We get it, you don't do Santa. Now go away and leave us heathens alone.

It’s December 2^nd and you know what I’m already sick of?

All of the self-righteous people posting about how they “don’t’ do Santa.”

Now, now. Before you get your panties in a wad let me just say, whatever your family’s decision, whether to do the whole Santa thing or not, is completely your choice and I would never judge someone for deciding what is right for their family.

What I will judge someone for is deciding they’re doing the “right” thing by taking Santa out of Christmas.

Again, calm down. I am a Christian. I believe the reason we should celebrate Christmas is because it is the day we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the World.

Look, my family bakes monkey bread in a Bundt cake, slaps a couple of candles on it and sings Happy Birthday to Jesus. I get it, it’s weird.

We all have different ways of keeping the holidays.

My problem is not how you choose to celebrate Christmas, it is the fact that you think you’re somehow above others because you told your 3 year old there is no such thing as Santa.

These are just a couple of the issues I have with this:

Firstly, you’re not consistent. If you say you want to take the commercialization or anything that detracts attention away from Jesus out of Christmas, why are there gifts under your trees? Are you listening to non-religious carols while baking Christmas cookies? Sorry,I don’t remember that being a part of Mary and Joseph’s trek to Bethlehem. I hope you don’t have any of those pagan stockings or Christmas lights. That’s right. You probably don’t because you celebrate Christmas closer to Christ’s real birthday, which definitely was not December 25^th. After all, December 25^th is just an agreed upon date chosen by the church that (to quote one source) “reflects a convergence […]of concern about pagan gods and the church's identification of God's son with the celestial sun. December 25 already hosted two other related festivals: natalis solis invicti (the Roman "birth of the unconquered sun"), and the birthday of Mithras, the Iranian "Sun of Righteousness" whose worship was popular with Roman soldiers. […] Seeing that pagans were already exalting deities with some parallels to the true deity, church leaders decided to commandeer the date and introduce a new festival.” Maybe you should let your kid write an essay on that instead of lay out cookies for that bad, bad Santa Clause.

Another problem I have with people thinking they’re doing the “right” thing by taking Santa out of Christmas is this:  I don’t get why you think it is a bad thing to allow your kid to spend one month out of the year, for 6 years of their childhood, believing in the magic that the idea that Santa inspires? You don’t want them to be disillusioned when they find out he is really just you? You don’t want to lie to them or you want them to understand the real miracle of Christmas? Okay. Have you had the sex talk with your four year old? ‘Cause last time I read my Bible the virgin birth was kind of a big part of that story.

Look, our kids grow up a lot faster than you and I did already.

Kids are trading sex for pain killers in their middle school bathrooms.

Eight year olds are committing suicide because of bullying.

Do you really htink you’re doing them a favor by telling them that Santa is a phony?

Why don’t we just give them this, just for the few years they’ll believe in it? Any 7 year old knows how to Google, they’re read all about the myth of Santa on their own at that point. What’s a few years of holiday magic in the grand scheme of thing?

Santa represents the spirit of giving that this holiday inspires.

Is he God? No.

Is he more important than the birth of our Savior? No way.

Should our emphasis at Christmas be on Christ and all He did for us? Of course.

But I don’t believe the two must be mutually exclusive.

We can teach our kids about Christ and let them believe, for this short, special time in their lives, that they are the recipients of gifts unearned….

Oh, wait. That’s salvation, not Santa.

Anyway, I guess I won’t be sending you an invitation to my Easter Egg Hunt next spring.

The last thing I’ll say is that even if you’re not self-righteous and you really just feel like it is the right decision for your family, you’re deluding yourself when you say, “Oh! We don’t do Santa but I’ve told Little Jimmy not to say anything to the other kids at school!”

Let’s be honest: Little Jimmy is the one that is going to ruin Santa for my kids.

And when he does, I will judge both of you for it.