I've come to realize that a major part of raising children is deciding what will and will not be a part of our home. Making decisions about traditions and what they will and will not look like is hard, this time of year especially. Although we had thought through many things before we were parents, a lot was discussed on a "We'll think about that when we get there" basis.
Well now we're there and the topic of Santa needed to be discussed. Would we include Santa in our Chritmas festivities?
***And let me just say now, many families I know do traditions of all kinds very differently. I am NOT saying one way is better, but merely what will work best for OUR family. I refuse to judge others, especially parents, on parenting decisions of any kind. I do not want to be judged for my decisions and therefore do not judge others on theirs. We all, as parents, are trying to do what is best for OUR families, and that looks different in every family.***
We have been asked countless times already, "So has Anna had her picture taken with Santa yet?" I guess I didn't realize just how big of a deal it was until this year.
So here's what we decided. We will treat Santa like the fictional character that he is. Similar to say, Cinderella or the Smurfs. We do, and will, read stories about him, acknowleging the works of fiction, as we would Harry Potter or any other fictional character.
We will also talk about where the idea for Santa came from. From the holy bishop, St. Nicholas. We will celebrate his feast day on December 6 with small gifts in our shoes and giving a gift to charity as a family, as St. Nicholas would have done.
You see, I don't really have a problem with Santa, especially since his roots are in a holy man who spent his life giving to the poor. I do, however, have a problem with the publicity he is given. He becomes a celebrity at Christmas time. Taking all of the focus off of Christ's birth, and instead putting the focus on a jolly elf who sneaks down the chimney at night to bestow upon children mass amounts of gifts.
I want Christmas morning to have the same "magic" that children often express about Santa, but instead of the "magic" of Santa, feeling the "magic" or sheer joy in the birth of our Lord. I want Christmas morning to be about Christ. Not anything else. WE will get our children gifts for Christmas because that is a way of celebrating the wonderfulness of Jesus' birthday. We will bake and set out a cookie or treat to be eaten on Christmas morning by US to celebrate. We will read the Christmas narrative before opening gifts. Santa does not need to be a part of that.
That is how I want Christmas to look in our home.
I want the anticipation of Christmas morning to be about a birthday. The most important birthday. Because the reality is that we have not been decorating the house... and reading our Jesse tree verses... and lighting our Advent candles... and singing O Come O Come Emmanuel... and attending Christmas parties... and wrapping gifts... for a fictional character. But rather for a very real, and very important baby who saved the world from sin, suffered on a cross for us, and rose from the dead.
2 comments:
I love how you are addressing Santa in your house! I'm taking notes ... :-)
That's basically exactly what we do. :). We havent really said how Santa is from stnick, because we already talk about St nick and do shoes/small gifts on dec 6. I mentioned it once, and it seemed to confuse them that St nick is two people - St nick and Santa. And why is his name Santa if he is really St nick? :). They're smart. :). So, for now, we don't even try to link St nick with Santa. Santa is just a fun man who likes Christmas. And he brings some people gifts (we don't do Santa gifts for just our immediate family, but both grandparents have 'santa' gifts, and we can't stop that. (I like Jen Fulweiler's recent rantings on family Christmas traditions and why it is hard to break some of them). So, Santa is just a 'real' fictional character. And, just like the girls are excited to meet the 'real' Cinderella at Disney world, they get excited to meet e 'real' Santa at the mall. Although we haven't gone to meet him this year. It's not a priority, but if we have time we will. If there was a 'real' St nick, we would go see him at the mall too. Bt, so far, Monsignor hasn't dressed up yet. :)
For Christmas gifts, since Christmas is a solemnity, we celebrate with gifts and good food. :) our reasoning for gifts is that since Jesus loves us SO MUCH, even though it's HIS birthday, he wants to make us happy with gifts for each other. We like that because I think it has already at least given L &B a peek into how much He really does love us, since they could never imagine loving someone so much, that they give someone else presents on their own birthday.
Overall, after all that rambling, we're very happy with how we do the Santa thing. It's partly for us, because it's fun to see lids get so excited over fictional characters turned 'real.'. And Bridget will still get just as excited when she sees a nativity somewhere as when she sees a Santa somewhere. :)
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