I've really been enjoying this Christmas season! Being physically better, more emotionally healed from losing Wyatt and having my husband home (finally!) has given me my "spunk" back to bake cookies, decorate, and watch Christmas specials.
Something came to my attention this year, though, and it has been a season of transition for me (although the kids love every minute of it!). Considering my newfound relationship with Jesus, I really want Christmas to be about him. The problem, however, is that I've spent my adult years falling into the standard American rat race with our Christmas celebrations. I didn't grow up believing in Santa and I never wanted my kids to. When I met hubby, however, he seemed to think I was depriving them of a childhood joy. I reluctantly agreed, so for the past few years we've done the standard run around; buying special wrapping paper, leaving reindeer food on the lawn, tracking Santa on NORAD....you get the picture. I discovered that it wasn't very enjoyable and that my children are far too intelligent for a ploy like Santa. I think most kids probably are if we didn't constantly counter their questions with silly lies. This year I was done. They started in on their questions and I blew Santa's cover. We then got on the computer and talked about the real St. Nicholas and his charitable heart. My children took the news very well since logically that all made more sense to them. I think they appreciated the truth at last, even though I couldn't apologize enough. I don't see how I can tell them Christmas is all about Jesus when we are busy warning them about a creepy old man who can see and hear everything they do. Especially since I've taught them that God is the only one who can do that.
After the "talk" was over I began to wonder how I could instill the true meaning of Christmas into my household. I found several other blog postings through facebook on this very topic so I eargerly started to read them. One was particularly well written and I agreed with much of the first half of it. This mother wrote about how for the first few years with their kids they went nuts with presents. Yup, did that. Then she mentioned the difficulty in having your child turn 9 or 10, telling them there is no Santa, and they now need to stop being greedy. Yup, that makes perfect sense to me. It's taken me years to undo the "gimmies" and lack of care for your belongings that I began to inadvertantly teach my children. Then, in her opinion, to put Jesus back into Christmas they weren't going to be giving anymore presents or making special food etc. in order to have a Christmas worthy of our humble Savior. Wait........what?? Now this isn't me pausing because, darnit, I really enjoy getting crap on Christmas and I don't want to give up my diamonds and video games. This is me pausing because honestly, that sounds like the most boring birthday party ever! So I had to think, what does our Savior mean to me?
Well, for starters, He has become my closest friend, my one source of unconditional love, my Creator, He created my children and is graciously allowing me to care for them, He is the source of the beauty of the earth all around me, He is the maker of my husband and granted me the gift of his companionship, and just when life super sucks and I can't take it anymore, I know that I get to dwell in heavenly places, places I don't deserve to even be, all because of Jesus.......in short, the source of all my joy comes from Jesus and what He did. Considering all of this, I don't feel the need for mourning on Jesus' birthday. I have this interesting visual of the man on the Da Vinci Code movies who flogged himself and wore barbed wire, all for God. That was weird, wasn't it?! I'm not sure that kind of behavior honors our Lord!
I think of Jesus and I feel like celebrating! It only makes sense that if I want my kids to know that Jesus is the true meaning of Christman than I need to make more of the Christmas celebrations about Him! For starters we've removed baby Jesus from our Nativity and we will make a tradition of setting out on Christmas morning, when he arrives to save us! I purchased a box set from Family Life with seven presents to open as we narrate the Christmas story. For the past four days we have woken up and, as a family, opened one present each morning (containing a Biblical character) and read about what role that character played in Jesus' birth. My son came up with the idea of baking Jesus a birthday cake (or other treat) and leaving that out for Jesus on Christmas Eve night. I like that idea!
I do not, however, think that I need to refrain from buying presents, putting up Christmas lights, or being Merry in any way. I've seen another trend this year, of my own fellow Americans degrading things like Black Friday and presents. Certainly there is no reason to buy more than a child can even clean up (and trust me, the first few years I had with my young kids I was out of control!) I think it's important that my children appreciate their belongings and know the value of what it cost to get them. BUT what is wrong with a few fun things? As a grown-up I get most of my joy from giving gifts to the people that I love. I can give gifts because I have surplus. I have surplus because I live in America. Only in American can things like Black Friday even exist. Most businesses thrive on the idea that Americans have some form of surplus, large or small. Caterers, movers, nail salons, massage specialists, professional cleaners, professional sports, play places for children, jewelery stores, best buy, even department stores depend on you purchasing more than you came in for in order to increase their revenue. It's the rare, extreme cases that are concerning but those are both rare and extreme. I happen to love Black Friday. It's one of the rare times I get to be in the car or shop alone without my children! In the 10 years that I've gone out at 3am (9pm this year!) I've never seen a mob trampling anyone or knives or pepper spray or even crazy people. In fact, I've made some great friends on Black Friday. You tend to learn a lot about people when you are committed enough to stand by a pile of razor scooters for two hours. What a great time to be a witness to others! A group of us even advocated for a woman in line whose coupons had expired at midnight and even though she got in line at 11pm, it was now 12:30am. I've witnessed some pretty amazing companionship while out shopping in our pj's. Walmart even handed out water bottles this year. While it wasn't much, it was a nice 'thank you' from a company who depends on our dedication. I don't believe partaking in this kind of shopping makes me crazy, greedy, insensative, wasteful or forgetful of the needs of others. It means I got a razor scooter and a few dvds for $150 less than I normally would have paid because I committed the simple act of setting my alarm clock. I'm such a criminal. Actually I am a capitalist. I save my money for Christmas. I don't go in to debt over things I don't need. But I earned my money and I get to spend it on a few nice Christmas gifts without anyone making me or anyone else feel bad about it.
Something else we are adding to our traditions is handing out care packages to the needy. It's our new Christmas Eve tradition. Our church gave us the idea for Give bags; these little bags with grocery items and other necessities such as wool socks. So we've put together a group of our own "Give Bags" and will head out to love on others who are less fortunate. And guess what? That's only possible because of surplus as well.
So, in short, this has been a defining Christmas for our family. No more lies of a fat man in a nasty red suit. It's about Jesus and I realize more and more every day why I'm thrilled that Jesus came. We've only introduced a few new things this year but I hope that more will be added over time. I am sure there are more ways to celebrate our awesome Savior! I just can't see God, Maker of all things, dwelling in heaven full of color and light and music, wishing us to celebrate His son in a hum drum manner. Christmas at our house will be a party for Jesus full of appreciation, gratitude, and awe that this little baby saved us all. And we will shop. And we will put up lights. And we will sing. And we will love!
