Santa Claus: Why Santa should not bring coal for Christmas

'Tis Christmastime. Many parents want to bring Santa into their children's lives. This is a common source of joy in children. Most children across America, are told that they have to earn gifts by being "good all year". A common threat amongst American parents is to "call Santa" and threaten that Santa would bring "a bucket of coal" for Christmas.

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. Unofficially speaking, parental entitlement is when parents lose their cool when children don't give them what they feel they deserve from them. One form of losing your cool is threatening to "call Santa" when you don't get the good behavior that you feel you deserve from children. Any anger directed towards a child was seen in biblical times as parental entitlement, including calling out "sin" in a child. When this entitlement was perceived by a child as offensive or damaging, it became child abuse. See also Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers to damages or offenses, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul, and was understood in its original context, as a moral statute prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including, but not limited to, any punishments, reprimands, or other controlling demeanor towards children. In the Old Testament, punitive parents were put to death by way of bloodletting, after punishing their children one last time. The parents who punished their children were charged with kidnapping, with "kidnapping" being defined under the Law as the slightest of damages or offenses stemming from hostage-taking - child punishment was seen in biblical times as holding your child hostage merely for things that they did wrong, thereby treating your child as a quartered slave. Paul here was lifting up the Law in order to convict a group of Greek Christian parents who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his secular writings. Paul may not have gotten along with the women of the church, and even took in a few orphaned children during his time as a deacon.

Whenever you threaten to "call Santa", you are acting entitled in a way that will surely offend a child. The Bible is clear - do not offend your children this Christmas season. Maybe the coal for Christmas is a vain threat, but a child doesn't know that it is a vain threat, and might be scared of getting nothing for Christmas. 

I myself was a willful child, and I remember going to bed Christmas Eve unsure if I would get presents under the tree. That unsurety is what I would perceive as offensive as a former child. I forgive my father for making those threats. but I will never forget being threatened with Santa. I, however, got my power back by asking for a lump of coal for Christmas.

Some versions of Santa are what we call "mean Santa". In some countries in Europe, Santa hands a whip that cracks to the parents, with children fearing the worst on Christmas morning. Nowadays, the main vain from parents is that Santa will bring "coal for Christmas".

Most all behaviors that parents see as "bad" or "naughty" are developmentally appropriate behavior given the age and development of the child. Up until age 6, children lack self-control, and this sort of behavior happening, in most cases, until age 6. Thus, children should not be threatened with Santa for behaviors that are normal given the age and development of a child.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!