I have often been asked how we handle the concept of Santa in our home. The reality is that up until this year it was not much of a discussion point. We focused on Christmas as Jesus’ birthday and although my dad dresses up as Santa for the children, we have not really spent time speaking about Santa. This year, the twins are 5, and the questions have begun.
“Is Santa real?”
“How does Santa get across the whole earth in one night?”
“How does Santa find what everyone wants?”
“is Santa always watching me?”
The list goes on and on.
I had thought a lot about how we would handle this when the time came, but in the end I wasn’t really prepared. I found myself unable to lie to my children but also not wanting to take away from the “pretend and play” that is so important in childhood.
So, in the end, we have found balance….time in the “magical pretend” and time speaking about our Magestic Lord.
We have asked what is on their wish list…they each get to pick one thing to ask for. We had fun writing letters to Santa for the first time this year too. But we acknowledge that it is part of pretend play and they do not need to be concerned that a random man is “watching them” to see if they are good or bad. And what is fascinating to me about this is that they have not asked where the gifts come from since Santa is pretend. They just go with it and have found it all to be very fun.
Within our conversation about gifts, we also talk about the greatest gift of all…baby Jesus. We talk about how we give gifts as a reminder of the gift of His birth and love and also in celebration of his birthday. We have always had a Birthday cake on Christmas as part of the dessert selections and we will do so again this year. We sing happy birthday to the King of All Kings and it is a true celebration.
We also have focused on that fact that it doesn’t matter if we are “good or bad” for God…He will always love and accept us.
This is not meant to be persuasive or seen as passing judgement for doing things in any other way. It is just to simply say that this is how we have chosen to do things in our home. And I would encourage you to always be true to what you feel is best for your family in this and all situations that arise. It is my hope that we are models to this next generation of people who love and accept rather than judge and tear down. If you have other ideas, comments, or are willing to share what you do in your home, I would truly love to hear them below.
Thanks for reading. And in case you are wondering…the gorgeous Jord Reese Watch is pictured on my wrist in the photo above. You can get 25% off your own via the link: https://www.woodwatches.com/g/motherhoodandmeals until December 12th, 2017.