Warning: this blog is not appropriate for small children.

This past weekend on CBS was the TV show Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus based on the letter written by Virginia O’Hanlon to the New York Sun in 1897. The topic of Santa comes up every year around this time. Last week I saw a story on Fox News where some parents wanted a teacher punished for telling the class there was no Santa Claus. I get it, I have kids and I was a teacher.

This same topic comes up here in Guatemala. While having a conversation with a Guatemalan friend, she relayed a story about her childhood. She asked her older brother if Santa was real. He said only in rich families. She then asked if they were rich, he told her no.

We work closely with a family in the village of Santiago Zamora. Last year just before Christmas the dad was riding back to his village on his bicycle, his only form of transportation, with cereal and milk for Christmas Day (a treat they can’t normally afford.) Half way up his road he was robbed. They tied him up and took his bike, the cereal, milk and a few other gifts he had bought. This family can’t afford to believe in Santa.

But that is where the good news comes in. This same family loves Jesus. This same family shares testimony after testimony of how good God is to them. They may not have gifts but they have joy. They may have no hope of filled stockings but they do have the hope of a God who is not just for the rich, but who offers a new life for all.

So, I get it, go ahead, tell your kids about Santa, but make sure you tell them about Jesus too, because He is real.

This same family has a son who, without a scholarship, will have to quit school. Please consider giving to our Servants 4Him scholarship fund. Education is a great gift, even if your teacher tells you there is no Santa.