Naughty Or Nice Christmas 2025: Choose A List

NAUGHTY OR NICE: CHRISTMAS 2025

CHOOSE A LIST

REVELATION 12:1-17

#naughtyornice

INTRODUCTION… Origin of N & N List, wiki/Santa_Claus_Is_Comin%27_to_Town

Our Christmas series this year is called “Naughty or Nice.” If I am honest, it is just a gimmick to make a series of sermons. The idea of Santa Claus keeping a “naughty and nice” list developed gradually over centuries, blending Christian theology, folklore, and popular culture rather than coming from a single original source.

The earliest reference that I can tell was in 1934 from the song “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” written by J Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. That song debuted on a radio show in November of 1934. Within 24 hours, 500,000 copies of sheet music and 30,000 records were sold. It has been recorded by over 200 artists since then. The lyrics of this song introduce us to the idea of the “naughty and nice list” as it relates to Christmas and Santa Claus and kids and presents:

You better watch out, you better not cry, Better not pout, I'm telling you why:

Santa Claus is comin' to town.

He's makin' a list, checkin' it twice, Gonna find out who's naughty or nice,

Santa Claus is comin' to town.

He sees you when you're sleepin', He knows when you're awake,

He knows if you've been bad or good, So be good for goodness sake!

Right there in the 1934 instant viral hit song is the formal declaration that Santa Claus has a list of folks who do good or bad all the while judging what kinds of gifts they get. I am not sure if the list was just understood or assumed in previous years given that The Department of Christmas Affairs subcontracts with Krampus to deal with disobedient and terrible individuals. Anyway, there you go, the Naughty and Nice List was declared in a song in 1934 to be a thing.

I’d like to start my sermon this week where Kristian left off last week. Last week Kristian kicked off our Christmas series focus which centers around the idea of “naughty or nice” as he did a great job comparing Zechariah and Mary in Luke 1. At the end of the sermon… and I told him this myself on Monday… Kristian mentioned the “Lamb’s Book of Life” from the Book of Revelation… and it blew my mind.

I’d like to start there this week before we get to Revelation 12 which is where I ended up because Revelation 12 contains a telling of the events of Jesus’ birth as much as Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. The way Kristian ended his sermon last week really focused my heart for this week.

TRANSITION

Believe it or not, the naughty and nice list DOES exist.

THE NAUGHTY LIST AND NICE LIST EXISTS

The Old Testament and New Testament contain the idea that Almighty God has a register or book or record of those who follow Him and those who do not follow Him. God, being all-knowing and all-powerful does not need a written record, but He communicates to us in ways that we can understand concepts about Him. God communicates in ways that we can understand His nature and His power. You can call it the Naughty List and the Nice List if you want, but the existence of the book indicates two Truths. First, the all-knowing nature of God and secondly, that life is divided between those who follow Him and those who do not follow Him. I know I am starting off with quite an intense thought, but again, it is where Kristian left off last week.

The “naughty and nice” list first appears in Exodus 32 when whole bunches of Israelites force Aaron to make an idol for them to worship. Sin abounded among the people. Notice the words:

READ EXODUS 32:30-33 (ESV)

“The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of Your book that You have written.” 33 But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.”

The “naughty and nice” list next appears twice in the Book of Psalms where David writes:

READ PSALM 69:28 (ESV)

“Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.”

READ PSALM 139:16 (ESV)

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”