Santa and the Bunny

Message / Question

Why do Christians care so much about their kids rights to sit on Santa Claus, or to get free chocolates from the Easter bunny, when neither have anything to do with Jesus? Don't you think there are good reasons outside of religion, e.g. not good to trust strangers, and not good for your teeth??

Response

The Santa Clause/Easter Bunny debate is something that has divided opinion for a long time. Some argue that a little fantasy is good for children, some argue that teaching kids the Easter Bunny or Santa are real involves lying to your kids and should therefore be avoided. It is true that neither have anything to do with Jesus, but neither does eating pizza or watching TV. To teach kids the truth about Santa and the Easter bunny doesn’t prevent the giving of Easter eggs or Christmas gifts. It comes down to a matter of opinion on the part of the parents. Certainly the other issues of “stranger danger” and oral health should be taught to children, but so should moderation in all things – so a bit of chocolate (or whatever) is not necessarily bad in itself.... it’s all to do with parental discretion.