Jesus AND Santa

It's been awhile since I've written a post that received as much feedback as my Elf on the Shelf one from Monday...  I have to be honest with you, I wrote that in about fifteen minutes on Sunday night - mainly intending to be lighthearted, funny, and "confessional" - and fully expected that I was the only mom in the country depriving her child of this Christmas tradition.  So, thanks for all the affirming comments and reassurance that I'm not alone.

But, just in case I unintentionally struck a chord with any of you, I did want to clarity a couple of things before we move on...

- I DO NOT hate the Elf on the Shelf. I don't think there is anything wrong with including him/her in your Christmas traditions... I really really don't. If you enjoy it, it makes your kids happy, and everyone is having fun then - by all means - go crazy with it.  Seriously.  It just isn't my thing... right now.

- I really am glad we own an Elf. We got it from a close family friend who, I'm sure, put a lot of thought into the gift.  He will always be a part of our decor and, if Sam ever starts asking me why our Elf is lazy doesn't hide like all of his friends', well, then I'll re-evaluate and see what is best for us at that time.

- What I didn't mention in that post was that I'm not doing a cutesy/creative Advent calendar for Sam either.   I had really good intentions for this one (thanks to this reading schedule & this cute idea to unwrap a book before bed every night) and even took some of the preliminary steps towards making it happen (like gathering Christmas books and printing the plan) but, again, I lost track of time, and my lack of motivation got the best of me... As much as I'd like to be thought of as the super-deep-and-spiritual type, probably 85% of the reason we don't do the Elf on the Shelf OR an Advent thing is because I'm tired, and it just feels like one.more.thing to put on my "To Do" list. #sadbuttrue  #keepingitreal



Anyway, all that brings me to my topic today (which I actually have been thinking about and working on for a while):  How we (try to) balance Jesus AND Santa at Christmas...

At our house, we do both.

Jeff and I both grew up with Santa being a big part of our Christmas traditions.  I have SO many great memories of mailing letters to the North Pole, sitting on Santa's lap at the mall, leaving cookies (and reindeer food) out on Christmas Eve, and - of course - waking up to doll houses, bicycles, and new clothes on Christmas morning.

We did all those things and - you know what? - I still absolutely knew the TRUE meaning of Christmas.  I don't remember exactly when I figured out that Santa wasn't 'real,' but my parents' went on pretending well beyond the age that it was socially acceptable, and my sister and I happily obliged.  I don't have any harsh feelings about being "deceived" or anything like that.  Our holidays were amazing and magical and SO MUCH FUN.

I want all of that for Sam and - I have to be honest with you - I am absolutely LOVING watching him experience it all for the first time this year and be SO excited about lights and snowmen and reindeer and Santa*.  There is really nothing like Christmas with a child.

But, here's the thing:

The Santa books and pajamas and decorations? Those things come out for about five weeks in the winter ONLY.  Jesus is a staple in our home all year long.

When I remember that, striking a balance isn't all that hard...

All the fun and excitement that comes with Santa (and his sleigh full of toys) in December, is just the tiniest symbol of the real gift of Jesus.

Because God sent Jesus to be born a baby and live (and die) with us, we ALL have the gift of eternal life and freedom from our sins.  (Now, admittedly that's a little deep for a two year old - we are really just focused on Jesus being born at Christmas right now - but you get my gist.)

Our Christmas includes Santa, but it is about Jesus.


So... What does that look like tangibly?

- We have a nativity set (the one above is Fisher Price, and Sam loves it) and singing Santa dolls.
- We read Twas the Night Before Christmas and the Bible.
- We sing "Oh Holy Night" and "Jingle Bells"
- We get gifts and we give gifts.

Do I think it should be a perfect balance of 50/50 between the two?  No.

Do we always succeed at making it MORE about Jesus?  No.

But, right now, if you ask Sam who we celebrate at Christmas, he will say "Baby Jesus." 

If you ask him about Santa, he will say "Ho Ho Ho."

I feel good about that.

What about you?  Do you celebrate both?  How do you teach your kids about Christmas?**

*For now, Jeff and I have decided to give Sam three gifts from Santa for Christmas because that's how many presents Jesus got from the wise men, and it keeps things simple.  We will likely wrap up one additional gift from us, and - undoubtedly - he will be completely spoiled by our friends and family (for which we are incredibly grateful)! 

**Just a reminder that I think the BEST way is whatever is best for YOUR family.  There is no judgement here AT ALL... Just an interesting discussion point.