Why We Don't Major on Santa Claus During Christmas

But You're Not A Sinner If You Do.
(and how this pertains to Easter)

Every Christmas season we get the question, "how do you guys handle Santa Claus with your children?" Every year I want to write a blog about it but I never have. Mainly I haven't because I get tired of reading all the other blogs that seem to be extreme one way or the other, "You're sinning if Santa Claus is used in your Christmas tradition," or "Not using Santa Claus is robbing your children of imagination and fun during the holidays." I get frustrated and don't want to be among the ranks of either of these two extremes. So finally, this year I decided to wait and post a blog at a neutral season. One that would give people time to think, pray and discern what is right for their family WAY before the season is upon them.

Personally, We, as parents, decided not to major on Santa Claus during the Christmas season, but to Major on Jesus. While we major on Jesus, we still find it fit, since we live in a culture that does celebrate the story of Santa Claus, to teach the boys about Saint Nicholas and how and why people came to know him as Santa Claus, the man who flies a sled and gives out gifts. Now I realize that the original story behind Ol' St. Nick has been twisted into an over commercialized craze that drives millions of dollars towards over indulged consumerism, we still find the redemptive story behind the life of St. Nicholas and see beautifully how it can teach our children The Gospel, as they learn how to give and receive.

We, however, have SOO many friends and a majority of our family, who do celebrate Santa Claus by teaching them about a man in a red suit who sees them and knows if they are bad and good, etc. We, as a family, want to respect them by not blowing there traditions in to shambles by our child blurting out "Don't you know Santa is not real." So we choose to teach them who Santa REALLY was. This way if someone asks them about Santa, in their mind they think a real man, a real story. Now that Titus is older, we joke around and play with his imagination by reading the Christmas stories of Santa Clause, and pretend to hear reindeer on the roof. This is all in good fun, a magical kid like fun, that he knows and can distinguish.

In no way do we or will we look DOWN on any family who chooses differently. To each its own. We feel strongly that the Lord will guide you in your holiday traditions and will let you know how to celebrate Him, if you just seek Him about it.

Here are a few reasons we landed on NOT majoring on Santa::

1.) Christ is NOT Boring:: often adults think, because of childhood experience, that the story of Christ is boring and not amazing. This is SO FALSE. What could be more EXCITING and FULL of WONDER than GOD becoming MAN! Seriously.

2). Lying:: honestly this would have made our decision. We both felt strongly about not lying to the boys. So in this we decided to tell the Truth, both about JESUS mainly and then about the life of the REAL Saint Nicholas. (in as best we know)

3.) Confusion: we thought it was a bit confusing for the boys to distinguish between a God who knows all we do, is always there and always giving good gifts to His Children and a Man who knows if we are bad or good and gives us gifts accordingly. This seemed to be hard to communicate the difference as adults so we thought it would be hard to explain to kids.


With all that said, here are some ways we DO celebrate Christmas::

Shepherds Pouches:: I have talked about these before on my blog Here. I got this idea from a book by Noel Piper called Treasuring God In Our Traditions. These are bags that the kids (an adults) get on Thanksgiving. They are to be used to hold money. Money that is earned. Each family member saves money all month. Then on Christmas Eve night after the Christmas Story out of Luke is read and some songs are sung, we put the pouches under the tree. The next morning when the kids wake up, the money from the pouches are gone and a display is set up to show where the money went. Here is an example from this year:: our money went to get Christmas presents for the Children in Morobo, Sudan.

Advent Candles:: we light one candle a week until leading up to The Jesus Candle (a big white pillar candle in the middle) that is lit on Christmas morning when they wake up. This is a fun way to build anticipation.

Jesus Tree and Ornaments:: We have a Christmas tree we call the Jesus Tree. Each day of December the kids get to open a number on the calender box we have. In each number is an ornament with a name of Jesus on it. We get it out, read it and they get to put it on the tree.

_________

Gift Giving:: of course we give many gifts to one another and celebrate with giving!


Now, how this pertains to Easter:: We get the same question in regards to the Easter Bunny. Now, to my knowledge, there is no real person the Easter Bunny represents that we can draw on and help in teaching about this. So this is what we do. We major on Jesus. We have fun with eggs and such but make a BIG deal out of the Resurrection. We give gifts and celebrate as big as we can. We go on Easter Egg hunts but try to make them just a fun recreational event, not a major part of Easter.

Here are some fun things we do::

The Jesus Candle:: The Jesus Candle from Christmas comes back out at Lent. We keep it lit (as much as possible) Then on Good Friday we blow it out and tell the Crucifixion story. We keep it blown out until Easter morning. I try to have it displayed in a way it is the center of what they see when they wake up.

Palm Sunday Sheep Search:: On Palm Sunday we start a search for the Sheep. I hide a stuffed lamb around the house. Then tell the boys how in Jesus' time, the boys of the house would go out searching for a lamb for their family to give as an offering. Then the search begins. We do this over and over all week. During the week the questions start popping up about, Why a Lamb? What does this have to do with Easter? etc. Great fun teaching opportunity.

Gift Giving:: Our pastor in Irving has had us over for Easter every year since 2006. Every year we eat an amazing dinner with their family. After dinner, Pastor John sends us all out on a search. In his house, EACH person has a bag full of gifts. Even the adults! The first year we went to the Durham home, we walked away so blessed. We had so many conversations about how we want to make the Resurrection of Christ celebrated just as much as His birth. So this will be our first year not in the Durham home. We are praying through who and how to we are going to give gifts in such a fun memorable way.


WOW. that was alot. If you stuck with me, thanks. If not, I understand...I rarely read long blogs either! ha!

Bottom line:: Our kids still have hearts that are filled with greed, our family still struggles with the pull of consumerism but our advise is:: Seek Christ, Honor Him and He will guide you in your Holiday Traditions.

Entering Lent

Millions of people around the world spanning a multitude of cultures will tomorrow take the symbol of the ash and begin what is known to the English speaking world as The Season of Lent.
The English translation of the word actually derives from an Old English word meaning Spring yet in almost all other languages around the globe, the season is referred to by a derivative of the Latin term Quadragesima, or "the forty days." (reference)

Although many of the denominations and cultures who will be celebrating this Lenten Season do not agree on how Lent should be observed, most all agree on the heart of the season. Lent is a time to open your eyes to sin, repent and abstain. It is a time to reflect on the state of our heart and ask God to be our sole satisfaction. It is a time to commemorate our Savior's discipline and devotion to The Father. It is to be forty days of discipline and devotion.

I read a couple articles that stated that forty days historically was representative of preparation. I love this thought. Preparation for the moment in time that changed everything. Christ Death, Burial and Resurrection. Sin being Conquered. Death loosing its sting. Victory. Rescue. Relief.

I must say that I don't yearly fast from anything in particular unless I feel so led by the Spirit. But I do use this time of Lent to refocus my heart. To ask the Lord to open my eyes to sin, to show me where my heart has given over its affections to another and if this results in a fasting of sorts, amen and if not, amen.

I pray your Lenten Season is so sweet as your affections are turned back to Christ. I pray you taste and see that the Lord is good and find that He alone satisfies.

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause

yes and amen

Shepherd's Pouches

I have also been asked how I made the Shepherd's Pouches so here goes.
I used:
Old fabric scraps
left over Christmas ribbon
Thread
A Sewing Machine (you can totally hand stich this if you dont have one)

1)Cut two identical rectangles out of fabrick. Size may very depending on what size you want them to be.

#2) Fold down a 1/2in on a short side of one of the rectangles. Sew a straight stitch acrossed. Repeat for other.

#3)Lay matching rectangles on top of eachother with the folded down side out and sew them together using a zigzag stitch (on my sewing machine it was a 3) along the three remaining sides, starting and stoping just past the stitching from step #2.

#4)Fold in side out and thread with whatever kind of ribbion you want. I used ribbion for some and made a ribbon out of old fabric for another.


These are REALLY basic for picture taking purposes but for fun you can add a liner or decorate them with buttons and/or beads.
Happy Sewing!

Traditions! Traditions! Traditions!

As most of you know, I am a sucker for traditions, so Christmas is no exception. I especially love starting new traditions and seeing them through. So when Vernon and I got married we had so much fun thinking of what we wanted our new family traditions to be! Some are old ones with a twist, some out of our own little minds and still others are spin-offs of things we've heard others do. (2 years ago i blogged on this same thing!)
So lets all share what our traditions are and maybe it will encourage creativity in each other!!!!

Here are some of ours. (and some pictures for visual) I tried to keep them simple so we can do them if we are in the States or in Sudan.

*The first year we were married I made ornaments that have the names of Jesus on them. We have a separate tree that we call The Jesus Tree. Each day, starting on December 1st, we pull an ornament out of the advent box and read the corresponding scripture, talk about Jesus and hang the ornament. Also, as people send Christmas Cards, we hang their pictures on the tree and pray for them after we read the scripture and hanging the ornament.

*On December 1st each family member gets a "shepherd's pouch." (this idea came from Noel Piper's book Treasuring God in our Traditions, its an amazing book I revisit each year) It is just a little piece of fabric I have sown into a little coin purse. All month each person put money in it. On Christmas Eve, everyone lays them at The Jesus Tree. In the morning when the children wake, they can come and see what the money has turned into. ( we calculate a head of time what we will give as a family to random places and ministries around the world, most often we buy something from the World Vision Catalog, like a goat to feed a family) This takes the focus off of getting and onto giving. We talk about where the money went, by using the map and globe and pictures. Last year, our money went to Sudan, because we were there, but we hope to spread it out all over so that our children will know much more of the world than the US and Sudan.
*We have Advent Candles. This is something I especially love. It is a very old church ritual to bring about anticipation of the coming King. Each week we light a candle and read some liturgy. It builds the anticipation as the children await for the "Jesus Candle" to be lit. (in the past we have kept the Jesus Candle in a specific place and lit as much as possible. Then during lent bring special attention to it so that the Thursday before Easter is the last day they see it lit until Easter morning)

here are some random pics of some things i through together this year from decor....just dorky fun stuff from around the house to add to the cheer...
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Soooo.....please oh please, do share your traditions! What do you do for Christmas?