Why ‘No Santa’ Works for Our Christian Home

Why Our Family Chooses a Santa-Free Christmas

”Is Santa coming soon?” “What’s Santa bringing you for Christmas?” “Have you told Santa what you want?” “Are you excited for Santa to come?” “Are you being good for Santa?”

Every year, as the Christmas season arrives, the world around us erupts into bright red suits, opportunities to visit Santa and sit on his knee, Santa hats, and endless reminders to “be good for Santa.” For many families, that’s part of the fun - and I understand that. But for us, as Christians, we’ve chosen a different path. We don’t do Santa. And it’s not because we’re trying to be contrarian or joyless. In fact, it’s the opposite.

Before anything else, I want to be clear:

We’re not against Christian families who include Father Christmas in their Christmas traditions. I just want to explain why we don’t.

When Santa Steals the Spotlight

There are a few reasons we have chosen this way of celebrating Christmas, but for me, the main one is that Santa is something of a thief. What could be a bit of fun, and started as Saint Nicolas, has quietly and persistently taken over in commercials, and often in people’s minds. Because he is such a big deal these days, I can only imagine the disappointment many children feel when they find out he is not real.

Santa, or Father Christmas, has gradually stolen the spotlight and offered a shallow alternative to what Christmas is actually about. In a season meant to celebrate the birth of Christ, the world’s attention so easily shifts toward a fictional gift-giver who rewards good behaviour with presents.

Now I know that some Christian families do celebrate with Father Christmas, and don’t go overboard, perhaps having one gift from Santa or something like that. It’s not that Santa is inherently harmful, especially if he is presented as a fairy story, rather than a real person. But we’ve noticed how easily he becomes the centre of the story, the source of excitement, the focus of the countdown. And for our family, we want the awe and anticipation to be rooted in something real, eternal, and infinitely better: the arrival of our Saviour.

Kids Don’t Need Santa to Experience Magic

One of the biggest misconceptions is that Christmas loses its magic without Santa. But I grew up in a Santa-free household, and my brothers and I still struggled to fall asleep on Christmas Eve from sheer excitement, and woke at 4:30 am keen to get Christmas Day underway. Now, our own children light up at Christmastime, too, and I love to watch them experience the magic of Christmas.

They don’t need to believe in a man sliding down chimneys to feel wonder. They find it in the glow of the tree, the story of a baby King born in a stable, the joy of giving, the countdown calendars, the twinkling lights lit everywhere we go, the warmth of family traditions, and the thrill of celebrating something profoundly true.

Kids are naturally wired for wonder. They marvel at everything. And when we centre Christmas on Jesus, the magic doesn’t disappear; it deepens. And it deepens each year as they understand more and more what it means that Christ came to earth.

Grace Over Good Behaviour

Another big reason we’re firmly in the no-Santa camp is the message he carries: be good, or you won’t get gifts. The “naughty or nice list” may seem harmless and a good way to get the children to behave throughout December, but it subtly reinforces a works-based mindset. Good behaviour earns blessings, and bad behaviour forfeits them.

But that’s not the gospel.
We want our kids to grow up knowing that grace is not something you earn, it’s something you receive. Jesus didn’t come because we were good; quite the opposite. He came because we are deeply sinful and in desperate need of a Saviour. He came because He is good.

If Christmas is about celebrating that gift freely given, wholly undeserved, then the Santa narrative doesn’t fit. And he takes away from the focus that should be on the gift. We’d rather our kids wake up on Christmas morning knowing they are loved, not because they behaved perfectly, but because they are our children.

Santa and fairness

Another reason we don't teach our children about Father Christmas is that I am concerned about children whose families can’t afford much, or anything at all. Do they start to believe they weren’t good enough for Santa because they didn’t receive what they wished for? Why would Santa give one classmate an Xbox while another only gets a small pack of football cards?

I don’t know how I would respond to my own children when they hear about programs like “Operation Christmas Child” on the radio, when we fill a shoebox to go to a poor family in Romania, or when they return to school in January and see that others received more. Those conversations are far simpler when we can be honest and explain that some families have more money than others, and we are very fortunate and can be a helping hand to make sure every child has a gift to open on Christmas day.

Santa and past trauma 

Another consideration for Christian families is the emotional impact of Father Christmas. Essentially, he is a stranger who comes into your house while you're asleep, watches you throughout the year and knows about you and your behaviour.

For some children, especially those who have experienced trauma, anxiety, or disrupted home environments, this is terrifying, not exciting. Their home is their safe space, and to know that a stranger can enter (not even through the door...) when they are unaware is something that brings fear.

A Christ-centred Christmas should bring peace, comfort, and security, not fear.

Choosing What Points Them to Jesus

We’re not on a mission to convert everyone to a Santa-free lifestyle. We understand that families express their traditions differently, and we respect that. But in our home, we want every part of Christmas to point to Jesus: to His generosity, His humility, His joy, and His grace.

And so we skip Santa, not out of fear, not out of judgment, but out of conviction and hope.
We hope that our faith is not seen as hypocritical and "just for Sundays".
We hope that our kids will see the real Giver behind every good gift.
We hope they’ll understand that Christmas isn’t about earning but about receiving freely.
We hope that the wonder they feel during this season will be rooted in something unshakeable.
We hope it will foster a heart posture of gratitude toward those who worked and sacrificed to give gifts at Christmas.

Because the magic of Christmas didn’t begin with Santa and behaviour-based reward and approval.
It began in Bethlehem. With undeserved grace that is unconditional and eternal.

Our Family's Christ-Centred Christmas Traditions

I've written more about this here, but briefly, in our home, we’ve chosen a Christmas filled with:

• Scripture and Advent readings, as well a sweetie advent calendar they unwrap each morning.

• Worship and reflection in church each Sunday, with nativity plays at school and church.

• Generosity and service, inviting Homegroup round, donating to our food bank and thinking of others.

• Joyful celebration with family, Christmas tree decorating, Christmas card writing, gift giving and opening - thanking those who spent time choosing and wrapping something they thought we would love.

• Wonder rooted in truth - candles lit, nativities around the house pointing the way.

We don’t need Santa to create excitement, anticipation, or celebration. Jesus is enough.

I hope this point of view helps you create Christmas traditions that align with your beliefs and how you want to show your children the way, the truth, and the life.