The Season of False Cheer: Who Are You Really Serving?

Every year, they call this season "holy." Lights go up, trees get decked out, music plays, gifts pile up. People suddenly act kinder, for about as long as it takes to unwrap a present. Then it all crashes down. Decorations come down, gifts are unwrapped, bills show up, and suddenly everyone’s exhausted, stressed, or just plain disappointed. Some get stuck in debt trying to keep up. Others turn irritable or bitter. Warm hearts go cold. Promises and Priorities Forgotten. And haven’t you noticed, they shove it in your face earlier and earlier every year? Christmas in july? It’s called commercialization. You’re programmed to get this "high" by any means necessary. And the Devil? He’s sitting back laughing; got them again.

We’re told this season is about the Messiah’s birth, but Scripture never gives a date. It never commands celebrations, decorations, or gifts. Instead, it warns us: "Do not learn the way of the nations… One cuts a tree from the forest… they decorate it with silver and gold and fasten it so it will not fall" Jeremiah 10:2-4. December 25th comes from pagan festivals; Saturnalia, Yule, and sun worshipping. Evergreen trees, lights, and gift-giving existed long before the Messiah. Calling it "Christmas" and adding His story doesn’t change the roots.

Here’s something that should make us stop and think. As pagan as the roots are, this single day has convinced almost the entire world to participate in it, or at least has at some point in their lives. Nations, cultures, and generations all move together for it. Yet we don’t see that same unity, urgency, or devotion when it comes to worshiping YHWH or making sure our children truly know Him. We teach children to believe in Santa with excitement, repetition, and certainty, but why don’t we do the same when it comes to YHWH and the Messiah?

And this is where the deception goes even deeper. This is how we now have grown adults fiercely holding onto a day they were programmed to believe in as children. For many, especially those who grew up broken, neglected, or lacking stability in the home, figures like Santa became a source of false hope. A pretend watcher. A pretend provider. A pretend rewarder. Something to cling to when real love, presence, or protection was missing. When deception fills an emotional void early on, it becomes far harder to let go later.

That’s why questioning this day feels so offensive to people. It’s not just tradition, it’s attachment. It’s nostalgia. It’s survival memories. And Satan knows that. He doesn’t just deceive with lies; he anchors lies to emotion, so breaking free feels like losing comfort, childhood, or joy itself.

Then there’s Santa. He watches. He judges. He rewards children for behavior. Sounds innocent? Fun? Harmless? It isn’t. Santa is a counterfeit; an imitation of the One who truly sees, truly knows, and truly rewards. As Proverbs 15:3 reminds us, "The eyes of YHWH are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good." This is exactly how Satan works. He doesn’t need to deny truth outright. He replaces it with something close enough that no one questions it; a familiar face, a comforting story, a tradition that feels too good to challenge.

Over time, this deception produces adults who defend the lie, mock discernment, and resist truth, not because they’re evil, but because they were conditioned before they ever had the ability to choose. This is how the enemy tightens his grip. This is how the world ends up in a chokehold; distracted, emotionally invested in lies, and unwilling to examine what shaped them.

That’s why *Who Made Me?* matters so deeply. Children don’t need illusion, they need identity. They need to know who made them, who sees them, who they belong to, who defines their worth, and why they exist. When a child knows that from the beginning, they don’t need fake watchers, false reward systems, or magical stories to feel safe or valued. They already know the Truth sees them.

The hard truth is that the season that calls itself "holy" often breaks the commandments it claims to honor. Greed, envy, overindulgence, and idolatry are normalized under the banner of "holiday spirit." Every magical story, every material-focused celebration quietly feeds the enemy’s plan,shaping hearts to chase comfort over truth and tradition over obedience.

The Messiah didn’t ask for a holiday. He didn’t ask for rituals, trees, or lights. He asked for hearts. He lived humbly, served quietly, loved deeply, and spoke truth; even when it cost Him everything. Truth doesn’t need decoration. Obedience doesn’t need a season. Identity doesn’t need illusion.

It’s no coincidence; they even share the same exact letters in their names: Santa / Satan. That alone should make us stop and think. So I ask you, who are you really serving? YHWH or Santa/Satan? Truth or tradition?

When a child understands who made them, deception loses its power. They don’t need Santa to feel wonder. They don’t need gifts to feel worthy. They don’t need tradition to tell them who they are. They already know the One who formed them: "For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm 139:13-14

This is bigger than a holiday. Bigger than nostalgia. Bigger than feelings. It’s about the soul. It’s about breaking cycles of deception before they harden into strongholds. Because once a child knows who made them, no lie, no matter how comforting, can replace that truth.

And truth, once planted, does not let go.

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Dana M