Baby Santa

Like it or not, Christmas usually stirs up lots of memories. I happen to like it because most of my memories are good. Here's one of my favorites.

It was the Christmas of 1985 and my firstborn, Jessica, was two years and four months old. I wondered if she would remember any of the things I tried to teach her the previous Christmas. She was only sixteen months at the time, so I wasn't sure she'd retain much of the story of Jesus' birth. But I told her about it anyway. We talked of birthdays and babies and how much God loved us. I showed her the nativity set and told her who each person was. I quizzed her almost daily about who that baby was. She quickly learned to reply, "Baby Jesus!"

So this year as I unwrapped the ceramic figures and lovingly placed them in the stable, she looked on with restrained excitement.

"This is Mary, the mama," I reminded her. "And this is Joseph, the daddy."

I took the baby from its protective cocoon and set him in front of Mary and Joseph. "Here's the baby."

She looked at me expectantly.

"Do you remember His name?"

Her brown eyes sparkled, a smile lit up her face. "Yes!"

A sizzle of excitement ran through me. She remembers! "You do? What is it?"

"Baby Santa!"

Well, not exactly what I hoped she'd say, but we've laughed about it ever since. By the end of that Christmas season she had it down pat and has never forgotten again. Now she teaches her own children about the Christ child and His miraculous birth.

Do you have a special Christmas story you like to retell? Share it with your family this year for old time's sake.

Linda

Santa and Me

Though I titled this post Santa and me, I'm not sure we actually have a relationship. Sorry.
Santa and I have had an on again, off again relationship most of my life. More off than on, really. I don't have any ill feelings toward the jolly old elf, but I was never enamored with him like some kids are.

While growing up, my parents always taught us that Christmas was Jesus' birthday and that's why we celebrate. I never once felt like I missed out by not being fed the whole Santa Claus story. I still got gifts, but they were from people I loved like my parents, siblings, and grandparents. To me, that was more special than getting them from someone I didn't know who dressed in a funny red suit.

I never had to go through the trauma of learning that Santa wasn't real. I'd never believed in him to begin with. It wasn't that my parents bad-mouthed the guy or said we couldn't believe in him. It just wasn't our focus. He was just another decoration, like Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph. Jesus was the real deal and our attention was on Him.

As a child, I loved babies. I loved the Bible story of baby Moses being hidden in the reeds and guarded by his big sister, Miriam. My love of babies also extended to the baby Jesus figurine in our nativity set. He was so cute! I loved him before I understood the significance of who He was.

And maybe that's the point. Decorations like the nativity scene silently point families to Jesus, the reason for our Christmas celebration. They cultivate something deep in a child (and adults!) that gives them hope. This hope isn't just for Christmas morning like the kind Santa offers. It's hope that lasts through all of life and its crazy ups and downs. It hands out love like the gift it is, wrapped in a swaddling cloth, lying in a manger.

Santa is jolly, Jesus is joy. Santa is temporary, Jesus is forever. Santa keeps a list of our wrongs, Jesus wiped them away on the cross. Santa rides in a reindeer-pulled sleigh, Jesus will one day return on a cloud, no vehicle required.

So Santa and me? I'm so over him. But Jesus and me? Yeah. We're a forever thing.

Where do things stand between you and Santa? More importantly, where do things stand with you and Jesus? 

Linda

Putting Christmas Away

I love celebrating Christmas. Any story with a baby always captures my attention, but a baby, conceived supernaturally, born to save the world? Just hearing the first few words from Luke, chapter two stirs my soul. "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register" (NIV). I know what's coming--Who's coming! God's only Son, heavenly hosts, lowly shepherds, a young mother wrapping her newborn in swaddling clothes and laying Him in a manger, peace, goodwill toward men. I love the story. It is the beginning of my salvation.

That said, I don't love all the work that goes into Christmas, either to make the holiday happen or to put it away. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the decorations and music, the red and the green. But I dislike putting up the tree and the lights and taking them down again just a few short weeks later. It's like a writer saying they don't like writing, but they love to "have written." The same is true for me at Christmas. I love the result, but not the work it takes to get there.

This year I was blessed to have my two oldest grandsons, ages twelve and ten, come help put up the outside lights with Grandpa and then return to take them and the Christmas tree down. It was a gift they didn't even know they'd given. I was elated not to have to deal with that tree. Sure, there were other parts of the house I had to un-decorate, but at least that big part was done. It made the rest seem so much more manageable. 

But guess what? The boxes of decorations, lights, and wreaths that we took down are still sitting in my entryway waiting to be stashed into the closet for another year. They've been there for four days now. I hate looking at them. But do I move them? No. Why? Because I hate putting Christmas away! I'm ready to be done with it and move on into the New Year, operating on a routine schedule, but those boxes are still sitting. And so am I. 

So, today I am making myself a promise. Those boxes of decorations will be out of my entryway by tomorrow. After all, putting away Christmas in no way means I'm putting away Jesus. He'll still be the radiant centerpiece of my life, burning brighter than any Christmas candle. But I'll feel more organized and ready to tackle the New Year with those boxes securely packed away. My heart will be able to sing, "Oh come let us adore Him" with fresh fervor when my house is less chaotic. 

Sing with me, "Joy to the world, the boxes are gone!"

Anyone else feel like this? Or are you one who would love to keep Christmas up all year long? Chime in in the comments.

Linda

Teaching the True Meaning of Christmas

In all the busyness of the Christmas season, it's easy to let its true meaning slip through the cracks of the rough manger bed. Is it really that important our kids hear the age-old story about Jesus' birth? Isn't it a little outdated and boring?

The answer is a resounding, "No!" That dusty old story, handed down through the centuries, loved by millions, is more than just a story to be told to your child. It's an anchor for his soul. It puts meaning into all the chaos. It whispers in your child's ear at night that Jesus was born as a baby just like he was. It makes Jesus someone your child can relate to. Your son or daughter can imagine Him as a baby, then as a child growing up. Telling the biblical Christmas story allows the Christ-child to be his Jesus, not just his parents' or pastor's.

So how do you get across this all-important story to a child? Here are some ideas for teaching the true meaning of Christmas:

• Purchase a kid-friendly nativity scene. It can be made of plastic, fabric, or anything else that won't break. Encourage your child to hold the baby and move the characters around. There is no "right" place for each one to be. Help him to understand this isn't just another toy. It's special and should be treated with love and respect, just like the Bible is more special than any other book.
• "Tell" the Christmas story with the nativity scene. Put only Joseph and Mary in the stable at first. On Christmas Eve, let your kids put the baby in the manger. Then let them arrange the angel and the shepherds. Wait to put the wise men in the scene until after Christmas since they didn't likely arrive until later, perhaps even as much as three or four years later! Or let your children act out the story with the nativity characters as you read it from an easy-to-understand Bible version or a children's storybook.
• Provide simple costumes and props (bathrobes, scarves, towels, baby doll, stuffed animals) and have your children put on a play of the first Christmas.
• Have your children create their own storybooks telling the Christmas story using their own words and illustrations.
• Make a birthday cake for Jesus and decorate the house for a birthday party.
• Talk to your children about what gifts they can give Jesus for His birthday, then place them under the Christmas tree. What would make Jesus happy?
• Go outside at night and look at the stars. Talk about how the wise men followed a special star to find Jesus after He was born.

Another way to teach your children the true meaning of Christmas is to hold a shepherd's dinner. I'll explain how to do this in next week's post. In the meantime, keep looking for teachable moments and ways to point your children to Jesus at this hectic time of year. As the angels told the shepherds that night, "Fear not!" Your kids will get the important message of Jesus' birth if the message is important to you!

Christmas blessings!

Linda