Is Santa Claus Real?

“There is a gift waiting for you that is greater than any physical thing you could wish for.”

It happened every year. I would wake up Christmas morning and discover many gifts, all beautifully wrapped, spilling out everywhere from under the Christmas tree. What amazed me, is they were not there when I went to bed on Christmas Eve. Somehow, someway they appeared overnight, and many were labelled “From Santa” while others were from dad and mom, and my brother and sisters. (Image by Isabel Perello from Pixabay)

As time passed, I began to wonder like millions of other kids, “Is Santa Claus real?” In my attempt to find this out, I plotted in how to slip out of my bedroom late on Christmas Eve and hid behind a couch, where the Christmas tree was in my line of sight. However, the plan did not go so well. For as time went by, the weight of my eyelids gave way, and I missed out on discovering the answer to the mystery.

What prompted me to wonder about Santa in the first place? The gifts. If there were never any gifts under the tree, I would not have asked my question, so why do we give and receive gifts at Christmas?

For that we go back to the late 200s. That was when Nicholas of Myra was born. He was a Christian minister, and when he was young, he became widely known for his legendary generosity in giving gifts to the poor and needy. Consequently, sometime after his death, he eventually became known as St. Nicholas. Then centuries later he became known as Santa Claus.

Why did Nicholas give to others? No doubt as a Christian minister he was impacted by the life and teachings of Jesus, who lived just a couple hundred years earlier. It is written about Jesus, “[He] went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.” (Matthew 9:35-36) Jesus healed the sick, spoke good news to all, fed the hungry, loved the children, and did much good wherever He went. As Jesus selflessly gave to others, so did Nicholas, and so should we.

Why do we give gifts at Christmas? Because of Jesus. For He became the greatest gift to all mankind through His miraculous birth on the first Christmas Day. He was the supreme gift for every man and woman, and boy and girl. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…”

Every Christmas tree ought to have under it a manger and a cross. For it was a gift when Jesus came from heaven to earth, born as a baby in a manger. When Almighty God took the form of an infant to save us, what an incredible gift!

And when the Son of God gave Himself to humbly die on a cross for the sins of the world, what a priceless gift! This is the true meaning of Christmas. There would be no Christmas without Jesus. There would be no Nicholas of Myra without Jesus. There would be no Santa Claus without Jesus. For Christ is the beginning, middle and end of it all.

There is a gift waiting for you that is greater than any physical thing you could wish for. It is something that cannot be bought, wrapped, or put under a tree. It is the gift of freedom. Freedom from the shackles of sin, along with its guilt and shame. And this gift comes with the promise of a new life and the hope of an eternal home. However, there is a high price to pay for this merciful and gracious gift. It will cost you your very life. To receive it you must yield all that you are fully to Christ and come under His Lordship. That is a high price, but it is worth it! And what if you refuse heaven’s offer? That will cost you too. For one day you will have to stand before Christ the King to answer for your decision.

A prayer for you – Lord God, when you sent your only Son from heaven to earth, to die and rise again on a cross, you gave the world the greatest gift. Thank you, O Lord! Bring many today to receive this gift by faith and be changed by your holy power. In Jesus’ name. Amen.