My sweet babies have brought me a new love and appreciation of the holiday season. Jack is so excited for Christmas. And while the thought of new toys is exciting, it is the little things that have him enchanted. He loves the "instruments" (ornaments) on the tree. He loves the Christmas songs on the radio. He wants to bake a holiday treat everyday. I love that he is waiting for the day Santa comes.
A trend has emerged to take Santa out of Christmas. While I understand the importance for Christians to make the holiday Christ focused, I take issue with demonizing St. Nick. I think it is some crazy, confused Jesus movement. Poor Jesus. I don't think he minds our sweet children believing in Santa anymore than he minds them believing Mickey Mouse is real when they see him at Disney World.
Children are smart. Their minds are complex enough to grasp both Jesus and Santa. Santa is a fun way to celebrate the magic of the holiday.
From where I am sitting I worry that the anti-Santa movement may only serve to make children resent religion. But if Santa is not in your family's tradition, I respect that.
God is always good. Any time religion leads to negative words or actions that is not God but man's abuse of religion. God and religion are not the same thing.
As we move through this holiday season let's not nitpick each other's traditions. Instead let's focus on the love and joy of the season. Let's take time to love our neighbors and share our abundance.
I want Jack and Grace to experience the fun and magic of the holiday. Childhood is oh so brief and I don't want them to miss a minute of the joy.
It is gonna be a fun month! Christmas at the Driver house is gonna be a blast. My goal is to post a lot this month so that our distant family and friends can share in our celebration. So stay tuned...
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