The Christmas holiday is quickly approaching. Some of us are breathing a sigh of relief because all of our shopping is done, while some of us are just starting. The children are practicing their speeches and dance moves for the concerts and plays. Then there are some who are just counting down the days to an extended weekend. Whatever the case may be, I am curious about something...have you taught your child about Santa Claus?
This subject seems to be a touchy one. Growing up, I think a lot of parents were on the Santa train. If they weren't there was no judgement from either side. No one bothered to interfere with what another family taught. Now, there are articles about men dressing up as holiday characters and announcing Santa isn't real in front of schools. Parents are telling other peoples' children Santa isn't real.
I introduced Santa Claus to my children when they were young. I grew up believing in Santa and wanted to keep, what I considered, a fun tradition going. The world is full of doubt, I wanted them to use their imagination for as long as possible.
I remember being at a family gathering some years ago. It was Christmas day and the topic of Santa came up. My children were the only children who "believed in" Santa Claus. One person asked how I could tell my kids about Santa when the holiday was about the birth of Jesus. This person felt that was taking away from the true meaning of Christmas.
I told her that when I first started telling my children about Santa it was all for fun. As they got older I believe it helped me to explain God. What I told her I told them was, "Santa knows everything about you. He knows when you're sleeping, awake, good, bad, etc. He brings these special gifts if you're good, and a lot of the time even if you're not so good. Well, God is even bigger and better than Santa. HE knows everything about us. HE knows if we're good, bad, sleeping, awake. HE even knows the number of hairs on our head. There is NOTHING we can hide from God. HE loves us when we're good and when we're not so good."
As I was explaining this, another person asked what I would say to a child who believed in Santa and never received anything. I asked her what she would tell a person who said they had prayed and prayed for a blessing, but hadn't received anything from God.
I didn't ask her to be facetious. I had actually had conversations with people who felt Jesus had forgotten about them. They had fasted, prayed, tithed, and given generously, but had waited for years and nothing. One person had been taught and believed that their life choices were so bad that they couldn't be forgiven...God had turned HIS back on them. Even I had prayed for things and hadn't received the blessing I had been wanting. If I'm being completely honest, I'm still waiting on a whole lot from the Lord.
Neither of us could really answer the question.
The conversation continued. The idea of giving a guy in a red suit credit for everything the parents did didn't sit well with the family. I could kind of understand that. But, that also prompted me to ask how many times I/we had taken credit for what God had done in my/our life. I had to admit that I had given credit to others, and/or taken credit myself for something God had done. And that led me to think about what I had been teaching my children about this holiday.
Christmas is my favorite holiday!!! I loved decorating the tree, the shopping, the music, the hiding of the gifts, and the anticipation of waking up to see my children's faces on Christmas morning. It was always about the fun, the kindness that people showed to others, the "magic" in the air.
That conversation made me realize I didn't really celebrate Christmas as being a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Sure I heard it in church and saw things that stated "Jesus is the reason for the season". But Jesus was and is the reason everyday! At least for me. Christmas was for fun!
Christmas, in my mind, was really a man-made holiday that included listening to all of the Christmas songs, waiting in the long lines to get that one thing my child really wanted. It was about making the cookies, brownies, or pizza for "Santa" and writing "him" a note. Being relieved that it was all over, because it was stressful looking for that one particular toy. It meant I could finally have my closet back. Most importantly it meant being thankful to God for being able to make those memories and do all of those things.
So what is my point? Have some of us gotten away from what this holiday is supposed to represent? Have some of us only celebrated the superficial part of the holiday? Can we honor and celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus and shop til we drop? Is there room for Santa and Jesus this time of year?
Despite your religious or spiritual beliefs, whether you "believe in Santa" or not, no matter where you are in your preparation for the holiday (or just the day), my wish is that you have peace, love, joy, happiness, and you walk on your water!
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