As children’s adviser I often get asked about what approach Christian parents should take to the ‘Santa Claus’ debate, writes Yvonne Morris. Some adults believe that Father Christmas has become a secular mythical figure and should therefore be avoided, equally, some non-Christians object on the grounds of the Christian roots of ‘Saint Nicholas’.

It’s a knotty issue, that’s for sure with cultural and secular influences but I wonder if asking yourself questions like these can help (you could replace ‘family’ with church, school or kids club); What makes Christmas special for our family?
What values are being taught in the way our family ‘do’ Christmas?
What is being taught about who God is in the way our family ‘do’ Christmas?

My experience of children is that they are able to hold the juxtaposition of the Santa myth alongside the Jesus story without any problem or conflict. They often know that Jesus is the real story of Christmas without compromising their hope in and enjoyment of Father Christmas.

As with any cultural icon there are issues and questions that should be asked by Christian parents yet the St Nicholas story provides opportunities to discus and explore with children lots about God’s values, judgement, forgiveness, kindness, generosity and honesty without necessarily promoting materialism and greed.
Ensuring that our children are connected to ‘Emmanuel, God with Us’ is, I think, essential. Enabling the question ‘What if Santa isn’t real – will Christmas be anything less than it currently is?’ but not confusing this with ‘Santa isn’t real therefore God isn’t real.’

One of the ways I deal with this with the children I work with is to encourage them to recognize when God has heard and answered their prayers every day, every week, all year round - a kind of ‘God is for life not just for Christmas’ approach! So, they can easily separate Father Christmas from the Father of Christmas, God with them who loves them and won’t let them down by not bringing them the big shiny toy they wanted.