Santa Claus: Why Santa should not have a "naughty" list

'Tis Christmas Eve. Many parents want Santa to be part of their children's lives. This is a common want for parents. However, most parents use Santa as a form of behavioral modification. Legend has it that Santa Claus has two lists, a "naughty" or a "nice" list. The goal is for children to be on the "nice" list. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible commands that the "naughty" list be abolished, as it is threatening your child.

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 an adult losing their cool when they don't get what they feel that they deserve from children. One form of losing your cool is threatening to "call Santa" when children don't give adults the good behavior that they feel that they deserve from children. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from children. Any adult anger directed towards children was seen in biblical times as parental entitlement, including even when the anger was intended to call out "sin" in a child. When this entitlement was perceived by the child as offensive or damaging, it was deemed child abuse. See 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 children 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, but he sure loved children, and even took in a few orphaned children during his time as a deacon.

Christmas legend holds that Santa has two lists - the "nice" list and the "naughty" list. However, putting children in fear of being on the "naughty" list and getting nothing for Christmas is a form of child abuse by the biblical standard, meaning perceived offense on the part of the child. Whenever you threaten a child with no Christmas presents, they take offense at some level. Any time you give a child emotional pain, it is deemed an offense, thus child abuse. Most children feel awful when they are threatened with no Christmas, and that awful feeling constitutes an offense, thus child abuse. 

Children should not have to avoid crying or pouting, and shouldn't have to "watch out". Children should get whatever their heart's content for Christmas. Young children under age 6 lack the self-control necessary to stay on Santa's "nice" list. Children are going to pout and cry, and that is developmentally appropriate behavior for a young child. Children don't develop self-control until age 6.

I myself was threatened with "coal for Christmas" when I was a child. It was a vain threat, but I was a willful child when I was young. I had every reason to believe that I was on Santa's "naughty" list. However, I did get around that by way of asking for coal for Christmas (I was a strange 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!