All Things Christmas

The Reason for the Season, Not Telling My Kids Santa Does All The Work, & Ways to Make December Shine

My childhood Christmases were magical. My mom worked at an oil company and my dad plowed snow for over-time, which meant my parents had plenty of money around the holidays. We weren’t spoiled all year, but we were definitely spoiled at Christmas. Big Christmas lists were made each year and we often got what we asked for.

Santa was a huge deal. We would go see him at the local fire house. My Uncle Jimmy had Santa bells and would call us pretending to be Santa. I remember listening really hard on Christmas Eve to see if I could hear Santa’s sleigh in the sky. I also remember being absolutely heartbroken the day I realized my parents were Santa.

My dad and brothers did a beautiful display of lights and decorations outside. My mom, my brothers, and I worked hard to decorate the inside of the house. We had a manger showing the scene of baby Jesus’ birth as one of our decorations, that my grandpa who passed away before I was born had built, but much of the other décor was Santa themed.

Every year we walked around New York City with aunts, uncles, and cousins – we called it the Christmas Walk. We would look at the decorations at the fancy department stores, look around at the toys at FAO Schwarz, and stop by the biggest Christmas tree we could find – in Rockefeller Plaza, of course. It was one of my favorite days of the year.

I am very grateful for the beautiful memories we made and many of these traditions I love – we took our kids to NYC last year to see the tree and the beautifully adorned windows and it was magical for all of us.

We went to church on Christmas morning. Jesus was a part of my childhood Christmas, but not a big enough part considering He is the reason for the season.

CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC DISCLAIMER: We don’t do Santa in our house. The kids know the gifts come from us and their other family members. The magic of Christmas is alive and well, and more importantly ALL of my children know why we celebrate Christmas and that the birth of our Savior is the reason for the season - NOT Santa Claus.

My husband’s mom felt convicted that the whole charade of Santa was lying to her kids so this was important for him, as well. I grew up believing in Santa until I found a list of things my mom had written down for each of us that showed what I had gotten from Santa for Christmas. That’s when I knew. I also have trust issues so I pride myself on not lying…ever…to anyone. I am happy to always be honest with my children.

So therefore, we have chosen to allow our kids to know that Santa is a fictional character that we love in the stories, but he isn’t the one who puts all of the love and effort into making their Christmases special every single year. We also respect everyone else’s choices and our kids know to not say this to others. We don’t want to ruin it for others who enjoy the Santa tradition.

I wish I knew sooner because I now realize how much loving effort went into each and every Christmas from my mom especially - and how much work and thought she still puts into it for her 9 grandchildren.

As I became a mom, I did many of the same things. My kids got dozens and dozens of presents under the tree. Their stockings were filled to the brim. Not only that, both sides of our family are super thoughtful and generous and love showering our kids with gifts. I realized we were spending way too much money, they were getting far too many gifts for our house to store, and we were forming entitled kids which is something I desperately wanted to avoid, so we made some changes.

1. We give our children 3 gifts on Christmas morning now and we fill their stockings with small items. Jesus got 3 gifts from the 3 wise men so we do the same. I don’t encourage my kids to make long lists because that just promotes greed and selfishness. Usually, we just buy them what we know they will love or we ask if there is any gift they are desiring and we prioritize getting that item. We are very intentional with their gifts. Quality over quantity.

2. We read the Bible story on Christmas Eve. Now that two of our kids can read, I will probably have them read it to the family this year, but it is important to read this story to remember what we are celebrating.

3. We prioritize reading books about Jesus and the Christmas Story. I just took an inventory of our Christmas books and I must admit - many of ours are not about Jesus. As long as a bunch of them do and we continually talk about Jesus, I think that is enough. We just don’t want a collection of Christmas books that entirely neglects Jesus. My favorite is “Itsy Bitsy Christmas” by Max Lucado - a wonderful way to see the Christmas story through the eyes of two mice.

4. We make sure to watch The Star as a family which is a great depiction of the Christmas story and fun for the whole family.

5. We go to church to celebrate Christmas and our church gives out boxes of cake and frosting so now we bake a cake and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, too!

6. We focus on the family. We make a Christmas Bucket List of all of the special activities we like to do together during the month of December (see below).

We always make such amazing memories in December while keeping Jesus at the forefront. Even though my childhood Christmases were magical – my husband and I found a way to enhance them and focus more on the birth of our Savior.

Ideas, Traditions, and Memories To Make:

• Give your kids matching pajamas and a new Christmas book on Thanksgiving.

• Attend Local Christmas Light Shows – James Island Light Show near Charleston for us!

• Drive around and look at lights with hot chocolate.

• Bake sugar cookies and decorate them.

• Build gingerbread houses.

• Watch kid-friendly Christmas movies - especially The Star since it is focused on Jesus.

• Read Christmas books from your personal collection or from the library.

• Go to the Lights at the zoo – Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens in Columbia, SC for us!

• Mail Christmas cards to family and friends.

• Make a homemade ornament with handprints.

• Decorate the house as a family with Christmas music on.

• Walk around your city and look at the decorations.

• Eat candy canes (sans red 40 – they do exist!).

• Christmas Cookie exchange with friends – everyone bakes a dozen & takes a dozen.

• Wear buffalo plaid pajamas all day every Christmas (hand-me-downs make this easy).

• Visit family close to the holidays, if not on the actual day. We prefer to be in our own home 12/25.

• Eat sausage, egg and cheese casserole & homemade cinnamon buns Christmas morning or some other special make-ahead meal.

• Deliver Christmas cookies to neighbors.

• Donate extra at church and donate to those less fortunate.

• Listen to Christmas music in the car on drives near and far.

I hope you got an idea or two that you would like to try. Would love to hear some of your favorite Christmas traditions and Christmas picture books – Jesus related or otherwise – in the comments below.

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-Tara

PS Sorry to seemingly rush the season – we will be decorated with pumpkins and leaves here through Thanksgiving, but it is fun to plan ahead as Christmas is just around the corner!

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