I borrowed this list from a friend. She has a really meaningful blog on many things. I loved this list and her thoughts about Jesus and Santa....
#1 Jesus is real! Santa is pretend!
#2 Jesus existed before man was created! Santa was created by man.
#3 Jesus gives you Himself, all you need! Santa gives you stuff you don't need.
#4 Jesus' gift last forever (even after you die). Santa gifts are only temporary.
#5 Jesus fulfills all your needs and wants. Santa leaves you wanting more.
#6 Jesus provokes selflessness. Santa provokes selfishness.
#7 Jesus gives you true lasting JOY. Santa gives you only passing happiness.
#8 Jesus' miracles are real. Santa miracles aren't real.
#9 Jesus is truth. Santa is a lie.
#10 Jesus is worthy of our attention, affection, and awe. Santa... well.... "he" is not.
So I don't ask my kids what they "want for Christmas?" the very question makes no since. We already received all we could ever want or need on that Christmas long ago.
Psalm 23:1 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."
I ask them how they would like to show God's love this Christmas to the world. And what things would they would like to do that would bring pleasure to their Creator God.
This all may sound crazy to some... I hope not to offend you Santa lovers out there... but this season exists to remind us to give Jesus the honor due and He is worthy of all!
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Now I am not as developed in my opinion about this issue at Christmas as she is . We have always been gift giving. We have not emphasized Santa . We have I hope emphasized Jesus in the way we celebrate. I do think she brought up some good reasons to not be Santa oriented and to be less materialistic at Christmas...I know Paul and I have struggled with this issue and I think each year we change it more to emphasize what she expresses but I know we are not at the same place as she is but I do appreciate her perspective.
How about you all ? How do you celebrate the birth of Jesus in your home ?
4 comments:
I could have written that list myself! We still give gifts but we never give Santa any of the glory. Like you, each year we try to place less emphasis on that part as well. I am so excited that this year Christmas is on Sunday. We aren't even going to open presents until after church and our nursing home visit!
Oh how I wish we were all about our Lord at Christmas...we are so far from there...many reasons but mostly we just like to give smiles at Christmas...and the idea of not gift giving brings images of very disappointed kiddos to mind - so sad but true. Everyone is looking forward to Christmas morning...some of th children believe in Santa - some of the children know we're Santa...I was thinking this year we'd have a birthday cake for Jesus and then build on His life in future years as we try to be more like Him. Blessings!
We like to give gifts, but not overboard..... but I fear this year, we may have gone too far. :)
We like to celebrate the season with special things like watching the Birth of Christ in movies, going to Christmas Specials (we saw the Getty's this year) and participating in programs. Next Sunday we will be participating our church's christmas program. We like to focus on helping a family that is struggling, and in visiting the nursing home with cards.
We like to visit with family, and hopefully all the kids will be home at the same time this year. :)
We don't celebrate the birth of Jesus or St. Nicholas in our home. We celebrate the real miracle of Chanukah, just as Jesus celebrated it, and as it had been celebrated for quite some time before Jesus. We celebrate the miracle of the oil that lasted 8 days, the dedication of the Temple that we believe will stand again. We proclaim that miracle by lighting and displaying our candles for all to see. It's really pretty when you walk down the street and you see the chanukiyot lit in every window on the street.
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