Why Santa should not bring coal for Christmas

'Tis Christmastime, with Christmas Eve fast approaching. Most parents want children to have Santa Claus in their lives. However, many parents use Santa as a means to threaten their children, using Santa as a behavioral modification. However, threatening children with anything is the moral crime of provoking their children to anger.

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 this deserving attitude is parents threatening to "call Santa" when they don't get the good behavior that they feel that they deserve from children. Any adult anger towards children, in biblical times, was deemed parental entitlement, even in the case of a parent or other adult calling out "sin" in a child. Whenever this entitlement was perceived by the 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 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, but he sure loved children, and even took in a few orphaned children during his time as a deacon.

Usually, parents threaten "coal for Christmas" as a means to scare children into behaving. Usually, the threat was meant as a vain threat, meaning parents usually don't carry out that threat. However, a child does not understand that the threat is, in fact, vain. Whenever you cause nervousness in a child like that, it is perceived by the child as offensive. 

I myself was given that vain threat as a child, and I thought it was real. I had every reason to believe that I was on the "naughty" list and would get nothing for Christmas, as I was a willful child that wanted what he wanted when he wanted it. My mouth would get me into trouble as a child, hence why I practice speech avoidance today.

Children shouldn't have to be "nice" in order to get presents. Most children under age 6 lack the self-control necessary to be "nice" all of the time. Most childhood behaviors are developmentally appropriate. First, children learn how to cry to get what they need, and then, come age 6, they start to whine. Therefore, whining is a sign of maturity in a child, and it is designed by God to get the needs of parents or caregivers, hence why most parents are annoyed by whining.

Children are deserving of whatever they want for Christmas. Humor them with whatever they want for Christmas, however the child asks, in whatever tone they ask in. However, just don't make them sit on Santa's lap if they refuse to - Santa avoidance is a sign of a predator in Santa. If children can't wait until Christmas to open up their presents, let them open up their gifts early. Children should call the shots this Christmas season, so heel to their command this season.

I myself avoid the Santa aspect of the Christmas season, and strive to keep Christ in Christmas. Santa is the likeness of the Norse god Odin, with Odin being a gift giver for children in the Norse Pagan religion. Thus, Santa himself is too close for comfort to Odin. Maybe it would work if I was Catholic and venerated Saint Nicholas as a gift-giver. I'll stick with my two Nativity scenes that I have at home. I see Christmas as a time for giving in general. However, it doesn't have to come from Santa to be a gift, and I would accept a gift from "Santa". I just can't give under that name.

During the time of the Holy Roman Empire, the main gift-giver was Santa Claus. However, Krampus was also said to come around with a whip for the "naughty" children. For much of history, Santa Claus was used as a behavioral modification tool for children. Up until the 1950s, Santa traditionally handed parents a whip to scourge their children to "make" them behave. 

The Early Christians had no concept of Santa Claus, and instead celebrated Christ's birthday as a single-day observance. All gifts were from friends and family, with no gift-giver used for behavioral modification. The mainstay of Early Christian Christmas was the Nativity scene, not the Christmas tree.

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!