Every December, a rotund figure clad in red velvet descends upon the collective conscience of Western civilization, not through chimneys as legend would have us believe, but through malls, movies, and mantelpieces. His name is Santa Claus—a jolly old saint, they call him.

But don’t be naive. This isn’t the benevolent figure of yore, a generous bishop pointing weary sinners to Christ. Today’s Santa is something even more sinister. He’s a usurper, an idol, and an affront to the glory of the Incarnate God who is the true focus of Christmas.

And worse still, he is embraced—even, promoted—by many who claim to worship Christ.

Let’s start with the obvious. Children are practically taught to treat Santa Claus like a deity. They bow to him, literally and figuratively. They sit on his throne (if he allows it) and whisper their deepest desires into his (or some weird old man’s) ear as if he holds the power to grant them.

They write letters to him, petitions more fervent than many adults’ prayers to the God of the Ages. And what do parents do? They encourage it. They orchestrate it. They go to painstaking lengths to perpetuate this lie, feeding their children’s imaginations with stories of Santa’s omniscience (he sees you when you’re sleeping, doesn’t he?) and omnipresence (he visits every home in one night, doesn’t he?). These are attributes reserved for God alone, yet parents—even Christian parents—hand them over to Santa with a wink and a smile.

This is not harmless fun. This is idolatry.

Santa isn’t just a figure of fantasy, he’s a competitor, competing with Christ Himself for the worship of children, and the world has been more than happy to make room for him. Think about it. Children sing songs in his honor, songs that extol his virtues and his power.

They sit for photoshoots with him, eager to bask in the glow of his presence. They leave offerings for him—milk and cookies, laid out like a pagan ritual to curry favor.

Some children even pray to him, clasping their hands and whispering requests, because Santa—let’s not forget—has become their benevolent giver of gifts. And while all of this unfolds, parents stand by, chuckling at the “adorable” display, never once considering the spiritual implications.

But let’s not let the adults off the hook. Santa doesn’t just captivate children, he enchants grown men and women, too. Adults perpetuate his myth with zeal, investing time, money, and creativity into this charade. They deck their halls with his image. They wear his likeness on ugly sweaters and plaster his face on cards sent to friends and family.

They even sit on his lap, posing for photos like giddy children, as if to say, “Santa, I believe.” Is this not worship? Is this not idolatry veiled in tinsel and laughter? The irony here is razor-sharp. While churches lament the secularization of Christmas, they often fail to recognize that Santa has become its golden calf. The world doesn’t need to be coaxed into bowing before idols—it does so willingly, gleefully.

And Santa is the idol par excellence, tailor-made for a materialistic society. Santa promises gifts without repentance, blessings without sacrifice, joy without the cross. He is everything our sinful hearts desire—generous, nonjudgmental, and entirely harmless. Is it any wonder he has supplanted Christ in so many homes?

Some will argue that Santa is just a bit of fun, a harmless tradition that brings joy to children. But this is a lie we tell ourselves to justify our complicity. Idols are never harmless. They always rob God of the glory due His name. They always distort the truth. And Santa does this with precision. He turns Christmas into a celebration of self, a holiday where the question is not “What can I give?” but “What will I get?”

He replaces the humble manger with a sack of toys, the suffering Savior with a grinning old man. And worst of all, he trains children to believe that their actions determine their rewards. Be good, and Santa will bring you gifts. Be bad, and you’ll get coal. This isn’t grace—it’s works righteousness dressed in a red suit.

Santa is more than just a distraction from the gospel, he’s a counterfeit Christ. He masquerades as a man of generosity and joy, but his very existence undermines the gospel. The true message of Christmas is that salvation is a gift—not earned, but given. It is not for the good, but for the undeserving, for those who believe.

Christ came to save sinners, to redeem a fallen world, to reconcile us to God. And yet, year after year, Santa strides onto the stage and draws the spotlight away from the One who deserves all honor and glory.

So what do we do? Do we shrug our shoulders and continue the charade? Do we tell ourselves that it’s just tradition, just a bit of fun? Or do we confront the truth, uncomfortable though it may be, that Santa has become an idol in our homes and in our hearts?

The choice is ours, but let me remind you of this. Idols always end up demanding more than they give. They demand our attention, our affection, our worship. And they leave us empty.

Santa, especially this modern-day version of him, doesn’t belong in Christmas. He doesn’t belong in our homes. And he certainly doesn’t belong on the throne of our children’s hearts. That place belongs to Christ alone. Let’s stop bowing to the idol in the red suit and teach our children—and ourselves—to bow only to the King of Kings.