Without letting go of “Santa” all together!
Let me preface this by saying—I have no issues with the man in the big red suit. My kids have been to “breakfast with Santa” in the past and every year we set out stockings in hopes that Santa will come and fill them with goodies and leave a gift under the tree too.
Where we differ from “Mainstream Christmas” is that we wholly believe that the holiday is to celebrate Christ’s birth, not to give gifts of “good cheer” and celebrate “holidays” that are man-made.
So how does Santa fall in line with a Christ-filled Christmas??
Santa, like Christian parents, celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas day as well! It is because of the birth of Christ that we give gifts to our family and friends!
Here’s the thing…if you want Christmas to be about Christ—it’s going to have to be the parents’ job to make sure that your children understand that TRUE meaning of Christmas.
In decorating the house, it’s fun (and pretty!) to put up Christmas lights and a display outside. Have you considered a nativity scene or carolers instead of snowmen and Santa Claus? How about those Christmas stocking holders, do they spell out g-i-f-t-s on your mantle? Is your Christmas tree topped with a star or angel, signifying two main ‘parts’ of the Nativity scene? When you talk about the anticipation of Christmas is it about Santa coming and “what do you want for Christmas?” or do you spend more time on “Jesus’ birthday is coming soon” and “how should we celebrate His birth?”
Are your crafts revolving around reindeer and snowmen or do you have the Christ child in there too? Are more of your bedtime stories about the birth of Jesus or little elves in a workshop?
We try to find not just a BALANCE in our home, but a sure tilt to the direction of a CHRIST filled Christmas in our home! Sure, there’s our elf on a shelf that reports back to Santa, and there are reindeer on our stockings and some Santa snowglobes in our home. The kids anticipate Santa coming! But if you ask them why we celebrate Christmas, then those who can talk would hopefully be able to tell you that it’s Jesus’ birthday and we give gifts to celebrate HIM!!
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