Days of December: List

You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He's making a list and checking it twice
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is comin' to town

These words are so familiar this time of year aren't they?

I grew up NOT believing in Santa, my mom did...and when she found out that he wasn't real, she wondered what else her mom had lied to her about.   Ergo.. .no Santa.  

Therefore as I grew up I didn't understand the fervour of "needing to be good" at Christmas time.  The wanting to make sure that you only had good things on the list that some Santa figure was writing down.

I remember, as a teen, a little girl crying because she just knew that Santa had caught her being bad and had written it on his list.  She was SO frightened about this.

This list.

So I wonder.... is it really helping children to teach them about Santa.  To teach them about a fat, jolly man who watches them ALL THE TIME so he can decide if they are good enough to get presents.

Wouldn't it be better to teach them about Christ, and about God's immense love for them.   That he even sent his son to cover all the naughtiness that we can get into.  How all we have to do is accept that love.   Love rather than fear....  

Just makes me wonder...