Presents if you are Good

"It is that time of year!
You can skip it all year,
but one fine day,
you have to go to the Mall!
Or maybe a gas station,
and then you hear it:

"You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
O! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town"

It isn't about Santa Claus.
It is about God; God for kids.

"He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!"

God is just Santa Claus, writ large.

Is that not what you learned in church?
God watches sparrows fall
and counts the hairs on your head.
As I grow older, God has more time
to count sparrows.

He knows if you've been bad or good
so quit pretending for goodness sake!

The problem is: that results in
the worst kind of moral behavior.
"I've been good, God, 'cause I know
you were watching hair and sparrows fall!"

No, give the prize to the kid
or grown-up kid
who didn't know anyone was watching;
who just thought it was
the right thing to do, or not.

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