Christian parents should think twice about Father Christmas’ naughty and nice list this Christmas

There’s no escaping it, Christmas is hurtling towards us in the usual seasonal haze of soft-focus lighting and tinsel. I still believe that the best place to celebrate Christmas is in a primary school with over excited kids and a surfeit of glue, glitter and anticipation. However, whether you’re a jaded adult or a child-at-heart, there are multiple preparations to attend to for us all: a tree to decorate, a fridge to stock, carol services to attend and, of course, gifts to purchase.

he’s making a list and checking it twice he’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice…

However you choose to celebrate in your family, the big man in red is sure to feature somewhere, on cards and wrapping paper and, quite possibly, in a giant inflatable presence somewhere down your road. What we choose to tell our children about Father Christmas varies from household to household, and that’s fine, but sooner or later they’re going to hear those well-loved 1934 lyrics: he’s making a list and checking it twice he’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice…

The old favourite tells us that Santa Claus is not just a merry gentleman distributing presents to children willy-nilly, but a discerning chap with a discriminatory list. Shocker! Forget images of sugar plums, it’s images of clipboards dancing in children’s heads that may make the difference between a merry Christmas and a miserable one.

What should we tell our children about that ‘naughty or nice’ list?

How, they may ask, do we not only get on that list but ensure we’re on the right side of the boundary line for whatever’s ‘nice’? What does that even mean? Every English teacher anywhere has been telling pupils for years that, ‘nice is not a nice word’, chivvying us to abandon it or delete it from our creative writing because ‘it doesn’t mean anything.’ It’s a ‘meh’ word with little or no substance but seems pretty crucial in the Father Christmas and present stakes, if the old song is to be believed.

Taking advantage of this subliminal message, The Times and Sunday Times have come up with an interesting festive idea. They asked parents to send in the names of their ‘good’ children which will be printed in the newspaper under the heading Extra Nice List in their Sunday 7th December supplement edition. Nominations were open briefly from 24th November but, if you missed it, you can jump on this particular sleigh again next year. Or not.

Some children are spooked about the idea that Father Christmas has been watching them all through the year

What should we tell our children about that ‘naughty or nice’ list? Some children are spooked about the idea that Father Christmas has been watching them all through the year, making notes on how good they have or haven’t been; the time they pulled their sister’s hair; the moment they chose to break up their siblings’ Lego© model. Have they done enough good deeds to cancel out the bad ones? It does seem rather creepy. It also begs the question of whether this character assessment puts Mr. Christmas on the same level as God? Are we wading unnecessarily into deep theological waters here?

Where, after all, is the line between mischievous and naughty? Between cheeky and rude? Is it even politically correct or morally acceptable to use the terms naughty or nice anymore? Perhaps kind and unkind are better terms?

Read more:

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Christmas traditions are great but don’t let them bankrupt you

Christmas present ideas for children in Christian families

Keeping Christ central is key for Christian families this Christmas and Advent

Before we tie ourselves into unnecessary knots over all this, perhaps it’s time to take a breath and decide how we’re going to include or exclude the gift-giver of the North Pole into our family festivities.

In our house we chose to ensure that the wrapped presents on Christmas Day were clearly labelled from relatives and friends; they were definitely not from Father Christmas. However, we did enjoy Christmas stockings, opened in the early hours, which were ostensibly from old FC. It was a fiction we perpetuated with the expectation that we’d be busted fairly soon. When I was asked outright whether the source of those goodies was parental, I turned it around and asked, ‘What do you think?’ After some thought, my little Sherlock Holmeses put the pieces together and drew the correct conclusion. ‘But’ I countered, ‘it’s good fun anyway, isn’t it?’ So we carried on and Father Christmas was shown to be a delightful seasonal illusion in much the same way as the fairytale characters we enjoyed in stories, and none the worse for that.

Differentiating between God and Father Christmas is especially important in the light of the latter’s threatening list which is sung about so glibly

Differentiating between God and Father Christmas is especially important in the light of the latter’s threatening list which is sung about so glibly. While lovely gifts are clearly connected with good deeds and behaviour, the gifts God gives us are, thankfully, not dependent on how we perform. Christmas is the perfect time to revisit this truth.

As we celebrate Jesus’ birth, we can remind ourselves that he came to die, to conquer the curse of sin, death and hell. His invitation to live life with him at the helm is open to all who accept it – the naughty and the nice. There is no one too wicked to receive salvation; no one too far off to enjoy the vibrant relationship he has planned for us; no one who is beyond the pale. God’s mercy – not getting what I do deserve – and his grace – receiving what I don’t deserve – is unchanging and unchangeable.

Father Christmas may have you down as naughty, but the truth is that we were once all on the equivalent of God’s naughty list

Father Christmas may have you down as naughty, but the truth is that we were once all on the equivalent of God’s naughty list. The Bible is clear that we were all sinners before Jesus redeemed us (Romans 3:23). We’re now on the list of ‘saints who sometimes sin’; new creations who can live in the joy of the abundant life God planned and purposed us for.

So, whether you see The Times and Sunday Times as cashing in with a cynical marketing ploy or simply rolling out a clever and creative copy-selling idea, it probably doesn’t matter that much.

God doesn’t advertise the names of his children in a national newspaper, but a star once declared to the world the arrival of a Saviour who would restore the fractured relationship between God and man. Angels once announced the gospel message to a bunch of dozing shepherds in a performance spectacular – a musical light show on an ancient field outside Bethlehem. Having our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21:27) is far greater reason for rejoicing this Christmas than ever seeing them in newsprint.