How to keep Christ in Christmas?

Ok, in Oct. I started a thread on what each of us does for Halloween, or whether you celebrate it or not. I want to know now what each of you does to celebrate Christmas and how to keep Christ in front of the whole Santa celebration. We do the Santa thing, but I always want my child, and any others that come along, to know that Christ is the reason we celebrate the day. I almost sometimes feel guilty even telling my child about Santa but I feel like if I don't I'm taking away a part of his childhood. I have tried to explain to him that Santa brings presents in honor of baby Jesus because presents were brought to him when he was born. Does that sound weird? Any thoughts?

Before I'm done I want to share a funny story of how my son is a bit confussed about the whole thing. Keep in mind, he is 3. We went to go visit Santa at the mall. He was so excited to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas and waited so patiently. He has been raving about BC Builders and Floam forever!!! He sat on his lap and talked to him. At the end Santa gave him one of those little coloring books. Tanner looked at me in shock and looked all confussed. He said "mommy, where's my presents, I told Santa what I wanted?". The look on his face was like "what the heck is this stupid coloring book". I felt so bad, but it was kind of funny how his little mind is a bit confussed on the tradition.

Anyways, any thoughts?

 

Do you really want my thoughts?

We have never told our kids that Santa was real. My parents never lied to us, either. Now understand that we never EVER started off by making it a point to say that Santa is not real....we just didn't lie when it came up. Ds asked about Santa when he was a young 2yo. He couldn't fathom how Santa could fit through a chimney (he saw it on a cartoon). I just told him the truth--Santa is something of a traditional tale, like Paul Bunyun and Babe the blue ox, kwim? We also make sure that our children understand that some children believe he is real and that it would be disrespectful to their families to point out the truth...not to lie, but to be sensitive to the situation. So far my kids have been very understanding of it and haven't "missed out" on anything in the way of Santa memories.

That being said....it only leaves room for the truth--Christmas is absolutely about Jesus!

 

I am struggling whether to keep the Santa tradition alive or not. My hubby doesn't want to give it up, my mom tells me to just tell him the truth. I don't see the harm in Santa and loved it when I was a kiddo, but my son seems more confussed by it than anything. Maybe because he's only 3? Anyway Brooke, I always want everyones opinions. No harm in it to me, I don't get easily offended and love hearing everyones thoughts as long as it's respectful. I'd also like to know if others celebrate with Santa or without and how you all go about it. Thanks for sharing.

 

Sigh..... We don't do Santa, though sometimes I wished we did! We told the kids that Santa is pretend, and it's fun to pretend. We also told them that we don't tell other children that Santa is pretend! DH didn't want them "sitting on Santa's lap", which I wouldn't have minded them doing. But it was a REAL sore point with my dad! He was going to do it ANYWAY with Rachael, and not tell me. But Mom told him that wouldn't be right; that he had to go along with what we said, whether he liked it or not.

 

My kids always wanted to "pretend", too, so they would see Santa at the mall and grannies wanted pics etc. But my kids looked at it like you would a person dressed up like the Easter Bunny or something like that. Earlier today dd told me that she believes in Santa and started giggling. She has fun pretending with it. I remember going through that as a kid, too.

Jen, I know you don't mind opinions (or you wouldn't have asked)...I was being silly when I wrote that earlier...wish I coulda put a "razz" on it .

 

Honestly, I wish we would never have gotten into the Santa story line... in truth all it does is set us up to tell lies and it's something that isn't sitting well with me this year (I wanted so badly to burst that bubble last week (when the really unreasonable Christmas lists started coming out), but I couldn't find the gentle words to do so).

I remember Mom telling us the truth about the Santa tale... I don't remember how old I was, but in a sense, I still believe in a way about Santa because to me santa was Mom and my step dad and I believed in them.

This year, we are putting very little emphasis at all on Santa Claus at all. Jesus is the reason why we even celebrate Christmas and I'm trying to bring it back to that and add meaning to Christmas that the boys have never really understood (we will be having a birthday cake on Christmas day for Jesus and in order to open any gifts, they have to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus first - this has been a tradition for a couple years now). I refuse to have any decoration on my tree that has to do with Santa Claus - it has angels on it...

I have to call the Salvation Army... but in the past they used to serve Christmas dinner to homeless and needy families in the area. If they still do this, the boys will get dressed on Christmas morning and they will go with us to the Salvation Army to serve meals to those in need... giving back to God. And this is not an option to do or not to do - it will be a requirement. They need to know that Christmas is far more than spending and buying and getting, it's about giving a gift that far surpasses anything else... the gift of love and the gift of time.

Hurricane Katrina really drive this message home for me. I sat the other day and pondered all that has gone on with us over the last several weeks and rather than wallow in my own little pity world, I started thinking about what they have been through - how many lost their homes, loved ones and every possession they ever owned and realized that we could be so much worse off. And so because of that revelation, I am deliberately looking at Christmas from a whole new angle this year.

 

I want to take our kids to serve Christmas meals also, but the places fill up with volunteers over the Holidays, then they barely scrape by the rest of the year. If we CAN get in on Christmas day though, that'd be so great! Then I think we'll try to go do that once a month or so throughout the year, and keep the spirit of giving alive all year. I know some people have taken the "WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)?" thing too far, but it's very important to ask that! I know Jesus would and did help others as much as possible. Maybe I'll try to make this the "Jesus Helpers" year???? We can try to find things to do to help anonymously. My 8-yo came to me with the idea of getting her friends, and or her brothers together and doing good deeds for others and calling themselves "The Sunshine Kids". I LOVE that idea, so I better run with it so as not to discourage her! Jesus said, "Insomuch as you have done it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you have done it unto me."

We don't do Santa either. I never felt like I missed out because my parents told us Santa wasn't real. We pretended, like some of the others have said, and had fun with it, but our focus was on Jesus. That's the way dh and I have done it, and our kids are fine with it. When my dd was 5 or 6 she got into an argument with a neighbor kid, and told them Santa wasn't real, and they said he was. Oh boy, that mom was so mad at my dd!!! I felt so bad, she was young enough not to realize she shouldn't do that! We felt bad cuz we hadn't explained to her not to say that either. We apologized, but that mom wouldn't let my dd play with her kids for awhile after that, cuz she was so upset! Is that taking it a little far? I felt like she could have talked with my dd and explained. My dd apologized to her and the kids....... oh welll.....

 

Deena~ Tell your dd that I think her idea is great. And, might I suggest changing the spelling to the SONshine Kids? Bringing some sunshine to people because of God's Son. What a precious heart she must have to come up with that idea on her own! You are blessed!

As for my family, we do "play" with the idea of Santa, but it's all in fun and very, very minimal. My girls both know the real meaning of Christmas and the reason why we celebrate. They also both know that Santa isn't real, but it's fun to play sometimes. '

We always participate in Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child shoebox project~ the girls love filling shoeboxes for needy children around the world. It makes them feel good to know they are giving to someone who, otherwise, wouldn't receive anything for Christmas.

We have a thrift shop near us that gives all of the proceeds to missions. Ashley just asked me the other day if she is too young to volunteer there. She tends to be somewhat money hungry at times, so I was proud that she would be willing to give of her time for a good cause. That, of course, has nothing to do with Christmas; but we mothers have to share our pride sometimes! LOL

 

My kids love filling the shoe boxes! It's weird, but there was always all kinds of places where the shoeboxes were being done...Jason's school (when he was at home), AWANAS, Sunday School.... This year, we were lucky to get it done! No one was formally doing it! AWANAS didn't do it, but that church did. We "just happened" to see the filled boxes on a table when we went to AWANAS, and picked up a paper. They had to be in by THAT SUNDAY! Fortunately, we were going with my parents' to a dinner there that Friday, and brought them then.

I tried to get my kids into a nursing home with handicapped children. I know the gal who teaches there from when I taught Special Ed. I figured we could come once a month and read to the kids or something. Chris told me she needed to do this, that and the other thing to get it approved, but never got back with me.

 

I have told Jeannie the truth from the beginning. Why wouldn't I? Why should I allow her to believe this lie, only to have some little schmoe tell her the truth later on?
I want her to know the real meaning of Christmas.
She is aware of St. Nicholas.

Her dad and I argue every year, though. I hate to see December come because of it. He thinks I'm mean and wrong, but I think it's mean and wrong to play this Santa stuff.
To me, he needs to get with the real meaning of Christmas!

 

Well, this Santa thing wasn't hard for me. DH is Jewish. We celebrated Christmas at grandmas.I told dear darlings that Santa wasn't a real person any more. that St Nick was a real person that gave children toys every year. When he died. people celebrated his good kind spirit. I explained that some people playfully told their children that santa was real.When they were older they would know the truth. I told them that we were hebrew christians and we chose to follow Jewish hollidays as well. I wasn't going to tell them an untruth but it would be unkind to spoil the fun for another family.If they believe in Santa let them believe.

 

We saw Narnia tonight!!! There was one scene where Santa appears. After he leaves, Lucy looks up at her older brother and sister and says, "I TOLD you he was real!!!"

 

We are having a family day tomorrow and Narnia is on the list!!! I remember Father Christmas....I'd believe, too, if I got the cool gifts he gave the Pevinse kids .

 

What do you all mean: I still believe in Santa and he still comes for me too. I guess if you stop believing he stops bringing to you.

Too me it means parents are too cheap to let the kids believe something fun.

 

Well, once again we are the odd ducks. I would say I was shocked, but I am not!

I grew up being told that there was a santa and when I found out that there wasn't I was devistated. It was the one thing I thought noone could take away from me. (parents were divorced and life was hard)

When we had our son we decided that we were not going to do that to him. He was 7 weeks old at his first Christmas so we figured we had a year to learn. We were going to research this whole santa thing and come up with a decision before the next Christmas. We then learned about St. Nick, St. Nicholas whatever you want to call him.

So what we did was we bought presents and chocolate gold coins for them and stuck them in there stockings for Christmas morning. They were to share whatever they got in there stockings because that was what the real St. Nicholas wanted you to do. So we did that until this year.

This year we are no longer our previous doctrine and learned that St. Nicholas has his own day so that he is not the subject of attention on Christmas. In our minds that was a great thing. Now Christmas was back on Christ and not santa or even St. Nicholas.

So on December 6 it was St. Nicholas day. Our kids woke up with gold coins in there stockings. They had some small gifts in there too and they had to share those gold coins with people they didn't know. They each were to give 5 away to see how and if it would brighten someone elses day. It did.

So for our family we keep Christ in Christmas by not having santa (St. Nicholas) come by on that day.

I don't think this makes me cheap though.


This is like anything else. Everyone has to make there own decision for there family. What is right for my family might not be right for yours. What is right for your family might not be right for mine. It is the differences in our lives that make the world an interesting place to live in.

 

Even when my brother and I found out the truth growing up, my mom still waited til we went to bed and put all the presents under the tree so when we woke up we'd see the tree filled with gifts. She still does this to this day, and I'm 28 and my brother is 21. Even though we know the truth, we still don't break our tradition. She has presents already bought, but she wont put them out until that night so when we arrive in the morning, it's like Santa came! That's part of the fun that our family shares together. Everyone shares their fun differently, and that's ok.

 

Renee, my brother had a similar experience as yours. He was so mad that my mom and dad lied to him. He did get over it when he realized that he would still get presents, but they were just coming from a different source. But, I am not sure I want to deal with that when Tanner is older and see him be so upset with me.

For now, I think he likes the playing with it. I think he's still young enough (3) to where it wont really matter because he doesn't quite understand the meaning of pretend and real yet. At his age, everything is real. But when he gets a little older and understands a little more (5 maybe) I think I'm going to be honest with him and explain it myself. That way he doesn't have to hear it from someone else, come balling to me, and be mad. BUT, we still can toy with the idea until he's old enough to understand.

I'm still going to carry on our family tradition though. "Santa" will still come at night on Christmas Eve no matter what, unless we were hit with a situation like Amanda's that didn't allow us to. After I found out there was no Santa I still got butterflies in my tummy on Christmas Eve, sneaking around the house waiting for my parents to put presents out. One year we even got coal in our stockings for being naughty.

 

Jen,

We had the same thing happen to us!! My sister and I were so very bad one December. We were being greedy and my parents were re-married at the time. I knew that santa was not real but yet my parents still put socks, underware and one or two small toy in the stocking.

Anyway, my sister and I were being real greedy. We refused to help out with anything. We wouldn't go help pick out toys, coats and hats for the needy. We just refused. We at this point were still mad that dad let mom come back home. SO anything that she said for us to do we did the opposite...I am ashamed now but we were kids. So instead of getting the things that we were supposed to get in our stockings we got a bag of coal, a bar of soap and a wash cloth.

Talk about a look of shock and horror across our faces!

 

The stockings used to be the first things we dug into on Christmas morning because if there was anything to do with electronics for presents (ie walkman), the batteries were packed into the stocking.

Even after the Santa bubble was burst, Mom still set out a stocking for us - but I think maybe it relieved a pressure from her.

I want so much to burst the Santa bubble this year but I haven't found the right way to do it so I'm keeping quiet for the time being - Renee, I really like your idea (December 6 and the sharing of stocking contents - that's neat).