12.18.2010

naughty warning: i am venting

i promise i will be good after this....

are your kids asking a billion questions about santa this year?
this is my first year to have two children in public school, and let me tell you, those people HARD SELL those little trusting kids on santa.
i have seen two holiday concerts in the last two days and i feel like i am about to punch the first mall santa i see, in the face, and kick frosty in the snowballs.
and really, i have nothing against those fun guys in general....
it's just, i am starting to feel a bit sold short.

i love christmas.
i love being together and seeing the wonder in my children's eyes as we decorate and look at lights.
i LOVE sitting quietly and pondering in my heart, that christmas day represents the day that changed EVERYTHING.
the day that started the way my hero rescued me from pain and sorrow forever.
the day that my hope began.
the day that the One who made every single beautiful thing and who keeps my heart beating and keeps the stars in the sky and the blood flowing through my babies' veins, humbled Himself enough to restrict his powers, temporarily, and took on skin and bones and muscles and human breath.
when i really think about that, i kinda want to curl up into the fetal position and have a good cry.
a cry of gratefulness and relief.
this isn't it.
this life where, truth be told, i go through way too many days thinking about myself and my wants and "needs" instead of hoping and rejoicing in the prior mentioned truth.
this life where my children are pummeled with santa and frosty and goofy songs instead of being fed what they really need.
i want to teach them to go tell the truth on the mountain.....Jesus has come to save you from this life being "it"!
and somehow, despite all this dramatic truth, santa gets top billing everywhere we go!
i know you all know this and do your best to counteract it and give your kids a healthy take on santa, but i am just frustrated about all the effort it takes this year.
my boys are asking so. many. technical. questions. and i start to feel like i have to choose between fun and reality, do you?
there are so many fabrications that are easier to come up with than carefully(without stealing the joy and spirit) explaining to them the real deal.
i have had discussions with many of my good mommy friends. good moms.
and everyone one of them had a little different idea on the tricky line we walk.
i respect each persons ideas, but for me, for some reason, this year, more than ever before, i want NO MORE things that are just plain not true.
because my kids believe them, if i tell them!
their dad doesn't really talk to santa on his cell the week before christmas.
santa does not have a naughty or nice list!
he CANNOT see you when you are sleeping!
he doesn't know if you've been bad or good....

because there really was a St. Nick all those years ago and he gave out of the love in his heart!
that really happened!
let's enjoy that.
that is a good story.
better than any made up crap!
check out this book for little kids.
santa are you for real?
at our house we do advent, that includes incorporating god's words and promises into christmas.
but, somehow it doesn't seem to be enough.
to me, at least.
what do you think?

thank you for indulging my ranting.
do any of you smart people have any good ideas for encouraging imagination and wonder, while not lying?
or do most of you just think i am crazy worrier and should just enjoy the days that my kids are still so into santa?
sigh.
sometimes i wish i could turn off my brain.

7 comments:

  1. I hear ya!! We've never done the Santa deal with our kids and they still love Christmas and get so excited!! We're not anti Santa, but just don't make a big deal about him. This link is awesome: http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/mark_driscoll/2010/12/what_we_tell_our_kids_about_santa.html

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  2. I think is is hard to explain such an abstract idea of Jesus and the importance of Christmas to a child...they really arent fully able to conceptualize how important he was and is....so my only advice to you as a mother is to be patient...and realize it wont last forever...I have a nine year old who didnt even WANT to be in the picture with santa with my 3 year old because he didnt see the point....so I didnt make him...but he does love talking about REAL things about the birth of Christ and Christmas..we also talk about the spirit of Christmas and how presents really represent giving to others who cant help themselves...be patient....they will grow up and you will miss the santa days that used to drive you crazy...LOLs...<3

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  3. I totally understand and I'm sure that you have talked to Bea about what we do. I just put a long list of "Ways to Make Christmas Sacred" on our church website at www.calvarylife.org/Christmas

    Check it out. I think it has some cool ideas for how to take this whole thing to the next level in practical ways. We wholeheartedly believe in sharing the true St Nick story with our kids and NO FAT JOLLY MAN GETS CREDIT FOR THE GIFTS WE BUY WITH OUR HARD-EARNED CASH

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  4. I'm right there with ya! Love the book, 'Santa, Are You for Real?'

    I shared about our santa journey as well last week:
    http://www.wonderwomanwannabe.com/2010/12/how-to-keep-santa-sidekick-of-christmas.html

    also, I found this to be an inspiring
    article on redeeming St. Nick as well:

    http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/mark_driscoll/2010/12/what_we_tell_our_kids_about_santa.html

    Cheers!
    ~h

    ps - can you supply a 'how to' with me for your tiny gingerbread houses? (esp. the frosting)- I'd love to do that this Tuesday for a play date we're hosting! :)

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  5. I totally agree with you- we love that book, and are blessed to have the copy I had as a child! We don't talk too much about Santa, and I always remind them what it's all about this time of year. But still, the magic and lure of Santa is pretty big.

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  6. I feel your pain on this one. We do not do Santa either. I am the only one of my friends that does Christmas this way.

    The other day at the grocery store a nice young lady asked my boys 5 & 2 if Santa was coming to our house. The 2 year old was clueless but the 5 year old looked at me then looked at her and shook his head. She looked at him sadly so I told her we did celebrate Christmas, but Santa didn't come to our house. He wasn't real, but Jesus was real. She laughed at us and walked away! Nice.

    It is so counter-cultural even among Christians to not do Santa. It's a hard thing to do, but we feel it's right for our family.

    I'll have to check out that book. Thanks.

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  7. I almost wrote a post that would have been exactly word for word like this one!!! But I ended up running out of time and didn't want to waste any more precious moments on a fat man in a red suit :) haha! We tell our kids the true story of St. Nick and then we don't focus on him anymore. He's not the star of Christmas--Jesus is!! And our kids LOVE that Christmas is all about Jesus! They ARE getting it and that makes my heart happy :) Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

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