People love to celebrate! As noted in a recent article, on any given day, some “special” thing is being recognized, remembered, or celebrated. This is true throughout the year, but it is most clearly felt throughout what we know as “the Holiday Season.” In the span of approximately six weeks, we will celebrate three of what I would consider the Big Six American holidays. In the midst of these major holidays are sprinkled in a few lesser known celebrations that often pass without our notice. One such day is Santa’s List Day.
Until a few short hours ago, I had no idea that such a day existed. According to nationaltoday.com, Santa’s List Day takes place every year on December 4th. The website notes, “In a world of excessive list-making, this is the list that counts! It’s the day when Santa puts together his list of naughty or nice children. The ones on the nice list receive toys, candy, and other presents on Christmas Eve. The naughty children may find coal in their stockings or not much at all!” It’s certainly not a day that has made my list in the past, but the revelation of this little known day got me to thinking about Santa, his list, and the greatest gift of Christmas.
There is no shortage of opinions concerning the origins of the famous “Naughty and Nice List.” Truly, I have no desire to devolve into that madness today. Nor do I have any desire to engage in the endless arguments of whether it is either naughty or nice to give Santa a place at the Christmas table. The simple fact is we have all heard of the list. Regardless of from whence it came, it was made famous by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie as a result of their classic song from 1934, Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
Santa is a horribly insufficient stand in for Almighty God, and that the Naughty and Nice list does not accurately represent how God views or deals with humanity.
In their song, Mr. Coots and Mr. Gillespie waste no time getting to the point. The second stanza of the first verse states, “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.” The warning is clear throughout the song. Someone is always watching and keeping account. And, whether you’re good or bad, you are going to get what you deserve come Christmas day.
While I refuse to entertain the debates concerning Santa Claus, I will admit that I enjoy the legend and appreciate the gracious and giving spirit it embodies and encourages. I would, however, like to argue that Santa is a horribly insufficient stand in for Almighty God, and that the Naughty and Nice list does not accurately represent how God views or deals with humanity.
If the naughty and nice list were, in fact, the method God used to deal with us, we’d all be out of luck. According to the Bible, both early and often, WE ARE ALL ON THE NAUGHTY LIST. As the Apostle Paul writes, paraphrasing the Psalmists, “There is no one righteous, not even one… All have turned away… there is no one who does good, not even one (Romans 3:1-12, Psalm 14:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3).” A young boy who attends First Baptist Church innocently communicated the truth and difficulty of this dilemma recently when he told his mother, “I really want to be good, but I just can’t.” I think we can all relate with that sentiment. It’s hard to be good sometimes. And, if we’re honest, none of us keeps it nice 100% of the time.
This is why God is insurmountably greater than Santa. The gift of God given at Christmas has nothing to do with how good we have been or can be; nor does it have anything to do with what we have earned. Instead, God’s gift to humanity has everything to do with how good He is, even in the face of our undeniable failure. The good news of Christmas is that God has been good to us in spite of our naughtiness. In Jesus, God made available the perfect gift to meet our greatest need by His grace and goodness.
when we put our trust in the work and person of Jesus, we receive God’s greatest gift. Whether we’ve been naughty or nice has nothing to do with it.
Jesus didn’t come to earth to provide a means for good people to be affirmed in their goodness. Rather, Christ came to bring light to the darkness; Christ came to bring life in the midst of death; Christ came to make way for those who had done wrong to become righteous. John 3:16, what I consider the ultimate Christmas passage, reads, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
This Christmas God offers us the gift of His unfailing love through His perfect Son, Jesus. Receiving this greatest of gifts has nothing to do with the quality of our actions and everything to do with the infinite goodness and mercy of Almighty God. It’s not a gift we earn, rather, it is a gift we humbly receive by faith. This Christmas, may we not get so caught up in the trappings of the season that we miss the truth they are meant to reveal. God has become flesh in the person of His Son Jesus Christ. And, when we put our trust in the work and person of Jesus, we receive God’s greatest gift. Whether we’ve been naughty or nice has nothing to do with it.
