Me and Santa, We Have an Understanding!
I love Christmas-time. We put up lights and reindeer bob their mechanical heads on our lawn. We buy and decorate a tree, build gingerbread men and houses, hang Pottery Barn Stockings, send out Holiday cards, create a feast for Christmas Eve dinner with neighbors, lay out cookies and milk for Santa, and await anxiously for the morning to tear into as many gifts as possible.
And I also love Jesus.
Growing up, we did not celebrate Christmas like many around us did. My conservative background was a blessing and it brought with it a reverence for TRUTH in Scripture and since the actual birth date of Christ is unknown, and we do not know what Jesus actually looked like, we shied away from earmarking Christmas as a "Christian" event in and of itself or laying out a nativity scene with a baby Jesus figurine.
Now, let me say-I find not one thing wrong with those who do the above. But for me, I like that Christmas is a holiday where we get to imagine Santa coming down the chimney, spoil our kids with gifts (let's face it, hard knocks will come soon enough-I want to, for one day a year, indulge my kids in the joy of surprises and toys) and relish the seasonal fun of this time of year. I don't think I'm taking away the importance of Jesus birth or that my kids won't make a stand for Christ if we don't strip down this holiday to the bare truth of the advent of Jesus.
I just want to enjoy all of it!
More importantly, the emphasis of Jesus' birth, death and resurrection, His commandments to us as His people, and how to build character and fruits of the Spirit are for the Lias, a DAILY thing, every day of the year. We don't reserve it for Christmas. We may add an emphasis to it in December, but I want to hold onto this passage:
Deuteronomy 6:6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
So, it's one big mixed up bag around here. Jesus, Santa, joy, and celebration.
Merry Christmas!
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