The Second Day of Christmas...

I have a dear friend that blogs- not about the jerk that cut her off in traffic or the cute thing one of her kids said today- but about the things that matter.  We've not lived in the same town in almost 6 years and I cherish her updates as a peek into her daily life.  Over the past year, she has bared her soul about the lack of community in her church, the state of orphans around the world, and lately, her views on Halloween.  What's the common thread here?  These are all topics she has attacked with her heart on her sleeve.  We're talking a ton of passion and conviction here... all to make you think about how you are living.  She will occasionally apologize for offending her audience, however she never apologizes for convicting them.  I have recently prayed for more boldness in my life, and here is the result...  Over the past few weeks, I have had this conversation with more and more moms, never realizing the amount of ire, judgement, and self-righteousness this topic packs.  Where in the world am I going with this??  Gay marriage??  Health-care reform??  Nope...

On the second day of Christmas, God blessed me with... peace about the fat man in a red suit...
and a sweet party with new and old friends!

I grew up with my family doing Santa Claus.  We trekked to the mall, sat on his lap, wrote him letters, left out milk and cookies, the whole nine yards.  When my son was born 8 years ago, it never occured to me to NOT participate in this time-honored tradition.  I had no idea there were families out there that spurned the jolly old man.  In fact, a knew a couple of Jews that welcomed him as part of their Hanakhah celebration!  Lately, however, I have been made aware of a growing number of families that are simply opting out of this seemimgly innocent Norman Rockwell-ian belief.  Honestly, this idea intrigued me- why would anyone deny their child this little bit of magic in a world where they are growing up faster than we can control?  I set aside some time earlier this season to talk to some of these moms and see if I didn't need to re-evaluate my stance on Ol' St Nick...  As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't prepared for the self-righteousness this topic creates. 

The most disturbing argument involved the idea that once your child finds out that Santa Claus- a man that they can't see, is celebrated at Christmas, and  "sees you when you're sleeping... knows when you've been bad or good"- isn't real, they might start to question their belief in another Man that fits the same description...  While thought provoking, I have to agree- if you only bring Jesus out in December and showcase Him as someone who will show up and make your dreams come true, then yes, you run the risk of your child equating them, and ultimately, their existence.  To me, this logic is akin to homeshoolers that don't teach mythology because they don't want their children to confuse Zeus with God.  If Jesus is talked about in your home, 365 days a year, as a Comforter, a Refuge, and a Redeemer, there will be no comparison!  We're talking about the Creator of the Universe vs. a snappily dressed, fat FedEx guy. 

The second prevailing sentiment among this camp is the idea of "lying to your children".  Ok... so don't.  As soon as my oldest son asked me, point blank, if Santa was real, I told him the truth.   In the years since his father and I had separated and divorced, I'd received the sound advice that while my son didn't need the whole truth about our situation, I shouldn't lie to him about it.  When faced with the option of being dishonest (the easy way out) and coming clean (a tough conversation), I'm glad I applied that advice to this predicament. 

Last week, I was with a group of Christian moms discussing the upcoming Christmas season.  The topic of "To Claus or Not" came up and I was blown away by the self-rightouesness the non-Claus camp was propagating.  While I left this gathering a little ruffled, a sweet friend called me later that afternoon, worried that she was ruining her children by allowing this little bit of merriement and wonder into their young lives.  Now I was mad.  Everyone's entitled to their opinion- Lord knows, I have my share- and occasionally we have the opportunity to share these thoughts and reasonings with others in a respecful and non-judgemental manner.  I mean, we weren't debating the merits of open marriage or puppy-killing!  I was so upset that my friend had questioned not only her parenting, but also her relationship with Jesus over this nonsense.

You may find fault with my arguments- I certainly welcome your comments and opinions.  Just know that I'll delete them in a heartbeat if my parenting or Christian walk are called into question :-) 'Cause that's how I roll...

So our stockings are hung by the chimney with care...