My 10-year-old son was about 3 when I first decided I would kick Santa out of Christmas by telling him that St. Nick wasn’t real.

I don’t feel like that anymore, but at the time, I thought that you should not mix Santa and all the commercialism that’s attached to him with Jesús, the true reason for Christmas. I didn’t think Christmas was wrong, but I just didn’t think the “celebration” part of it was even in the Bible to begin with.

Jesús is the reason we celebrate Christmas, but Santa is his special servant helper who distributes gifts and blessings to children and families worldwide. In other words, Santa is Jesús’ FedEx delivery guy and representative for children on Earth wrapped in one.

I’m not sure if anyone else out there has defined Santa that way, but I haven’t heard anyone else say that. For parents who like me have always wondered how to mix Jesús and Santa in way that isn’t as warped as what you see out there, this story has worked wonders in helping us engage our kids with the all out compassion, whimsy and celebration that should be Christmas. Merry Christmas!