Some concerning facts about Santa

It's difficult but worthwhile to test our own traditions against the principles and values of Scripture.
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My website BibleThinker.org

[@m2redshirt]

When I found out that Santa wasn't real and that my parents were using him as a concept to ensure that I would "be nice" throughout the year, I quickly concluded that they were also using Jesus as a concept to ensure my obedience. It was devastating for my faith and trust in my parents. Lying to kids about Santa isn't the same as pretending like a puppet is a real person and playing pretend. I wrote to Santa (basically praying to him) being led to think that he was real. You can't just reveal to a kid that Santa doesn't exist and in the same breath go tell him to remember to pray to God before going to bed. The shock of knowing that I was being deceived (no matter what the real intentions were) shook my foundations. Not every kid thinks deeply about these things. But some kids do. Even if you personally did not get your faith shaken up by the Santa reveal, please consider Paul's admonition not to cause the weaker brethren to stumble.

[@Jessica_Jones]

I so appreciate your sharing this, thank you for this perspective 🙏🏻

[@XeenMusic]

I am one of the children who were destroyed because of parents lying to me about Santa Claus. They didn't just lie, they had actual convicing "evidence" -- such as no airplanes fly on Christmas to not interfere with his flight patterns, so when I saw a blinking red light overhead, it was Santa encircling the house and couldn't land until I went to sleep. After I found out, I couldn't trust anyone from the age of 10 or something until I became a Christian at the age of 22. Because I trusted my parents, and I would never have thought someone like that would have lied to me. If there was any chance I would have believed in God as a child, it was snatched away right then and there. I know many other people who have suffered the same fate. A Christian counselor I know said he's talked to uncountable children who were taught about God but lost their faith in God because of their parents lying to them about Santa. Yahweh God is a God of truth (John 1:17, 14:6), the devil is the father of lies (John 8:44). Jesus makes it clear, "If you cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for you if a millstone were tied around your neck and you were thrown into the bottom of the sea." (Matthew 18:6~7) Because, as it says elsewhere, all the liars will be burned in the lake of fire. (Revelation 21:8) "But the one who is doing the truth, is coming to the light, in order that he works might be manifested, because they are having been worked in God." (John 3:21) "If at any time we might be confessing our sins, he is faithful and righteous, in order that he might forgive us of the sins and might cleanse us from every unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

[@AtarahDerek]

"Santa" is part of the great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 12:1. So he is real, he does see you, and he watches your struggles and speaks his encouragement, just like all of the other members of that great cloud do. It's a mistake to tell kids Santa was never real. It's better to tell them where he actually came from, and how Coca Cola coopted him as a mascot to commercialize Christmas. And also how he has left them a legacy, a spirit, that they can choose to take on and become Santas themselves.

[@2besavedcom-7]

Likewise. I took my niece on a long hike with the dogs and during our chatter, she asked me if Santa was actually real. I didn't want to be a liar, so told her the truth... She thought a little and then asked, "Does that mean God isn't real either?" I was stunned and realized the damage done by lying to kids.

[@m2redshirt]

@@2besavedcom-7 I think you did the right thing, and I hope your niece now sees you as a person of truth and integrity and will trust you when you communicate the truths of the Gospel. People often say that belief in Santa preserves the "magic and wonder" of Christmas, but I'm pretty sure the nativity story and the love of parents demonstrated by gifts (as from the parents) are enough to keep the miracle and wonder of Christmas alive! I don't mind Santa as a mascot or decorations, but the deceit (no matter how well intended) can damage one's witness to a logical and insightful child.

[@Theinternalrewrite]

We don't pretend with our children about Santa. We say it's a story some people like to tell and it's not kind to ruin the story for other children who believe. We don't want our kids to be confused when they hear about God and Jesus and think they must be myths as well. In our house God is real, Santa is fake and we put our faith in the saving grace of Jesus. We still do christmas stockings but we get all the credit for giving gifts.

[@isaiahmumaw]

That’s what my parents did and that’s what my wife and I plan to do with our future kids. Seems to be the best route.

[@Weissguys6]

This is exactly how we handled Santa as well. I would even call “the Santa game.” Some people like to play it, but it’s just make believe. We focus solely on the Birth of Christ, Our Lord. ❤

[@dougcolthar5244]

We are doing this with our kids as well. Ultimately we can't lie to our children it's just not right. Glad to see others taking this approach as well. God bless and Merry Christmas!

[@Jonathan-wx8yw]

I think that is a bad idea. Obviously Santa leaves no room for God to fit well into the picture. It is a magical story of some creep that sees everything everyone does and goes in to your house to leave you rewards if you have done good enough. Elves, magic, someone claiming to have traits of God, ect. is an abomination to God and has been set up as an idol in many childrens hearts. For such reasons we should completely object the the idea of Santa Claus. If you actually think about it, it exalts a Catholic saint and gives him some traits of God (through satanic magical powers).

[@inchristalone25]

I've always hated the story of Santa. My parents tried to make it seem like Santa was giving gifts and I caught on pretty quickly it couldn't be real so why lie to us? We never did Santa with my kids.

[@JaneQPublic]

When my daughter was four she said “I know Santa isn’t real bc daddy would never let anyone break into our house”. I was newly baptized and already questioning Christmas traditions so I agreed and told her he’s a character and we know the truth but let others believe what they believe. She said that’s ungodly and we never considered it again. So proud of my baby for knowing her daddy would always protect her and knowing that she’s safe.

[@chriper77]

My mum told me a few years ago that when I was a kid and I found out Santa wasn't real, that I said to her - "So if the tooth fairy isn't real, the Easter Bunny isn't real and Father Christmas isn't real, does that mean God isn't real as well?" She said she was shocked and that she'd never really thought it through. I do remember asking that as a kid, on reflection, wondering if this would be the next 'reveal'. A number of years later, I did discover that God was indeed real. But it really is a question you need to consider carefully in regard to your own kids

[@aaronmonroe7932]

That's interesting.

[@Pixelflare03]

I asked the same thing to my parents. My dad then exclaimed "this is why I thought Santa was a bad idea!" and was just acting rudely and I felt like it was my fault for thinking those things.

[@martin9410]

I don't think in most households that's an issue. Once I found out that Santa was a mythological character for kids, it never made me question if God were real. I think what's more important is how to parent present Santa as opposed to God.

[@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr]

@@martin9410 it seems like a logical place for the mind to go

[@davegink9222]

Sounds like a perfect teaching opportunity for your mother.

[@plantylali]

As a child I was terrified of Santa. I'm from the northern parts of Europe and we didn't get the version who filled some stockings, we actually had to face him on Christmas Eve. After the dinner there was a knock on the door and l was literally trembling with fear. When I was 5 years old I remember I just ran to hide in my grandmothers closet crying hysterically. Only then did my family realize it was time to reveal the great christmas secret and my uncle( who was dressed as santa) took off the mask and I remember being so relived.. We where also told long before Chrismas that the elves where watching our every move as to see if we behaved well which was very creepy. If God blesses me with children I will never force them to believe in this nasty pagan folklore. Our Christmas is dedicated to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

[@dawnmichelle4403]

Your story makes me think of the relatively new tradition of The Elf on the Shelf. I think it's horrible the way some parents use a doll to manipulate their children.

[@Jessica_Jones]

Thanks so much for sharing this!! (I'm so glad your family chose to tell you the truth right away!) I only just recently learned about the origins of gnomes in particular and was both fascinated and bothered by the demonic nature of it all. I'll confess it makes me sad because some of them gnomes people make are so darn cute, ha...

[@plantylali]

@@dawnmichelle4403 Looked that up and it sure sounds icky to me...

[@plantylali]

@@Jessica_Jones They are made so cute and it really limits the decoration options, lol! So lots of flowers and lights is my opion. 🙂

[@AtarahDerek]

Just because you were scared of a stranger entering your home as a child doesn't mean it was a pagan idea. Is Bible smuggling pagan? Is fighting against sex slavery pagan? Is punching heretics pagan?

[@silverpslm]

I believed in Santa as a kid. But at a certain point I found out he wasn't real because of obvious plot holes. But even when he disappeared, nothing really changed. Family and celebrations were still there, Jesus was still there. Santa, to me, is just a mascot to represent the importance of goodwill to children when they are young. Based on the actions of real people. No different than the creation of Uncle Sam. Based on a real person, but grew into a something else, like a DC super hero that it isn't same the thing anymore.

[@martin9410]

excellent points.

[@ilovecokeslurpees]

I'm pretty sure Santa Claus is Tim Allen.

[@amysnews6808]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@maddyf.6296]

Totally right, I always enjoy watching the documentaries about him around Christmas time 😂😂😂

[@CLDJ227]

He even has a new series lol.

[@somethingiloveforeve]

😂

[@Swiftninjatrev]

I don't understand why everyone thinks this is so funny, it's just ture.

[@nathanielkern8165]

"If you came from another culture, and you wandered into someone's home on Christmas and just saw Santa Claus everywhere, and Christ was nowhere to be seen, you'd be like...what are you celebrating?" Ouch.

[@martin9410]

I don't think that's true. And there's a difference between celebrating, and worshipping and honoring. We have no idea when Jesus was born, nor are we told in the Bible to celebrate a certain day for his birth.

[@jpfiero]

@@martin9410 Actually we do have some strong clues in scripture, probably the middle of September. Do some research on this its fascinating. The Jews "birthday" was at conception since this is when God first "knits you together". 9mths before September, maybe he was overdue? The date is not as important as the gift though.

[@martin9410]

@@jpfiero there are no strong clues. The Bible never tells us the date of His birth, nor does it say to set aside a special day to honor it. There may be a reason for this.

[@jpfiero]

@@martin9410 I don't think you have to celebrate Christmas, follow your conviction on that. I do think it is still a good thing and opens up opportunities for gospel conversations. Don't be afraid to look up the signs mentioned in the bible though, you can still judge for yourself if the the teachers understanding is accurate. The magi followed a star, they understood that God controls everything including the heavens. They discerned, based off proficies in the scriptures, when the messiah would be born. We can do the same but we have the benefit of looking back at history, they had to look forward in faith.

[@martin9410]

@@jpfiero no disagreement on what you said.

[@Jessica_Jones]

It's so funny you mention people hearing, "I hate your childhood" lol, because when I started re-thinking the whole Santa Claus thing a couple of years ago, my initial argument in my head was that it was so magical and fun when I was young and it would be sad not to create that atmosphere for my own kids! But that said, aside from the important fact that, "wow yes that really does take away from the message of Jesus even if He is taught" [my thought as I'm typing all of this out], we live in _such_ a different time now.... Not only are kids so much more mindful about things that weren't on our radars back then, but also, the world is really on the lookout to influence our little ones! I'm generally pretty relaxed about things that some Christians might be more rigid about, but what actually changed my mind in an instant about whether to raise our kids with Santa was when I heard a version of the song, "Santa Claus is Watching You" (as if singing to kids) and it suddenly hit me that the message of Santa is: you'd better be good or you won't get anything. I never thought of it that way as a kid but my goodness, how many of us in this world have thought, "I messed up, God might not love me now"?? In this day in age where it seems everything is *actively* trying to pull us away from Christ, I think we are all slowly realizing how very intentional we must be to stay on that narrow path. I believe for my own family, we will find other ways to bring in that Christmas cheer, and will be straightforward with our kids about where their presents come from 😉🙂

[@virklad7]

As someone who grew up without Santa and married someone who did, we decided not to carry on this tradition with our children. The most common question we get is, aren't your kids missing out? People who have fond memories from their own childhood have a difficult time believing there's another (dare I say better?) way of celebrating. I can personally attest that Christmas without Santa was every bit as exciting and wonderful to me each year as it was to my Santa-faithful friends. In a way, more so. As an adult Christmas is just as full of awe and wonder to me because nothing has been lost. I've celebrated the same amazing miracle every year of my life and no part of that childhood Christmas joy ever had to be taken from me. I agree that there's room for each family to follow their own convictions on this but if you're considering making the nativity the center of Christmas instead of Santa let me encourage you. My family and I highly recommend it.

[@julierobison1087]

It is so weird that people think it's not their place, or anyone else for that matter, to tell the truth and not affirm lies. In what other situation do we tell kids, "don't tell anyone the truth?"

[@carynmason3421]

Thank you for this! Why are we obligated to be silent about lies??

[@XeenMusic]

Right on. I tell my children to tell other children that they are being lied to. Hopefully, when they finally find out, God will bring it back to their mind who told them the truth (Christians) and who told them lies (non-Christians).

[@maruther5364]

We never did santa with our daughter, and when she was introduced to the idea in public school I explained the truth to her. When she was in 1st grade we were at a gathering at the public library and there was 1 other little girl who knew the truth, they proceeded to inform the rest of the children there. The other children were not ready for such information and all I could do was stand there with a surprised smile on my face. It was like watching disciples in training and I was not about to tell them to stop. I made sure that she knew the truth about santa and the easter bunny because I didn't want her distracted by the gimmicks, (that was before I knew the pagan origin of it all) I wanted her focused on Christ. For whatever reason though, I went along with the tooth-fairy charade, that is until she googled the tooth-fairy and whatever she found stated that the tooth-fairy lived with santa and the easter bunny. She informed me that either they were all fake or they were all real, and she wanted to know what was going on, so I came clean. That was just 1 of many humbling moments. God is so very good.

[@XeenMusic]

@@maruther5364 Thank you for sharing your testimony. Love in Christ.

[@nathanieldiaz2845]

I don't get this either... now more then ever we need to stand for truth, and not treat any distortion of the truth as just some small thing to ignore

[@Richardcontramundum]

1:25 I am listening to this while in the kitchen and my 10 year old daughter is here too. She just heard you and said, "what did he just say?" I related the gold story helping the 3 girls. Then the beheading pickle story. She then says after I told her that one myth Nicolas resurrected the girls. She then says, "But they would smell like pickles" 😆

[@derekmchardy8730]

I personally know two people who were pretty devastated as children when they learned that their parents had misled them about presents delivered by Santa Claus. In both cases there was long term harm to the parent child relationship which isn't in the least surprising. My three kids are now in their thirties. We never misled them about Santa delivering their presents. I'm with Martin Luther here. Let's concentrate on the birth of Jesus, God incarnate. That's just so much more amazing!

[@BustinCider8]

If they suffer serious harm from learning that Santa isn't real, then there's a much bigger problem that needs to be addressed.

[@derekmchardy8730]

@@BustinCider8 The problem my friend was that they learned that their parents had been lying to them about Santa so what else were they untrustworthy about? That's a big enough deal on its own without saying there must be other issues. Of course most people learn the truth about Santa without emotional trauma, but for those who are harmed it's very real. I'd say it's much better if kids have parents whom they can rely on never to mislead them.

[@BustinCider8]

​​​@@derekmchardy8730 Nah I'd say there are other issues with the parenting that need to be addressed. Santa is not even close to the same level as Jesus and your kids should be very clear on that. If they start questioning Jesus because Santa isn't real then there's a problem.

[@Richardcontramundum]

I'm 39 and never did Santa. We didn't like the idea of lying about it to our children, yet they are supposed to believe us about Jesus

[@BustinCider8]

@@Richardcontramundum Putting Santa even close to the same level as Jesus is a serious parenting problem. Santa comes around once a year, Jesus is 24/7 365.

[@awesomenessindaface]

My parents never did the whole Santa thing with my siblings and I. We would like to pretend that we believed in Santa, but we knew that he wasn't real. I actually appreciated gifts coming from my parents a lot more than someone I didn't know. It made me happy because of how much they thought of me. 😊

[@martin9410]

excellent points.

[@TheShiningEnergy]

and plus, God is omniscient, and knows everything. He knows wether we're actually telling lies to children, or just pretending for the sake of the children. He knows what we truly believe.

[@disguisedcentennial835]

My parents did Santa and now I’m 23 and a devout Christian. Santa is awesome and I’m gonna let my kids enjoy that Christmas magic. When I found out he isn’t real, I was thankful that Christ is.

[@sorenpx]

I agree with you. There are lots of Santa naysayers in these comments so I'm glad to find someone who isn't. The Santa mythology is a lot of fun and I really enjoyed believing in it all when I was a kid.

[@Laugical]

The Santa issue did not affect me as a child at all, I thought it was a magical and fun addition to the holiday. But I think it really shook the core of my brother and how much he trusted my parents. To the point where he is confrontational with my parents now and an avid atheist, and has multiple times brought up the silliness of believing in God and likening it to believing in Santa, or something similar to that line of argument. So please be careful. Not everyone responds to things the same way.

[@sorenpx]

@@Laugical It seems a small percentage of people who were told that Santa is real have that experience. I'm surprised they are not able to understand that it was just something parents did so that their kids could have a bit of fun. It does seem that several who are complaining mention that Santa was used as a behavioral control tool instead of something meant to be fun and joyful.

[@theeternalsbeliever1779]

And look at the result of accepting that deception: you call yourself a devout Christian, even though you believe in a counterfeit Christ. That's where the Christmas magic leads you. And now you want to pass that deception on to another generation. Do you really love your kids by telling them lies? God's commandments says you do not.

[@Novaya94]

@@theeternalsbeliever1779 Chill out. Is your faith really that small?

[@hotwax9376]

The modern artistic depictions of Santa didn't actually originate with Coca Cola. They helped popularize it, but it was already common. It mostly originated with works like "The Night Before Christmas" and Thomas Nast's art.

[@asparapee4213]

Dude has been breaking into people's houses for hundreds of years and stealing their cookies and milk. He is so scientifically advanced he can warp time and space to do all these break-ins in a single night. We are only now seeing he's a problem?

[@justingary5322]

FACTS he's Dr Who in this MF (MYTHOLOGICAL FUNKINESS) 😂

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

@asparapee4213 : And having childten sit on his knee.... 🙃

[@georgeszweden9497]

Mike is one in a few billion, God bless him and the amazing content we get

[@Lady_de_Lis]

I grew up without knowing anything about Santa Claus, and my Christmases were still an absolute blast. Wasn't till I got to Kindergarten that I found out about Santa Claus, and I remember how shocked all the kids were at my ignorance. And yeah, I was the awful kid who went around telling the other kids that Santa isn't real lol. Wish I'd known to be a little more tactful back then tbh. I understand that the Santa Claus story is fun and it would be a good game to play with kids at the holidays, but I just don't see how it is helpful at all to intentionally trick your children into thinking Santa is real. I mean, kids are probably going to assume he's real when they hear the story with or without you if they are young enough. But you don't have to help it along. Let them naturally make the assumption he's real and then naturally realize that their assumption was wrong in their own time. The same way kids would do with regards to characters like Barney the Dinosaur. Almost no parent intentionally tries to trick their child into believing that Barney is real, so why should Santa Claus be any different? It's like training kids to not trust their parents just so that their childhood can be, what, more magical? Benefits don't seem to outweigh the downsides, from my perspective.

[@madisoncarlson310]

Totally agree with this. Some people just get so weird about Santa, like he is somehow different than a character from a story. Why should it be any different than Barney? The kids don't make it different. The parents do. It's not believing in Santa that is the magic of childhood. It's LITERALLY the children thselves that make everything magic. They love make believe and playing pretend. They are the magic. ❤️

[@ArminMuslim]

Hey Mike Could you make a lengthy video about salvation where you explain salvation and debunk arguments for repentance + faith ? That would be really helpful for all of us

[@MorganFreemansFavoriteFreckle]

I love the idea of Santa being a mythological symbol for charity and love and hope. The pathologically dishonest conspiracy of deception against children is a problem.

[@toreyhorton1789]

Wasn’t those same ideas supported and promoted by Jesus? If you believe the Bible accounts about Jesus are true then why would we need or support a mythological person who supposedly espouses similar characteristics as our savior?

[@blindvision4703]

Justin peters did a video about two years ago, where he makes a biblical case against Santa Claus. Santa Pause. If you like it, I strongly suggest you check it out.

[@phil4_8]

There is only one person who deserves attention at Christmas time and it sure isn’t Santa. Edit: He deserves our attention and praise at all times, but what I mean to say is that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. The fact that Santa slinks in to commercialize and distract from that fact is exactly why we should ignore this mythical dude. Santa represents commercialism, not hope or love or anything Jesus represents. In fact, he represents a works-based ideology in that, if you are “good” you get a gift - but if you are bad you don’t. Sounds familiar….

[@RUT812]

People are making way too much of this. My very, very Christian parents did the Santa thing with me & my 5 older siblings, as do most parents with their children. It truly didn’t bother any of us when we found out that Santa is a fictional character. My husband & I did the same with our 4 daughters, and none of them experienced any trauma from it.

[@benmlee]

@@RUT812 Santa is fine as long as you make it clear is a make believe game. You can have plenty of fun that way. Don’t play along convincing the children you sincerely believe Santa is as real as Jesus. There is no reason to do that.

[@SpielbergMichael]

In case anyone finds this helpful or is interested in praying for our Christian ministries/leaders/shepherds/evangelists/apologists like Mike Winger: 16 prayer points you can pray for them: 1 You can pray that they will always have a good walk with God (that they will not forget their first love), that God will bless their daily private Bible reading and prayer life, and that they will have good sound doctrine. 2 You can pray that they will be full of the Holy Spirit and that God will bless their ministries so that many more people will come to faith in Jesus for God’s glory, and that they will feed God’s sheep and disciple them properly. 3 You can pray that they will be humble, that they will remember how many Christian leaders in the past have fallen, and that they will have a very healthy fear of the Lord. 4 You can pray that God will protect them and the ministry God has given them from: Pride Love of fame Love of money Desire for the approval of people rather than the approval of God Being worried about offending people Compromising God’s Word Sexual temptation Demonic attacks Persecution (from outside the Church and inside the Church) 5 You can pray for their PHYSICAL HEALTH and that God will heal all their health problems. 6 You can pray for their MENTAL HEALTH. Pastors and Christian workers often have stress and battle discouragement and depression. Please God touch them and heal them of all mental and emotional problems and distress. They can also sometimes be hurt by the people they serve or by other Christian leaders - so we can pray that this won’t happen but that if it does that God will heal these wounds and strengthen His servants to forgive each other and that God will restore unity for His Glory. 7 You can pray that God will bless and protect their families. Satan often attacks Christian workers by attacking their loved ones. So you can pray that their family members will all have a good walk with God, have good sound doctrine, that God will protect them all from demonic attacks, that God will also bless and protect their physical and mental health, heal them of all infirmities, and that God will bless all their family relationships so that there is peace and love in their families. You can pray that God especially blesses and protects all areas and parts of their marriages, so that they will not be tempted to look elsewhere. Also please God bless their marriages especially so that they can be a model and example for other Christians. 8 You can pray that God will abundantly bless and protect the finances of the ministries and also the personal finances of God’s servants (especially finances needed for health or medical expenses). You can pray that they always have abundant finances so that they can always do every good work God wants them to do. 9 You can pray that God blesses and protects the relationships between Christian co-workers in ministries - so that no jealousy or strife or bitterness takes root. That they will all have Christian unity and that their focus will be on God getting all the glory and rejoice in any and all work for God. 10 You can pray that God prevents any technical or logistical or legal or any type of problems for their ministry, but if they have any such issues/problems that God will help them resolve/fix and totally solve and remove these problems. 11 If it’s an internet (e.g. KZbin) ministry you can pray that God will help the videos spread on those platforms and get many views and that God will use the videos to bring many people to repentance and faith in Jesus. 12 You can pray that God will help Christian leaders be good shepherds of Jesus’ sheep and continue to feed Jesus’ sheep, and that they will not only convert people, but also disciple new converts so that they can grow and develop and mature in a healthy and supported way. 13 You can pray that God will give them the heart of a servant. 14 You can pray that God gives them wisdom and helps them and powerfully guides them when making all decisions and plans. 15 You can pray that if they make mistakes or sin that God will grant them humility and repentance and restore them. 16 You can pray that more Christians will pray consistently for Christian leaders/pastors/shepherds/workers/ministries. *********************** You could make a list of pastors/ministries you want to support and pray for them regularly. Jesus said: “ when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

[@SpielbergMichael]

14 more BIBLICAL prayer points for praying for the LOST: Jesus and Paul actually told us specifically what to pray for on several occasions: 1 “pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified” 2 Thessalonians 3:1 ------- 2 Jesus said we should pray for more labourers. "Then Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore PRAY earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”" Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus said: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore PRAT earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Luke 10:2 ------- 3 We can pray for more opportunities to share the Gospel, and for God to open more doors for effective work: "pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains." Colossians 4:3 “because a great door for effective work has opened to me” 1 Corinthians 16:9 ------------------------- 4 We can pray that God will give us all the right words to say. "Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel," Ephesians 6:19 ------- 5 We can pray that God will give all Christians the boldness to share the gospel. "Lord... grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness... And when they had prayed... they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:29-31 ------------------------ 6 We can pray that Christians will speak boldly RELYING ON THE LORD: “they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord” Acts 14:3 ------------- 7 We can pray for God to draw more people to Jesus and to grant more people to come to Jesus. Jesus said: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them" John 6:44 Jesus said: “No one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” John 6:65 -------------------------- 8 We can pray that God will REVEAL the reality and truth about Jesus to more people. "Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not REVEALED to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in Heaven." Matthew 16:16-17 "At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and REVEALED them to little children." Matthew 11:25 --------------------------- 9 We can pray that God will teach more people. Jesus said: "It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him COMES TO ME." John 6:45 -------------------------- 10 We can pray that God will open more hearts to attend to His message. "The Lord opened her heart to attend to the things being spoken by Paul." Acts 16:14 ------------------------- 11 We can pray that God will open more eyes to see and open ears to hear so that they would turn to God and God would heal them. Jesus said: "I send thee (Paul), TO OPEN THEIR EYES, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Acts 26:17-18 “while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand….. OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART, AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.” Matthew 13:13…16 “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made both of them.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭20:12‬ “Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭29:4‬ ---------- 12 We can pray that God in his mercy and generosity will bring more prisoners out of spiritual dungeon into the freedom and light of Jesus Christ. “proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” Luke 4:18 “a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” Isaiah 42:7 ---------- 13 We can pray that God will grant more people repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth: “in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” 2 Timothy 2:25 --------- 14 We can pray that new converts/disciples will find/be guided to/or have guided to them good Christian teachers who can help to disciple them correctly in the way, so that they can mature as God wants them to: just as God provided Philip to teach the Ethiopian so that the Ethiopian could understand what God wanted him to understand in Acts 8:26-40, or as God provided Priscilla and Aquila to teach Apollos in Acts 18:24-26 or as God provided Paul to some disciples in Ephesus who lacked knowledge in Acts 19:1-5 AND: We can rejoice, thank and praise God in our prayers for His Holy Spirit who guides all genuine new converts/disciples into all truth: “when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL THE TRUTH; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.” John 16:13-14 --------- 15 We can pray that we will have more of God's love in our hearts for the lost so that we will not be afraid to share the Gospel, but that God's love in us will override any fears and make it automatic that we share the gospel in love. If there was a frozen lake, you wouldn't want to go swimming in it. But if a small child fell in, you would automatically dive in to save them. We can pray for love that will cause us to act. ------------------------- "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2 Jesus told us multiple times throughout Scripture to watch and pray always.

[@Swiftninjatrev]

@@SpielbergMichael Got anything on just praying and talking to God in general?

[@SpielbergMichael]

@@Swiftninjatrev Hey there, God’s grace to you. I’m afraid I’m not in a position to be a teacher in prayer. But just as a brother in Christ, my best advice would be two things: 1) read the book of Psalms, which is basically a book of prayers/meditations by David, who God said was a man after His own heart. Many Christians say the book of Psalms taught them how to pray. 2) read the Bible a lot every day. The Bible is God’s sacred spiritual nourishment for us. Man shall not live by bread but by every word out of God’s mouth. In the wilderness God only allowed them to collect enough for 1 day at a time each day - He wanted them to learn to rely on Him every single day. Reading the Bible is part of repenting every day and part of relying on God every single day. The Bible is our manna from Heaven. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s boring or even if you don’t understand it. Just read it. If you’re going through a tough time (then I’m really sorry and I pray for your very best) but this is actually an opportunity to prove your love for God is genuine and that you will read the Bible every day regardless of your circumstances. Fill up your lamp. Jesus warned us that it’s essential that we ABIDE IN HIS WORD, and that if we didn’t it’s cutting yourself off from Him/His vine and that’s how He produces fruit in us. There are so many benefits to reading your Bible. The list is endless. But one of them is that it can teach you how to pray and what to pray about - as you go through you can read all the different prayers by different people. Take lots of notes. Just read and continually re-read the whole Bible again and again and again. If you do this faithfully God will continue to show you new things in His Word that you’ve never seen before. And treat reading the Bible with respect. Pray and ask God’s help every time before you start reading. And thank God for His Word after you’ve read it. Praying is super important, but I actually think getting God’s Word into your heart is even more important. That probably wasn’t the answer you were looking for, but that’s the best one I’ve got. Moses prayed: “Now then, if I have found favor in Your sight in any way, please let me know Your ways so that I may know You, in order that I may find favor in Your sight.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭33:13‬ David’s prayer: “may I dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.” Psalm 27 You can only know God’s ways by reading the Bible. May God bless you and your loved ones abundantly! P.S. I forgot to say, you charge up your smartphone - I really believe God spiritually charges us up by reading the Bible.

[@Swiftninjatrev]

@@SpielbergMichael Thanks! I'm almost finished reading through the bible for the first time, I'm in Hebrews today. May God bless you brother! Like the word play on charging at the end.

[@theeternalsbeliever1779]

It's rather comical that the description says it's worthwhile to test our traditions against the principles and values of the Bible, even though Winger does everything _except_ caring what God has to say about observing Baal's festivals.

[@AngelaYah]

Santa is a being that possesses at least three godlike properties: omniscience (all-knowing) - of you are naughty or nice, omnipotence (all-powerful) - delivers around the earth in a single night, and omnibenevolence (supremely good) - free gift giver. When i realised that children where thinking and practically praying to Santa, so not realising the real gift from those around them, is their love, and thoughtfulness. In addition, a woman said to me that as her family were poor, each year she felt that she was not worthy of a visit from Santa, not knowing he was fake. After that conversation, I stopped lying to my child. Which is another reason to let go of this coke ad fallacy! Imagine your child understanding that mum, dad,... their family and friends gave them something, have the child learn to thank people, and know that they are not lied to by those they trust, to me, makes a better time of it. Satan Santa can take a hike!

[@benmlee]

Children cling onto Santa and not all the other cartoon characters because of similarities with God. Mixing Santa with birth of Christ just adds more credibility to Santa. But what happens to their knowledge of God’s character when they find out Santa is fake.

[@Jessica_Jones]

Wow yeah, I hadn't thought about how kids are practically praying to Santa, you are so right 😳 All I've ever reflected on is that my brother and I would wildly page through the toy ad, circling WAY more than we should in general or would if we had realized our parents were doing the shopping, lol...which is also not great 😁 I've definitely also heard of parents expressing frustration about the difference in value of Santa gifts, which yes, can be totally damaging!

[@XeenMusic]

Do you realize that there is a popular children's Christmas movie (can't remember what it's called) in which children are praying to Santa or Jack Frost or something? And they treat it like a substitute for God... The child prays that his parents come to believe in him, and such...

[@martin9410]

@@XeenMusic just like with movies that also malign Jesus. We don’t discredit Jesus because a movie does.

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

@user-dh8pm4ve5e : You raise very valid points, but Santa is fiercely defended if you try to say anything about him.

[@mikebillingsley2310]

Personally, I don't understand why anyone would lie to children about a person (or being), that has virtually all the same attributes as our God. Especially, considering, that when they find out this "all knowing" Santa figure doesn't exist, are expected to continue to believe in God. Just like many of the 7 churches in Revelation, American churches have compromised way too much.

[@XeenMusic]

That's what happened to me. Any chance I would have believed in God as a child was gone. I was a nasty heathen that couldn't trust anyone (not that most people were trust-worthy) that thought everyone was secretly lying to me. And this was literally the event that started it. Until the age of 22, when I became a Christian.

[@ninabeaver3661]

Thanks for this video, Mike. I never believed in Santa, and my childhood Christmases were still great. My husband and I made the decision easily to tell our kids that it is fun to pretend about Santa, but what we are really celebrating is God coming to earth for us. Our now-adult children tell us they appreciated us telling the truth as they know people who were devastated when they found out. We are now saying the same thing to our little grandchildren: Santa is fun to pretend about, but Jesus is the reason to celebrate.

[@remycallie]

Kids have great imaginations. They're experts at playing pretend. They can pretend to be Super Man but they don't jump off the rooftop because they know the limits of pretend. With my kids, we played "pretend" Santa. They had a ball but they never got confused with reality and they never lost trust that I would tell them things as true that I didn't believe myself.

[@martin9410]

I wish there were more believers that had the commonsense approach that you do, but they are few and far between as evidenced by a lot of these comments.

[@th3ophilus340]

My family has an ornament that has sant kneeling at the manger worshiping the newborn king one of my favorites

[@timvasko]

Mike, please make a video about Christmas gifts and what you think about it. Thanks!

[@g.h_-heart-_bunny]

I definitely recommend watching the full video (for all those who enjoyed this). Merry Christmas ✞✝︎†

[@trissieetta758]

We grew up believing in Santa, Easter Bunny, tooth fairy etc and it was a lot of fun - Santa was cool. Parents taught us that the birth of Jesus was what Christmas was all about and we never doubted that God is real. We all realized at a certain age that Santa and the others were not real. It was fun and did add magic to Christmas. I don't know what it is but obviously there is something different now that some children feel deceived by parents who let them believe in Santa, Easter Bunny etc. I do realize that it is individual choice. But I do think it's unfortunate that some children miss out on the fun experience we had.

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

@trissieetta758 : And others end up doubting God and Jesus (Yeshua)... 🎅

[@garysanders6091]

@@scented-leafpelargonium3366 If they end up doubting God & Jesus its not from learning about Santa.

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

@@garysanders6091 Okay then they believe in Santa then don't then doubt God and Yeshua separately from learning and unlearning about Santa. Christians always have to be so right. I forgot about that. Who cares what anybody believes, they can still be pretty horrible people. 🙃

[@garysanders6091]

@@scented-leafpelargonium3366 Of course they can be horrible people. They're people. If you knew anything about Christianity, one of the most base aspects is understanding that ALL people are sinners & flawed - Christians should understand that, but if you met some that didn't thats just more evidence that all are flawed.

[@reluctantapologist]

8:17 "oh yeah don't forget it's about Jesus! Mission accomplished! Now let's get back to our secular holiday." 🤣🤣🤣

[@Rosebud4u1]

Bingo! 😉

[@shadesofgod6901]

Good teaching. ❤

[@somethinggood9267]

It was good to add this to my knowledge about Santa. This year when I celebrated Christmas, I threw away the Santa Claus decoration I had. I just didn't feel like I needed it or want it anymore.

[@ysobel14517]

I've known all about the "origin" of Santa ever since I saw the Rankin/Bass holiday television specials when I was a kid. Rudolph is still my favorite. 🥰

[@Eben_Haezer]

Brother Mike , when are you going to introduce your family to us. I'd love to meet them even through the online. You have a blessed ministry .God bless you

[@enhancedcalm]

The trust broken between kids and parents when they find out they've been lied to their whole lives. What an evil tradition.

[@TGuard00014]

I think that is very dependent on your relationship in other areas. My parents did the whole Santa thing and although when I discovered the truth I was somewhat aghast that all the adults in my world were lying to me it never concerned me that my parents were part of the lie. It just wasn’t a big deal for me or my sister. Honestly the lie that really upset me was when I found out how my first cat died like twelve years later. But even that wasn’t a big betrayal, I was just miffed for a bit. Now it’s somewhat of a morbid family joke.

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

@@TGuard00014 And the book of Revelation states where ALL LIARS will end up... 🔥

[@andrewtemplin8715]

Can I have the source you referenced for the information about Christ child from Martin Luther?

[@tyreebrownart]

Wow, this was an interesting video. I learned a lot. Thank you

[@CrosswayVineyard]

Some great points made here.

[@AtarahDerek]

Coal was never intended to be a punishment. The idea was that even children who are too naughty to deserve special treats still deserve to have their most basic needs met. I see the spirit of St. Nicholas as an inherited spirit that anyone can choose to take on. It is a spirit of generosity and courage. Anyone can be a Santa Claus. When kids are old enough, they can learn how to become Santa at Christmas themselves.

[@JohnDoe-wt9ek]

Did not Christ have that same considerable Spirit, so much so to the point of Death?

[@jellyfish0311]

@@JohnDoe-wt9ek yeah, the bishop of Myra was just trying to follow his teachings faithfully.

[@777oz]

Who is "Old Nick"?

[@Hdhskayxucbs]

Trulyy AMEN!🥹🙌🥹🙌🙌🤗🙌✝️✝️❤

[@jwolpert1310]

The best part of St. Nicholas is the legend of the slap against Arius.

[@PraetorHesperus]

Yeah what a Christ-like example of how to resolve disputes within the church...

[@toreyhorton1789]

False religion and/or counterfeit Christianity is historically aggressive and violent. You may point to it’s satanic origins.

[@NTon13]

@@PraetorHesperus at least he didn't flip a table or start cracking a whip. That would just be too much!

[@PraetorHesperus]

@@NTon13 I guess I missed the part about turning the other cheek that said it was just to wind up your counter punch, or the addendum that you should leave your offering at the altar to go beat your brother until he agrees with you, because he who has the best right hook is the most theologically sound.

[@Falmosta]

Great video.

[@ellentracey5274]

Hi Mike. 🙏

[@kevinwilliams6831]

Sounds like you are reading through the Southern Equip recent article by one of the professors. Is the recent SBTS article an inspiration for this teaching?

[@MikeWinger]

This teaching is merely a clip from a study I did about 4 years ago. Here’s the original. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5jbe3WYZdGDjrM

[@caribbeanbound8357]

I'm glad we were taught about the myth of Santa and I loved all the movies growing up and today. It was a really fun part of childhood. My kids are old enough now that they don't believe anymore. We explain Santa as the symbolic spirit of christmas for kids. Santa gives gifts. Jesus gave the ultimate gift. But we have always focused on the real reason for Christmas anyhow.

[@AlCapwnd-tb5ow]

Jesus is the same but for adults

[@euanthompson]

I remember watching this when you first did it, but my wife and I got the same ad with 2 very different lines in it this year. Both had the line "sorry you have to share your special day with...." mine finished "Jesus" and hers finished "Santa". It was weird

[@AnHebrewChild]

That IS weird.

[@martin9410]

The Santa (clause) in our society was never a major thing for our family. I grew up in an extremely spiritual household. We knew that not only did the Scriptures never tell us to celebrate a certain day for Christ's birth, but also we had no idea when He was born. My Dad used to say, "We celebrate His birth, life, death and resurrection every day of our lives." So for us, Santa and the celebration at the end of the year was just an enjoyable time for family, friends and good will, not to mention, a few pounds gained. Consequently, we saw Easter pretty much the same way. As a kid, no one ever told me that Santa was even real...we all knew that he was just a mystical figure that we came to like and enjoy. And for me, it's still that way...always enjoy a few good Santa movies. Certainly, we never stand in the way of our fellow believers who see December 25th as more significant. We always practiced Paul's words when he said in Romans 14, "One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind..." I'm one of those "everydayers," that Paul spoke about, but I respect and honor my fellow believers who do see certain days as special unto the Lord. Because in the end, we're for honoring and worshipping God, just in different way. So for us, this Santa thing has always been a moot point. It was never important to us one way or the other. Interesting to look at the history though. Mike alluded to the fact that Saint Nick gave to these 3 daughters of a minor noble, but there are also ancient teachings that he was in the habit of gift gifting...that he always gave gifts to those in need in the secret of the night, not wanting anyone to know his true identity. So this is probably where the gift giving got started...of course like with anything, once the mystical and fantasy came in, the gift giving was expanded into new realms.

[@fabbyespitia711]

Can you load the whole sermon?

[@MikeWinger]

Here you go! kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5jbe3WYZdGDjrM

[@davegink9222]

I, as a Christian, will never tell a parent to teach their children about Santa, or that they should carry on that tradition. Neither will I tell them they shouldn’t. However, there certainly seems to be a lot of Christians who think it’s their duty to tell parents not to; to chastise them, shame them, and demonize them. To accuse them of being “liars to their poor children” for simply indulging in their make-believe childhood fantasies. Or to say they’re celebrating some pagan god. Good grief people. We are talking about little children, who do not have the maturity, knowledge or understanding to grasp biblical concepts. Much less what it means to be saved, or what the birth and death of Christ even means. They live in a make-believe world, where every factitious character is real. And there is nothing wrong with that. It’s actually healthy for them. If these parents want to carry on the Christmas tradition Of Santa coming in the night and leaving gifts for their children, let them, and leave them be! These children will grow out of believing in Santa Claus as the mature; and likewise as they mature and learn discernment, and grow in their ability to figure it out what is truth and what is fiction, they will hopefully use that acquired wisdom to grow in faith. Especially in a Christ-focused home that honors God. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that very few atheists today, are atheist because they believed in Santa Claus as a child. And if they are, then other things have gone very wrong in their lives.

[@Swiftninjatrev]

Curious, could we say that christmas gifts (in particular, not exculding any others) come from God based on James 1:17? On Calvinism I'm pretty sure you could say yes.

[@alans9707]

One of the most contentious times in my marriage was when I told my young son the truth about Santa Claus. My wife acted as if I ruined my sons life. I would rather have the truth than a lie.

[@minnaraitinpaa6834]

It doesn't say anywhere in the Bible that Jesus was born in December. It makes more sense that He was born in the springtime when sacrificial lambs were born in Bethlehem to be taken later to Jerusalem for passover. December 25th and winter solstice have to do with sun worship. Yet I don't think there's any harm in celebrating Jesus on Christmas or any other day for that matter.

[@aw6707]

And at such a dark time of the year it's wonderful to have a worship celebration for the true light of the world that came as a human baby to be our resurrected King. My husband and I decorate, eat cookies, share the gospel, and worship our Savior every December. It's wonderful.

[@daviddavenport9350]

It is interesting to point out though, that despite Luther's aversion to Nicholas and other Saints....that there were and still are important churches in Lutheran countries dedicated to St Nicholas! One of them NikolausKirche iin Leipzig was one of the parishes for which JS Bach wrote and conducted the church music.

[@jrconway3]

I grew up hating any and all depictions of Santa Claus to "hey, its a fun story you can tell your kids about if you want, but don't lie to them; and if you really want to do the best thing try and use Santa to talk about Christ in some way". How it happens with my kids when I have kids will depend on what my wife and I discuss about it, I just refuse to tell my kids lies about Santa. That's where I draw the line.

[@Sawta]

Note: I believe the spelling at 4:24 should read "Christkindel". I think Pastor Winger forgot an 'e' towards the end.

[@jesusislord1285]

I never believed in Santa. My dad believed in being honest with his kids so that they would know the truth and someday believe in The Truth (Jesus Christ). I always felt secure in my Dad and his word, and I am doing the same with my son. And I think we're all better for it. Praise Jesus, now and forever more. Forget Santa. Speak the truth to one another, as scripture says.

[@ilanabailey9402]

I really enjoyed this clip. 🤣

[@potapotapotapotapotapota]

I think the other thing you didn't touch in is that St Nicholas was the one was started the practice of giving gifts on Christmas, because he wanted to advertise, celebrate and share the gift of Christ.

[@castletokingdom]

Any suggestions for families who started the Santa thing before becoming Christians? We can't rewind time and we do make Santa a much less prominent figure than we used to, (with Jesus ALWAYS taking center stage,) but still...

[@juliemauger6183]

How you approach this depends on their ages, level of understanding, etc

[@Myrridan19]

Be honest with your kids. Tell them the truth, and explain why you went along with the Santa lie in the first place.

[@martin9410]

Just tell them, it’s a fun legend that adds to the joy of the season. Don’t make it a big deal and then they won’t see it as one.

[@tjlyricz4730]

As someone in the faith it should be clear to see that the enemy is always tying to get the world to put everything before or in place Yah. It’s so clear. Think about these companies that are already billionaires, they obviously don’t need more money, it’s all spiritual war fair.

[@JamesSnapp]

The story about Saint NIcholas of Myra slapping or punching Arius is indeed apocryphal. Roger Pearse has done some good research about this.

[@Dearlybeloved2024]

On February 14, 1969, Pope Paul VI removed St. Nicholas (and 92 other saints, including St. George of England) from the calendar of saints….

[@josiahbradley1638]

The Catholic Church has been disintegrating for a century now. The Orthodox Church is growing at a rapid rate.

[@stevenvanvuuren8394]

Can we accept baal too if we make up nice stories ?

[@mrsgregfrank2912]

I learned him and the Easter bunny were just fairy tales when I was 8 at Easter. My kids were about the same age. They still think uncle Bob did a real good HO HOHO! And my Daughter thinks her Dad is a Hero for getting a hold of a Ten speed she would have never asked us for because she new we couldn't afford it but Santa can( It was his 16 yr old nephews repainted)not sure what he gave for it. I now I'm an old lady and maybe being raised up hearing Tails of Paul Bunion and the Blue Ox, The winter of the blue snow and how Thunder is God bowling (maybe it is) nobody told us it was a story as we got older we all figured out that it was just another old time story to make things a little more fun never really seemed that bad! But I guess now days people don't tell tall tails like that. So yes I have a fuzzy stuffed Santa that my great grandson plays with sitting behind my manger scene that also has the 3 Kings and we get together for ham and bread pudding and singing on Christmas Eve we give each other cheap presents and laugh and enjoy as a family. I KNOW GOD LOVES US!! OH YEAH WHEN THUNDER IS REALLY LOUD GOD MADE A STRIKE✝

[@lkae4]

I'm not unhappy that Santa slapped a non-Trinitarian.

[@Repent.Believe.obeyJesus]

That's evil

[@Swiftninjatrev]

I thought God was real before I was a Christian, but when I found out Santa wasn't real, it made me doubt that God was real. I"m not a fan of Santa for that reason, however I still love the stories they're just fun.

[@m_nicolay]

Question for parents who don’t “play” Santa: We aren’t doing Santa in our household, only Jesus. But when we are out in public, adults ask my kids (the oldest is 3) “Are you excited for Santa coming???” How do I respond to the questioning adults? My 3 year old is VERY confused by Santa because we just have never engaged with that.

[@martin9410]

Just like when kids see pretend characters at Disney. They know they’re not real, but still excited to see them.

[@pocaiesc]

In Romania there were 2 Santa Claus' the first was Mos (old man) Nicolae who would put money/candy/small toys, etc in your boots if you cleaned the boots and polished them, then left them out and second was Mos Craciun ( old man Christmas). I bring this up for anyone who would find it interesting :)

[@wesplybon9510]

This is interesting because just last night I heard for the first time that Kris Kringle was based on the German for Christ Child. The radio personality butchered the German (honestly can't remember what he said) but I was like, shouldn't that be closer to Christkinder or something like that? Nice to know I wasn't far off :D Makes me feel bad for Luther and Christkindl...

[@garysanders6091]

Its so frustrating to fight for Christmas against secular people.. To turn around and see Christians also fighting against Christmas.

[@hismercysavessallysue5927]

Agreed! I was saved in 2016, and have obviously been in a continual process of sanctification ever since...which I think is for life. I've not been convicted to stop participating in Christmas, but I am being convicted of pitching all my Santa figurines, for the same reason you mention. I do have beautiful Jesus stuff out too, but Santa is a deceit from the enemy to take the focus off Jesus.

[@DiggitySlice]

Nah, if someone has santa decor it's not a big deal, they just need to have Jesus still as the focus. Don't condemn other Christians because they celebrate different than you, to paraphrase yourself.

[@justpeachy2809]

I agree completely. We are on the same journey.

[@hismercysavessallysue5927]

@@justpeachy2809 Crazy how many things appear fine on the surface, but then God gives deeper revelation and shines a light on it, and everything changes...lol

[@hismercysavessallysue5927]

@@DiggitySlice I didn't condemn other Christians. I'm talking about ME and what God convicts ME to do :) I now see Santa as a deceit from the enemy to take the focus off Jesus, but I could care less if others want their home littered with Santa...lol We are ALL in the sanctification process at different stages.

[@Taterstiltskin]

also saved in 2016, and at one time early on I felt like I was convicted about eating bacon, but I've since learned what that my only conviction back then was don't do something you aren't sure is sin or not, because it's sin if you do it anyway (even if it isn't actually a sin.) Romans 14. that being said, I have no santas in the house lol just don't care for it, but there is a frosty the snowman welcome sign by the door. as for Jesus AND Romans 14, I don't have any Jesus figurines or pictures in the house either (beyond a black and white silhouette of a nativity scene where you only see the manger not Who is in it), because I'm not sure that depictions of God aren't a 2cv (2nd commandment violation.) it sure seems like it, and since I'm close to considering myself reformed (haven't finished studying the lbcf 1689 yet) afaik all reformed consider it a 2cv as well.

[@debora1730]

In europe (at least where i am from), we have a dedicated holiday on the 6. of december for st. nickolaus. There are also some pagan practices mixed into the celebration but most kids put their shous autside and get a present and traditionally those presents where gifetd in a potatousack kind of thing. Children also learn about the story of st. Nickolaus in Kindergarden or primary shool On Christmas it was more commen to tell Children that the "Christkind" (Christchild) brought the presents which is an angel like figure with golden locks, It just flies ig, but has been more and more repalced by the santa claus story

[@thejeffhowe]

Without the Advent, without Christ, Christmas is a silly, pointless holiday. Even the secular Christmas music is meaningless.

[@ethanmoon3925]

People don't try to convince their children Frosty is real, or Clifford, or anything else. Santa's just a fun character to tell stories about with a moral about giving.

[@juliemauger6183]

But the moral of the story is that Santa gives them presents if they've been good. Sure it's about giving for us oldies, but for the kids it's all about what they're going to get. Not what they're going to give.

[@ethanmoon3925]

@@juliemauger6183 Well, that undercuts the message of generosity. If you want the version of Santa that's always watching so you better watch out, then he's taking over the parents' responsibility of discipline. Not to mention the omniscience of God. Giving gifts of familial affection and Christian charity would be the tradition of Saint Nicholas, but the behavior police Santa seems out of place.

[@JohnDoe-wt9ek]

Putting out physical evidence of his arrival is rather convincing of an attempt to convince children he exists... From presents under the tree to eating the cookies and drinking the milk put out to "prove" he arrived. Lets not blatantly lie about the proving aspect.

[@garysanders6091]

@@juliemauger6183 I recommend teaching your child to give during Christmas. Have them make crafts for family members. Its supposed to inspire children to give. Even having your children make cookies & milk is supposed to be a way they can give to Santa.

[@matthew8054]

I remember as a kid looking at the night sky and thinking that Santa was just like God. Sure he's fiction, but he's a false god which distracts children from the real God.

[@andrewk.7498]

My parents never told me Santa or Tooth fairy were real. The more I participated in the GAME the more I got rewarded. It was never something I believed was real.

[@SojournerDidimus]

I'm Dutch and in favor of Sinterklaas, specifically to avoid Santa Claus from overshadowing Christus Kind.

[@TGuard00014]

We don’t participate in the entire Santa game but I think it’s fun to get stories from the various “versions” of Santa including stories about Saint Nicholas. A coworker who had Dutch heritage introduced me to Sinterklaas, he’s an interesting addition to our little collection.

[@SojournerDidimus]

@@TGuard00014 I see I omitted an important detail: Sinterklaas is celebrated on fifth of December, distant enough from Christmas to not be conflated with it.

[@TGuard00014]

@@SojournerDidimus A bunch of the Dutch descendants where I live literally just replaced Santa Clause with Sinterklaas which is an absolutely classic American move. Take what we want and make it ours. 😂

[@gracemcdonald5244]

One thing I've always appreciated about my parents is that they were always very clear with us that Santa Claus was not real. They told us from a very early age that Santa Claus was anyone who chose to do good anonymously at Christmas Time. There would be "Santa Claus" stories and they fostered experiences of "Christmas wonder" but we were always taught both the meaning of the season, and the value and joy of providing anonymous charity.

[@6sand743]

Sinterklaas in The Netherlands has got nothing to do with Christmas, it’s his birthday celebration on december 5th.

[@andrewk.7498]

Also I grew up in the Bible belt. The santas tended to stand by nativities and hand out tracts as much as candy or gifts

[@XeenMusic]

Awful.

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

@andrewk7498 : Well the god of this world rules in power as well as the God of the Universe...! 🙃

[@bella-bee]

I’m so sad that I have not heard AnyThing about Jesus on the tv or in the media this Christmas. Only at church,

[@remsma3412]

In Germany, where I'm from, Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas are two different people (though pictured similarly). Kids clean their shoes on December 5th and put them near the door, then the next morning they have candy, fruit or small toys in their shoes that Saint Nicholas brought them during the night. And in some parts of Germany, Santa Claus isn't even really a thing. You get Saint Nicholas bringing treats on Dec. 6th and then on Christmas, the Christkindl brings the gifts.

[@TGuard00014]

The American centric nature of this conversation always amuses me.😊

[@jessb9514]

@@TGuard00014 well, he's an American speaking to a church full of Americans, and we're just listening in, so naturally he's going to primarily address American traditions because that's what applies to his primary audience there at his church.

[@TGuard00014]

@@jessb9514 My point is more that this is clearly an American issue and not actually a church issue because the church is much larger than the American church. Plus I’m not speaking about Mike. I am speaking primarily of people in the comments section who assume that American tradition = Christian tradition or that by not doing Santa Clause you are somehow depriving your children when most Christians and for that matter most people in the world don’t participate in Santa Clause. Most Americans assume that the entire world celebrates Christmas with Santa as we know him and they miss the fact that Santa is very much a hodgepodge Americanized character. I think most American Christians need exposure to Christians from other areas of the world to understand that the way American churches do things isn’t necessarily the way everyone does things. I am an American and I find the America-centric viewpoint of many Americans quite irritating.

[@dennis9423]

All of our Christmas gifts to our boys growing up were from Dad and Mom, given in love. I wasn't going to share all my hard work's money and not get credit for it! I am selfish that way. So, I made sure we got the hugs and gratitude we bestowed on our boys, not some creepy intruder snooping around our home in the middle of the night. No. Dad and Mom gave them the Nintendo sets, Dad and Mom gave them the bicycles, and Dad and Mom gave them the BB guns to protect Dad and Mom from creepy intruders entering our home. They knew Santa was a joke their whole lives and grew up just fine. Guess what? They are raising their boys and girls with the same philosophy. They love their children and they show it with the gifts they give them. Their kids are happy because they know who loves them. And, two of the boys have their BB guns to prove it. Why anyone would want to give away their credit for a parents love to a mythical character is beyond me.

[@sorenpx]

Santa is cool in my book. I grew up believing in him and had a lot of fun doing so. My parents told me that he was St. Nick and that God gave him his powers, so he wasn't really a secular figure to me. Yes, of course it was all nonsense in the end, which I figured out by the age of seven. But it was fun nonsense that added some magic to the Christmas season and I think it's unfortunate that some children miss out on that.

[@idance0001]

I'm Dutch and we celebrate sinterklaas (saint nicholas) on the 5th of december. That also brings his own problems with racisms, because we don't have elfs but black Piets. Also dressed in red and white. So christmas was just about the bird of Christ because we celebrated Sinterklaas a few weeks earlier. So going to church, being together and having a 'gezellig' chirstmas dinner was my childhood, without Santa Claus. It was about the wonder that Jesus our savior came to earth. But with less people going to church and the influence of Christmas films about Santa Claus our culture changes. My family doesn't go to church anymore (I'm te only one who wants to go). Through American influences santa claus becomes a bigger deal then Jesus. I don't blame Americans for that ofcourse, but people in my country doesn't seem to need Jesus anymore. So keep telling your children the story of Christ and keep praying.

[@telleroftheone]

This is a pretty good example of how the word "myth" is a wholly misunderstood word and concept in the common vernacular, even Mike's use of it.

[@liv.H5174]

I understand people's hesitation with Santa, and certainly not everyone has a good experience. But unfortunately I hesitate the opposite direction. Partially because the few people I knew who were against Santa generally spent the winter in a foul mood with no celebration, no tree, carols, or presents for the children, and these guys claimed they were Christian. But more so, I think Santa teaches kids a very important lesson. We live in a culture where the line's between reality and fantasy are either locked away as materialism or are completely blurred as subjectivity. We need things that make us question our belief and ask what's real. A kid could very well lose faith when told Santa doesn't exist but God does, and just the same for a kid being told to believe in God when his parents always said that Santa was fake. But it's okay and even good to use your imagination and to think that there is something greater out there that you can't really see, but one day when you get older you learn there is a very big distinction between that fantasy and reality. At least that's what I learned when I grew up, not to mention the true story of Saint Nicolas' generosity and stories like a Christmas Carol blend into that void between Santa and no Santa. You should never put Santa before Jesus, my parents certainly made that clear. But that only made me like Santa more as I grew up, not hate him. Because he became a symbol of how we should all be during the holidays, jolly, generous, and Christian. I'll never regret believing in Santa, and I'll certainly never regret growing and learning the truth, which I learned is better than even a flying sleigh and magic elves. Our faith has no magic, yet with the tale of a king born as a humble man in a barn to sacrifice himself and turn back the hand of death, there could be no greater fairy tale conceived.

[@martin9410]

Well said, don't let the legalist upset your standing or opinion. Many like to turn fictional stories into doctrinal tribunals.

[@martin9410]

@Johnny comes back to parenting.

[@ConnorTerrell]

Giving my perspective as a Santa Claus, I always link my portrayal to Saint Nicholas (mainly to make myself older!), but I leave it ambiguous as to whether or not My Santa "is" Saint Nicholas. Whenever I can as Santa, I point to Jesus Christ as the reason for the season.

[@Repent.Believe.obeyJesus]

He's an idol ,

[@ConnorTerrell]

@@Repent.Believe.obeyJesus Several Christian Santa Claus ambassadors would disagree.

[@martin9410]

That’s great. Don’t listen to all the Santa distracting comments. You’re doing a great job.

[@martin9410]

@@Repent.Believe.obeyJesus No, he's not an idol unless someone makes him one. He is a fictional children's character.

[@Repent.Believe.obeyJesus]

@@martin9410 western Christianity teaches that nothing is sin anymore, I pray you repent from defending Santa Claus and consider the conscience of your fellow believers

[@DrVarner]

My family has been Santa free since we had our first child, 11 years ago. We read the the Bible, lots of O.T. and then we get to the birth of Jesus and they love it. We have so much anticipation leading up to Christmas and none of it is about getting gifts. Glory to God, we have been successful in centering in Christ.

[@Rampant_Colt]

My uncle used to dress up as santa and visit us kids. I hugged santa and said "i love you". Patronizing him cuz he gives cool toys to 'good' kids. I remember thinking it was odd he came thru the front door and not down the chimney. I was bamboozled. We used to argue about which santa was the real one.

[@thytruth813]

Love you Mike Winger, as a brother. Your work is incredible and God is using you and working through you. However, I think you are completely wrong on the issue concerning the 25th Dec. We cannot simply ignore the pagan traditions/links it has. I see a lot of your content recently has been about substantiating your position in regards to celebrating. The concept of satan has troublesome roots also. I don't think we can 'own' something that has such alarming ties to paganism. With such a large following I think you should do more in warning against the jab. Not saying it is the mark, but it is from the enemy for sure. Keep up your incredible, insightful work brother. Big love.

[@juliemauger6183]

We don't absolutely know the jab is from the evil one. Each side has evidence and "experts" to prove they're right. What is troubling is the way it has divided Christians. Pastor Mike deals with facts and is careful to reference everything he says. I don't think there's rock solid evidence either for or against it

[@supersarahmarah]

Saturnalia is December 17-23 , pagan solstice December 21 Also, that is jusr days in the calendar. What is the occasion you celebrate? That’s the important issue.

[@martin9410]

Here we go again..,

[@theeternalsbeliever1779]

@@supersarahmarah The important issue should be how _God_ views it and not how you want to view it. And _He_ says in Deut. 12 that not only He will _not_ accept false worship being done in His name, He specifically called it revolting.

[@supersarahmarah]

@@theeternalsbeliever1779 so the date is the issue?

[@basedghostcoasttocoast]

Why does Pastor Mike say "myths" like "mythz"?

[@Andreamom001]

At my house, Christmas is about Jesus, gifts come from real people, and Santa is a fun pretend person who fills the stockings. Santa is there so we can have the fun of leaving out cookies and carrots and pretending we hear reindeer. It also gives kids something to open Christmas morning to keep them busy until the rest of the house wakes up and is ready for presents or if people decide to open presents the night before. I never tried to convince my kids Santa wad real. It was always fun pretend.

[@castletokingdom]

Santa does our stockings too. All the better gifts come from family, and we try to drive home that Jesus is the best gift. We started Santa before we became Christians and I was worried, so your comment was reassuring. Thank you.

[@Repent.Believe.obeyJesus]

Lying is evil , santa Claus has nothing to do with a holy day dedicated to Jesus , in order to follow Jesus you must flee from idols and be seperat from the world

[@martin9410]

@@Repent.Believe.obeyJesus how is he lying? did you read his comment or just quickly introduce your bias into the answer? He said, his kids knew Santa was just pretend. And how is it a holy day? There was no celebration for such a day for the first 200-300 years in the early church. The Catholic Church finally made it into law in the fifth century that Christmas had to be celebrated as a Christian festival. in the Bible, neither Jesus nor the Apostles introduced such an idea. We don't even know the exact date of His birth. I think one of the reasons that God never told us to honor such a day is because we celebrate His birth, life, death and resurrection every day of our lives and also when partaking of the Lord's Supper. It may be that Christmas has become an idol itself!

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

@@martin9410 Yeshua, later re-named "Jesus" by the Gentiles, never instructed anyone to venerate His birth or even His resurrection on special annual 'holy' days, but only instructed His followers to remember His sacrificial atoning DEATH which occurred on the Biblical date of Nisan 14th, which is the "MOED" or "Appointed Time" of Passover, now replaced by the Roman "Easter." You are correct in your assertions, but traditions are cherished by the masses... 🙃

[@Warfeist]

Topo Gigio?

[@RachelASmith1990]

Basically, when my daughter asks about Santa Claus, I say that St. Nicholas was a real person who lived a long time ago. I didn't really have religious reasons for not making Santa part of our Christmas tradition. I just thought it would be awkward to try to answer questions about how Santa travels around the world in one night and how he sees all the kids.

[@aaronvienot]

As a result of this video, I now wonder what native German speakers think when somebody refers to reading books on their Kindle. Or packing it in their carry-on luggage.

[@alejandroangel998]

After I finished watching the video a Coca Cola ad kicked in.

[@Bojo187]

Santa's teaching; He's making a list He's checking it twice He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice Santa Claus is coming to town. be good get presents, be bad get coal. Christian theology? Uhm no ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the Gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. Go ahead lie and teach your Children all about Santa, it only takes away from the Glory of Christ and places it on a fat man in a suit

[@martin9410]

The fictional story of Santa was never meant to be a comparison to the Gospel. Where has commonsense gone.

[@Matthew_85k]

I'm not defending teaching kids about Santa but I'm pretty sure God still wants you to be nice. Lets not use grace as an excuse to act however we want. See, the Bible also teaches God disciplines ungodliness. Hebrews 12:5-8 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.