https://odb.org/2023/12/06/st-nick
The tradition of Father Christmas or Santa Claus is reputedly based on a generous person named Saint Nicholas of Myra who used his wealth and inhertance to help the poor and needy. Thus, the fable is that he goes around dropping presents via chimneys to children who were good throughout the year. He stays in the Arctic circle and uses a bunch of flying reindeer as his main mode of transport. It’s a tall tale but nevertheless a good one based on a very important attribute of Christ – generosity, which in turn speaks of God’s grace, mercy, and compassion.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas
Of course, we know the true meaning of Christmas is Christ’s birth and God’s love for mankind as Jesus reconciled man to God by His blood shed on Calvary. Christmas is essentially John 3:16 in action, personified. It is certainly not about Santa Claus, but I think there is no need to condemn Santa or avoid him like a plague. Instead, we should, as believers, if we could, uphold Christmas traditions like the decorated Christmas trees while affirming the true meaning of Christmas. Take Santa with a good cheer! These traditions are good to be preserved as they are our link to the world. The world sees Christmas as Santa, presents, and Christmas trees. We should thus use these traditions to connect with them and convey the true meaning of Christmas in the hope that John 3:16 will become real in their lives one day. The great thing about these traditions is that they are universally accepted, and many embrace these symbols, and some even celebrate Christmas even though they are not Christians!
Make it a point to reach out to someone with God’s love this Christmas season. Make use of Christmas symbols and traditions that people are familiar with. Use them to preach Christ. Saint Nicholas’s generosity is to be applauded and celebrated. Most importantly, he himself was a believer who took to heart God’s love, and the world knows him as a good man. Hopefully, through our own good deeds and generosity as we preach Christ, the world will also know us as good people and see Christ reflected.
Ronnie's Thoughts 