That jolly, old, soul, whom I have equated with the devil, is really not so bad. He really does represent something good. Something wonderful. Something selfless. How can I argue with bringing a smile to my children's faces? Or bringing joy to a despairing soul? That is what Santa is all about.
While I do not hate Santa anymore (and have gained a new appreciation for his history), I don't want him to be the focus of our Christmas celebrations. For me, the reason for this holiday, Christ's birth, is a monumental event. One that I wish my children to reflect on. To feel. In addition, I want to build new family traditions that center on togetherness. God aside, I cherish family above all else in this mortal realm.
Will I neglect Santa? Not likely. However, for this year, Santa will not be visiting our house for two reasons. 1) Funds are quite limited and 2) the kiddies are too young to even care (thank goodness!).
I am excited to build memories with my babies. I will relish in their smiles, engage my dearest in lively conversation, and have fun. There can never be too much fun!
In my last post, I failed to give credit where it is due. That song I quoted? Yeah, that is by John Lennon (if you didn't know). Whom I love. I only wish I were as talented as he in creating beautiful lyrics.
Way to put the important things first!
ReplyDelete(Apropos of nothing, your babies have the fattest cheeks and I want to bite them! Too cute for words)
ReplyDeleteAmbrosia, I meant for my last post to make people stop and thing how one split second decision can forever alter their lives and the lives of their loved ones forever. I rewrote that post several times. I waxed poetic; I tried fiery criticism...but finally, just the photos, the dates, the simple details I hoped spoke much louder than anything else I came up with.
This Christmas, a woman has lost her son; children have lost their father and their mother; our jails will be three bodies fuller all because of one anger-infused second.
That's all I wanted - to make my readers remember how fragile are our lives and how precious and important our babies are.
Thank you for reading me..
It's one of the great things about having tiny kids, they don't know the difference. In my family, since I never wanted to ruin the Santa Claus thing for my kids' friends who believed (I didn't want to have Jewish children who ran around ruining it for everyone else) when they asked me if there was a Santa Claus I just said that Santa Claus was part of Christmas and Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' birth, so it isn't part of our tradition. Later I told them but they had to be sworn to secrecy. To me, the things that Santa is supposed to stand for - good will, kindness towards all, charity and benevolence, these are traits that I try to foster in my kids at all times, even Jewish traits, if you will!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! They totally won't miss it and you will enjoy the holiday more. YES!
ReplyDeleteI'm touched to hear that you read my blog. Even more touched that a post of mine may have caused a change of heart for a symbol of Christmas that I dearly love. But you bring up some very good points in this post and others - what about the kids from modest means? My boys have asked that very question and I try to answer but quite honestly, I don't know. I've been one of the lucky ones. And so are MY children. But deep in my heart I hope and pray that there are many Santas out there (like the one I wrote about), people like you and me that do everything in their power to help keep the magic of Christmas giving and love alive. Skipping Santa when your children are so young is great idea for those who are strapped financially or just don't need the extra pressure or more things. And making the effort to focus on the "reason for the season" is expected in our home. One tradition we started when our children were young (and I was afraid the entire focus on Christmas would be on what gifts they would receive)-- every Christmas Eve Day the kids and I bake a cake together and decorate it. It says Happy Birthday, Jesus! It is the featured dessert that evening, complete with singing happy birthday and blowing out candles. Other things we participate in to remind us: it's the time of year that we clean out their toys and I have them come with me to Goodwill to drop them off, each child purchases a toy for "Toys for Tots" with their own money, and of course, going to church and hearing other people saying the same things we're trying to teach at home always helps. I wish you and your family a very, merry Christmas! Your sweet little babies want more than anything else, a happy mom who loves them. From reading your other posts it sounds like you are doing just that!
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