Questions & Answers on The Holy Ghost
Questions 99 (COD Page 446)
What about a Christmas play in a Holy Ghost church?
155 Well, if it’s about Christ, it might be all right. But if it’s about Santa Claus, I don’t believe in him. I-I done growed-I done growed away from that. I don’t believe in Santa Claus at all. See? And some of these little Christmas things they have, I think is ridiculous. And... But I think they’ve took all Christ out of Christmas and put Santa Claus in it.
156 And Santa Claus is a fiction story. (I’m not hurting any of your feelings, I hope, about the children.) But I’ll tell you. Here not long ago, about twenty-five, thirty years ago, when a minister here in this city, the pastor of-of a certain big church here in the city, that I knowed real well, a bosom friend of mine, he walked to me. And Charlie Bohannon (Brother Mike, you remember Charlie Bohannon, a good friend of mine)... Set there in his office and said, “I’ll never tell my kids or have my grandchildren told that lie no more.” He said, “My own little boy walked up to me after he got about twelve years old, and talking about Santa Claus... ” And he, said, “Why... Honey, I’ve got something to tell you,” Said, “Mommy... ” You know, and go ahead telling him what he did. Then after he come back, said, “Then, Daddy, is this Jesus the same thing?”
157 Tell the truth. Santa Claus is a Catholic getup about a fellow, a Kriss Kringle or Saint Nicholas, an old German Catholic saint of many years ago who went around doing good to children. And they’ve carried it down as a tradition. But Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He’s real, and He lives. Now, here’s a question, the last one, which is a very...
158 Now look. You might disagree with me at that. But if you do disagree with me, remember, let it be friendly, will you? I love you, and I don’t want to-don’t want to hurt you. I’m just, I’m wanting to be honest. If I can’t... if I tell my boy a lie, then I’m a liar. See? I want to tell him the truth.
159 Now, I tell him about Santa Claus, I say, “Yeah, sure, there’s Santa Claus. Watch Daddy on Christmas night.” See? Yeah.
160 You know, the other day I was down there, and I tried that on a little girl just to see. I sure got paid back day before yesterday. I was in the building. And they was standing there, down here at the Quaker Maid. And I went down there to get the groceries. And so we, wife and I, was in there. And there was a little bitty girl, wasn’t over about eighteen months old, and she was standing there, going, singing, “Dingle Bells, Dingle Bells... ” And I said... In her little stand, you know, setting in the back of the little cart.
I said, “Are you looking for Santa Claus?”
She said, “That’s my daddy, Mister.”
I said, “Bless your little heart, Honey. You got wisdom.”
Now, here is a real sticker, friends. And in this... Then I’ll close. Oh, it’s-it’s a dandy Scripture, but it’s a sticker to every person that seems to be. And it stuck me for years and years; and only by the grace of God... And my precious wife, setting right back there now, when she heard that I had that question this afternoon, she said, “Bill, how do you answer that?”
She said, “I’ve always wondered that myself.” Said, “I never could understand it.” And said...
I said, “Come down tonight, Sweetheart. I’ll do my best by the help of God.”