looked at her and said, "No, Santa is dead." You should have seen the look of horror on that ladies face. It was great. I then explained to her that we believe that the real St. Nick is alive in heaven with Jesus because Jesus died for the Bishops' sin, and that we wanted our son's to know that their parents always told them the truth. They could trust us when we said Jesus was real.

It is a great witness.

Thanks for this post, my wife and I too, have raised five children without the Santa mythology and they haven't suffered one iota. We did it for the same reason you did, I couldn't handle lieing to them like that and then expect them to believe me in regards to my testimony of Christ. They will see each year, a man dressed as Santa Clause, they won't see men runnning around playing Jesus - well, at least they shouldn't.

Anyway, we've got into trouble a couple of times because of this, when our children have inadvertingly told other children that Santa wasn't real, and other parents have acted like the sales lady you mentioned although we never connected it to the concept of St Nick being dead, that's even better. People are just appalled that you aren't lieing to your children.

panta dokimazete · #9 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericfromcowtown

This is an interesting thread, since it is something that I have been discussing with my wife. We're expecting our first child at the end of May, and we've been talking about whether or not we'll include Santa in our Christmas celebrations?

First, a little background: I wasn't raised in a Christian home, so I have plenty of pleasant Christmas memories surrounding my father leaving cookie crumbs for Sunday morning and rining bells on our roof so that we thought reindeer had just landed. The fact that we were later told that Santa, the Tooth Fairy and other assorted characters were make-believe wasn't inconsistant since we were also told that Jesus was make-believe. My wife grew up in a Christian home where Santa wasn't included.

We've dedided not to celebrate Santa, largelly because of the inconsistancy above. How do you explain to a child that we were playing make-believe with one supernatural being, but that another was real and could be trusted?

I hadn't thought about giving us God's characteristics of omnipresence, omniscience, and perhaps immortality, to Santa, as the poster above mentions. However, I have heard people make the parallel between the God of the Bible, and Santa, as God as we'd like him to be. Santa is always happy, never angry, always bestowing gifts and never bestowing judgment. Although Santa keeps a list, there's no nashing of teeth involved in the threat of a lump of coal left in your stocking.

Having said this, there are Christian couples at our church who include Santa in their Christmas celebrations, and I wouldn't want to 'major in the minors.'

Here is my rationale and thus our early revelation to our children that the modern concept of Santa is a myth.

Narnian · #10 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 05:21 PM

We included Santa in our Christmases, but it was the real St. Nicholas. We have a childrens book that described St. Nicholas and his work for Christ. (note: this book doesn't have the Orthodox overtones of the link)

I am on travel, otherwise I would post a link for the book - will do later if people are interested.

PuritanCovenanter · #11 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 05:28 PM

St. Nicholaus, the Bishop of Myra was probably a very godly man who ended up suffering persecution under Rome for Christ's sake. He was also present at the Council of Nicaea 325 AD.

We found a children's book published by Concordia to read to the kids that told the real story about Saint Nicholaus. Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend - By: Julie Stiegemeyer - Christianbook.com

Daniel Ritchie · #12 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuritanCovenanter

St. Nicholaus, the Bishop of Myra was probably a very godly man who ended up suffering persecution under Rome for Christ's sake. He was also present at the Council of Nicaea 325 AD.

We found a children's book published by Concordia to read to the kids that told the real story about Saint Nicholaus. Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend - By: Julie Stiegemeyer - Christianbook.com

It is sad that his good name has been dragged through the mud through Santa.

Peter · #13 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 06:32 PM

Rev. Bill Chellis (RPCNA) on why he believes in Santa: myth reflects deeper truth than facts.