Short answer: YES

Here’s why…

The truth is that these characters diminish the true meaning and deity of God and Jesus and to raise children to ‘believe’ in them gives them a poor start in life. Rather, we need to teach children from an early age the real meaning of these holy days (holidays).

The character of Santa Claus and the whole tradition of a tree adorned with lights stems from paganism where so-called ‘mother-nature’ was worshipped and deified. And whilst December 25th is highly unlikely to be the actual birth-date of Jesus it is supposed to be a time when we remember His birth and give thanks for it. Whilst it is not wrong to give gifts to each other and enjoy all the festivities and feasting Christmas brings, we should be more concerned with teaching children about who Jesus was and is and the reason He was born in the flesh as God-with-man (Immanuel).

Similarly, Easter should be an opportunity to teach our younger generation why Jesus was crucified on a cross for the sins of mankind and that He resurrected from death to bring us back into fellowship with God, thereby granting us the free gift of eternal life. Chocolate and bunnies have nothing to do with the redemptive events that played out in human history over 2000 years ago.

It’s also never too early to begin teaching children about God and Jesus. In fact, Jesus Himself gave a dire warning about doing anything to harm children which includes misleading them in Godly matters. Mark 9:42 “And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.” To bring an offence to a child is an evil thing according to God and will have severe consequences. Strongs concordance gives the meaning of ‘offend’ here as: to entrap, scandalise, to entice to sin, to make stumble, apostasy. This is a serious offence in God’s eyes, and teaching children to believe in Santa Claus rather than in Jesus Christ is in effect teaching them apostasy in which they will stumble in life. Moreover, we should not be teaching children any theology outside of the Word of God which includes Santa, the Easter Bunny, fairies and the like.