Questions & Answers

In some ways the custom of Santa Claus is similar to that of the Tooth Fairy. Both can be childhood games that we play with our children. It is true that Santa Claus could interfere with the spiritual life of children, if parents allow it. If they teach their children to be good in order to receive gifts at Christmas, it can give the impression that they should be good for the wrong reason.

This is not to say that it is a sin to speak of Santa Claus during the Christmas season. Yet it does point out how this custom could confuse children and blind them to the scriptural message of Christmas, especially if parents are not careful in how they present it.

You ask about how to include both Santa Claus and Christ into Christmas. Perhaps one way to incorporate both in the Christmas season yet separate Santa Claus from Christmas is to associate Santa Claus with Saint Nicholas Day, December 6th. In some cultures it is customary to hang up stockings and fill them with small gifts the night before. This would help to separate Santa Claus from Christmas Day and yet still allow some of the traditional elements of a jolly old man in a red suit to be incorporated into the Christmas season in a simple and low-key manner. That way Christmas Day can be reserved for what it is, the celebration of the Savior's birth. I know of a family that used this approach. Perhaps it is something that would work in your family.