Not So Famous…

Potential Spoilers Ahead Concerning Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, and Maybe Even The Tooth Fairy…be forewarned.

I find it interesting that people, who on a regular basis don’t bother with the Lord Jesus Christ, suddenly shift into being radical Christians when it comes to the “reason for the season”. I don’t have a problem with it, necessarily.  It doesn’t actually affect me when people attempt to “put the Christ back in Christmas”.  In my mind, He never really left it, despite what many liberals seem to desire.  Ultimately, Christ will not be defeated by liberals.  That’s not why I wrote, though.

I’ve been thinking a lot about whether or not Christians ought to celebrate Christmas, and more to the point what aspects of Christmas we should celebrate.  My mental meanderings have a point, in that I am wondering what we should emphasize and tell my son as he grows up. What do we want to teach him, and should cultural icons be an emphasis? I have to admit that among all the things I considered teaching my children, whether or not to emphasize or ignore Santa Claus never really entered my mind.

To begin, we all know that Jesus of Nazareth was most likely NOT born on December 25th, right? I’ve heard many theories as to why this date was chosen for Christmas, from pagan goddess worship, to a feast for Bacchus (the Roman god of wine and intoxication), to a sun-worship festival, etc.  Of course, December 25th is very near the Winter Solstice (which was today in the Northern Hemisphere, by the way), and the winter solstice certainly would have been a commonly celebrated festival time in pagan areas.  Whichever event you favor, it’s likely a more plausible reason for the choice of December 25th to remember the birth of Christ than the actual birth of Christ.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell people that it was extremely common in the early church for missionaries to appropriate pagan festivals in order to begin where the people celebrated to teach the Gospel.  Many early church fathers felt that the celebration of the Christ Mass on December 25th was adulterating the church, and should not be so. The question should be asked, however, does it matter what day Christ was actually born?

My short answer is “no”. The need for Christ to come is demonstrated by our sin, and His birth was certainly necessary.  Commemorating the incarnation of Christ with a celebration is certainly not out of line, and can be used to teach our children many things about Christ and our need for Him.  However, the coming of Christ is often celebrated more assiduously than the day commemorating His death and resurrection (today called Easter), which certainly seems to me to be a little backwards.  Christ was born, sure.  But it is not His coming that frees His people from the bondage of sin.  It is His active obedience and resurrection that saves His people from their sins.  But I digress…

What about the cultural decorations and trappings?  Santa Claus?  The Christmas Tree? Gifts? One can spiritualize it all, to be sure.  I see nothing wrong with putting up a pretty tree and decorating it with colorful ornaments and lights.  God is the Father of Lights, and every good and perfect gift comes from Him, we are told in the Scriptures.  Salvation is certainly a free gift to any who would trust in Christ, and while our gifts pale in comparison to what our Savior paid for what He freely gives His people, we can use the gifts we give to point to Christ.  The Gospel never fades…never loses its luster or relevance.  Mankind is always in need of salvation.  The Good News is…dare I say it…evergreen, is it not?  One can spiritualize anything, if one looks hard enough, as I said.

What about Santa Claus?  My thinking on this might change someday, but I think Santa Claus is one tradition that we will not be passing on to Iain. A harmless story, a fable, a pain-free deception…harming no one?  Well, it is a deception, for one.  I don’t really see a point.  Everyone eventually learns that Santa Claus is not real.  (I did warn against spoilers above.)  What is the point of deception?  Fun?  I’m all for fun, but I would like to teach my son gratitude and appreciation for the gifts he’s been given by family and friends.  I would like that appreciation and gratitude to be directed accurately.  The more I think about it, the whole folklore surrounding Santa Claus (he sees you when you’re sleeping…he knows when you’re awake…he knows if you’ve been bad or good) is ascribing qualities to something not God which only belong to God.  Essentially, we’re creating an idol, and venerating it for its omniscient and omnipresent powers.  Now…adults don’t believe in Santa, but what are we doing to our kids?  Are they more interested in getting to know Jesus, or more interested in their letter to Santa Claus?  Are they more interested in pleasing the God of their Creation or in being good so Santa doesn’t bring them a lump of coal?

Another teachable thought is the fact that Nicholas of Myra (known as Saint Nicholas) was a real Bishop in the Church, who apparently participated in the Nicene Council of the Church (and even more interestingly got into a scuffle with a fellow Bishop who wanted to deny the deity of Christ at said council), and who had a penchant for gift-giving.  Looking at the examples of godly men who have gone before is definitely a worthwhile pursuit, and to my thinking infinitely preferable to raising a godly man on a pedestal, giving him attributes which belong to God alone.

What about Iain ruining other kids’ fun?  Well, I plan to teach Iain that people enjoy believing in Santa Claus as a game, but that he’s to respect others and not attempt to spoil their fun. (At least, provide spoilers for them, as this author has done.)  ;)

I’m not really interested in arguing whether or not I believe a fairy tale as ephemeral as Santa, himself, in the person of Jesus Christ.  I’ve had that discussion time and time again.  If that’s your only purpose in commenting on this post, save it.  Go name-call somewhere else.  Accept that you just wasted however much time reading this post, and say “that’s X minutes of my life I’ll never get back.” If, however, you’re interested in discussing whether I’m overreacting as a parent or potentially damaging my son, that is an interesting discussion. I just can’t see how it’s not a lie, how it’s not disrespectful of Christ and His sacrifice, of God and His attributes, and of my son.  Harmless fun, I’m down for.  The enjoyments of the simple things the Lord has graciously gifted us, I’m a fan of. Teaching my son of the love and sacrifice of Christ, I am looking forward to. In the end, however, I just don’t see the loss of Santa Claus in our house as…well…a loss.

(Not that I feel I need this disclaimer, but I might as well throw it up there.  I am not looking down upon, criticizing, or otherwise frowning upon parents who do the whole Santa Claus thing.  Up until recently, I figured I’d do the same, and only recent, careful reflection and discussions with godly men has convinced me that my energies might be better spent elsewhere in raising MY child.  I capitalize “MY” there, because I am not attempting to convince everyone that they should do the same.  This post is something I’ve been wanting to write to provoke thought.  If you read it, and you decide that you plan to or will continue to do the whole Santa thing, I can say nothing about it.  So don’t be offended at this post, thinking that I’m commenting on anyone else’s job as a parent.  My parents did the whole Santa thing, and I am not the worse for it.  I have a different focus than they did, and that’s really all there is to it.)

It’s possible that he has already passed.  I saw him this Thanksgiving, and he had his ever-present smile on his face when he saw me, though he was already not doing terribly well. Dick was a gracious and kind man, and the world is poorer without him in it.  As always those who remain on this earth have things left unsaid.  This is what I wish I would have said to Dick when I saw him that Friday night.

Dick, that summer I worked with you at Christian Berets was a very pivotal summer in my life.  It was that summer that I met my wife, and you were always very gracious to the both of us.  I don’t think I ever told you this, but the things you said to me that summer in the many conversations we had helped shape the early years of our relationship, and both of us will always think very fondly of you.  I am a better husband and father having received your words of wisdom, and your experience applied to the future. Thank you for your kindness and wisdom, and you will be missed.

Lord, please receive this man who served you faithfully for so many years through many pains and trials. I thank you for your saving work in Dick’s life as evidenced by the many fruits that were continually evident in him.  The grace, kindness, and wisdom that he displayed was your work in his life, and through this your people have been blessed, and you have been glorified. His love for the unlovely showed many of us what is required when we aspire to your Son’s example, and his effect on the lives of many of your servants cannot be overstated.  I thank you for the contact that I had with him, and ask that you be with those who remain on this earth after he passes.  May you comfort them in this time of loss, and help us to be there for them as much as possible.

PayPal locked my account.  All because I had the audacity to try BUYING SOMETHING WITH IT!!!  Oh heavens to Betsy.

Yeah, that’s right.  I committed the cardinal PayPal sin of buying something with my PayPal account, and for this grievous offense, they locked my account.  I was at the seller’s site, they forwarded me to PayPal to complete the transaction, I logged in using my user name and password and BOOM!  Account Locked.  PayPal follows this awesome occurrence up with an e-mail indicating that they had reason to believe that a third party attempted to access my account.  But don’t worry, using their Resolution Center, I can fix it!!!  Ok, let’s try that.

Step 1: Confirm your entire credit card number. – Ok, this sounds a little like a scam, but I know I typed PayPal.com into my browser correctly.  So I confirm it.

Step 2: Change your password: Fine, whatever.  Anything to get my account unlocked.  Password changed.

Step 3: Give us your home number.  We’ll call you and ask you for the code we just gave you. – Uh, I’m not AT home.  Cell number?  Nope, PayPal is wise to the ways of cell.  They deny me.  Fine.  I call Kim and let her know that PayPal is calling.  PayPal calls, I have Kim enter the number, aaaaand….”You failed phone confirmation.”  What?  Okaaaaay…What now, PayPal?

Unnecessary Step 1 (For those counting, this is Step 4, but now I’m annoyed): We will send you a letter with a code to your address.  You should get it in 5-7 days.  Then come to the website, and we’ll make you enter the code in the letter, and who knows what else.

5-7 DAYS?  Why, PayPal?  All because I bought something???  Well, your punishment for this offense has convinced me of the silliness of my decision.  I shall not make this mistake again.  My steps are on the straight and narrow now.   (What follows is an actual anthropomorphic conversation I had with PayPal using their website and attempting to get my item bought.  Yes, I tried all of the following with PayPal.)

In fact, can you please cancel my account?

“No, you may not close your account because you have limited access to your account.”

So…I can’t cancel it, thereby avoiding any unauthorized charges from a third party?

“No, you may not.”

So someone can still make charges to my account?

“No, you cannot make a payment using PayPal, either.”

Really?  Well, can I use my credit card to make the payment outside of PayPal…NOT using my limited account?

“No, that is forbidden.”

Why?

“I cannot say, except to tell you it is forbidden.”

Well, can I remove my credit card from my PayPal account so I can use it like a normal credit card?

“No, that also is forbidden.”

So, what CAN I do with my useless PayPal account?

“You may receive money with your PayPal account.”

GREAT!  So if the vendor wants to pay ME to purchase the item instead, we are freaking SET!  How helpful, PayPal!  Thank you!

“You are welcome, and thank you for using (or not) PayPal.”

So, yes, I am currently actually UNABLE to purchase the item I wanted to purchase, because the only method of payment whose terms are acceptable to me that the vendor offers is PayPal.  (Using a Credit Card, etc. sets me up with recurring monthly payments, which I do not want.)  Way to go PayPal.

Morons.