Is Santa an Anti-Christ?

Today I listened to the beloved radio station that plays 'christmas' music and claims to be family friendly. 'Santa Claus is coming to town' came on and the strange thought that Santa is an Anti-Christ popped into my head. Now, this is nothing new for many; however, this may be different from what you are thinking.

Many people feel that Santa is an Anti-Christ because he takes away the limelight of Christmas from the birth of Jesus. It's not only Santa but the whole entourage he brings with him. These include x-mas signs (a personal favorite of mine), christmas trees with ornaments and reindeer. They may argue that even though it is in good fun, Santa has in many ways become a central theme of Christmas. They will argue that when people ask what Christmas is about and you tell them about Christ's birth that there will still be that lingering question of 'Then why is there Santa and his elves?'. It's not only Santa but the presents, which are good but many will argue that they endorse a form of materialism and consumerism.

Now these are all fine arguments but to be honest, they are not the reason I think Santa is a symbol of Anti-Christ. There is something deeper and more nefarious. Something that seems good but is yet deceptive.

Santa is an Anti-Christ not in the sense so much that he replaces Christ as the central event of Christmas but because he is the complete opposite in what Christ symbolizes.

He is anti- in the sense that everything he stands for (or we've made him to become) is opposite to what Christ represents.

This is probably best illustrated by the song we all know and love, 'Santa Claus is coming to town'. The theme of this song seems to be going swimmingly with Santa coming to bring gifts to the good kids and nothing for the bad kids. The tricky part is not bringing gifts to the bad kids. At first we see this is just; I mean for bad kids to get what the good kids get, that wouldn't be fair. The song paints the picture that Santa is near (advent?) and that we need to be good that we may receive good things from Santa and not bad. Kids need to obey so that they are on the nice list and not the naughty. So how is this Anti-Christ?

When we look at the advent (our waiting of the coming of...) Santa, we see that we must be good in order to merit his good graces and receive what we deserve. There is a sense of entitlement. The good get good and the bad get bad. This is a very natural form of justice. However, when we look at the advent of Christ, we remember that he came not with a list of who is naughty and who is nice but to 'save his people from their sins' (the meaning of the name Jesus). When Jesus came, he came to put all the people onto the nice list. He comes bearing gifts for all who would receive and he gives to all, the bad and the good. He gives us what we don't deserve.

We don't earn his good gifts, he gives freely to all who will receive.

At Christmas, we don't need to wonder what God thinks of us, he loves us. None of this 'you better watch out, you better not cry'. There is no more fear of constantly looking over your shoulders. Sins are forgiven, everything is reconciled and true peace has come.

We no longer need to let the past haunt the present and cripple the future.

So may you come to see this Christmas that though we may view Santa is a symbol of generosity, Christ is the one who gives freely. May you know that God is with us and we no longer have to wonder what he thinks about us. And may you accept his good gift of love which is given freely to you.

Merry Χ(ριστος)-mas