Yesterday I commented on having an issue with Santa, so I thought I better go ahead and explain myself. I don't want anybody to think that I hate the big jolly man in the red suit. I really have no hatred toward Santa, I just don't like that he gets a lot of the credit for the excitement and magic that happens at Christmastime. I try to put all my energy into purposefully putting Jesus center stage instead of Santa. Santa is great and all, but Jesus. The story of Jesus and what He did for the world has a lot more excitment and magic than Santa can provide. AND the great part is that it is true! The original purpose of Christmas was to celebrate Jesus' birth and I believe that that can be just as fun as celebrating Santa (at least I'm going to die trying). Don't misunderstand me here, I don't really think that the Santa vs. no Santa debate is dependent on the depth of a person's relationship with Jesus. What I mean by that is that just because a family chooses to participate in the Santa experience doesn't mean they are less spiritual. I say this because I know of parents who I believe have a closer walk than mine who don't seem to have a problem with Santa. So, there must be a way to balance the two in one home. I haven't figured that out yet. So, instead of decorating with Santas, I decided to decorate with a Candyland theme. It's still very child friendly and magical, but doesn't really have to do with Santa. Another thing to mention is that I don't know that my kids even realize that none of our decorations are Santas. The omission of Santa is something that I am doing purposefully, but not obnoxiously. I hope that makes sense. I love old Saint Nick as long as he understands that he is just a side act around here, not the main attraction. Like I said before, the Santa experience is not bad, it's just something that I've chosen not to emphasize inside our home, because it is emphasized so much everywhere else my kids go. Now that you think I'm off my rocker, I will leave you with one thought. My boss had a Chrismtas party at her house and Santa dropped in to visit the kids (the picture is in my last post). My kids loved talking to him and he was a great Santa (he's actually a very sweet man that goes to my church). So, he was listening to them very intendly with a loving smile on his face. Both of my kids just snuggled up in his lap and sat with him for awhile. What I hate is that Santa could look them straight in the eye and tell them that he loves them and they can touch and see him. When actually, their Savior loves them more than we can ever imagine and holds them in His arms every day, it's just that they can't see it. I wished that it could be Jesus sitting their, so that my children would understand how much He loves them. "Jesus, you know you blow Santa out of the water. Please make yourself as real to my children as they believe Santa is and help them to realize how much you love them." Maybe I should be scared to ask, but if anybody has any thoughts on all this, I'd love to hear.
