what christmas means to us.

my perspective of christmas has changed this year.  

it wasn't until this year that i have really taken the time to think about how i want to teach my kids about christmas, i guess since cole is getting older.  but in the past year, i have changed so much. 

been a student of the Lord and grown so much. 

and as a result, my perspective on many things in life, including christmas, has changed and been formed.  

last week i went to a cookie exchange and came home with lots of yummy cookies.  

sorry, no pictures, we were too busy eating cookies.  

but we did have some good discussion about christmas and its true meaning.  we were all going around sharing some of our christmas traditions and i shared about our advent calendar that we started this year and our daily scripture devotional to go with it.  i was able to share how our focus is on Jesus.  

i think a lot of the ladies were surprised to hear that we don't take the kids to see santa, that cole has in fact never been to see santa. 

in fact, we don’t play up santa at all and actually don’t even talk to cole about getting presents 

(don’t worry, he will get some presents).  

but he doesn’t know that he is “supposed” to get some.  he knows that santa is the man in a red suit and a beard, but has no idea that santa brings toys.  he doesn't know he is supposed to ask santa for anything. he doesn't have a wish list.   

and ya know what?  

i like it that way.  

i like that when you ask cole about christmas, he tells you about a manger in bethlehem and how mary and joseph had to ride a camel to the hotel because they didn’t have a car (he’s 3, cut him some slack).  i love that he looks forward to doing our advent calendar each morning and being able to put the special ornaments on the tree himself.  

we read about our devotional each day from our advent calendar and talk about jesus and that this is the reason we celebrate christmas.  

and i am not anti-santa.  i have santa ornaments and the clara has santa pajamas and as a fictional character he is fun.  but i am just don't like the idea of teaching my kids about something that isn't true.  especially when it takes away from teaching them about christ.  

don't get me wrong, we still love christmas and do lots of christmas things.  we have a christmas tree, hang ornaments, bake christmas cookies, and watch a couple of christmas movies.   

but that is not our focus.  

we don't spend our time teaching cole or talking to him about santa, elves, or having to be good to earn presents.

this year, we did not really buy cole any presents.  there were two things that i bought him last year that he really was not that interested in because he was a little young and so we are re-giving them to him this year.  and the girls really don'd need much so we got them one larger toy to share that i found a consignment sale and some new bloomers.  

plus each year we give the kids one ornament that represents them and what they are interested in.  this is a tradition that we had with my family growing up and we are continuing to do it with our kids.   obviously with the girls, they are getting their babies' first christmas ornaments.  cole is actually getting a set of two ornaments, a dump truck and a concrete mixer. 

(and brenner and i will be getting things too from family, i am sure. but we don't buy gifts for each other.  instead we decided years ago to take that money and put it towards the missionary organizations that our church supports.  and this year we also chose not to do christmas cards but to put that money towards operation christmas child, which was hard for me because i love christmas cards!)     

why no emphasis on gifts? 

because we have enough. 

 i know that there are a thousand things that cole would love and enjoy playing with and get lots of use out of at the toy store.  

but we don't need it.  

we have enough....so much, actually.

one of the things that i have been so convicted about over the last couple of years is needs versus wants.  

i used to think that i needed things.

things to impress others.   

things to make me look good.

things to fit in. 

things to make my home like the ones in magazines and on pinterest.

but the desires of my heart are constantly being purified and changed as i spend more time in The Word and less time on myself.  

and this is the best time of year to put into practice what He is teaching me. 

so my kid doesn't get lots of new toys?  

so what?  

will he love me less? 

no

will i look bad as a mom for not buying him the latest and greatest?  

will he not have what all the other kids have?

i don't care.  

everyday, cole exclaims, 'mommy, lets play together!!!' several times.  

some days are easier than others to stop what i am doing and say yes.  (because moms always have lots to do!!!) 

but the greatest gift that i can give him is time with me.  time with brenner.  time with his sisters. 

time where we laugh and play and be silly.  we go for walks and bake cupcakes and paint and get messy in the dirt. 

together.

this year, and i hope every year, i am choosing to say no to the need for things.

and things will surely get harder in the future as he gets older and wants more things.  but starting this way now, we hope to teach him early what is and is not important about christmas.

i know that i am probably ruffling a lot of feathers here.  

actually, i am sure of it.

  

i know so many wonderful people who promote the idea of santa and magic and the north pole and the nice and naughty list.  and who do all this while also teaching their children about jesus's birth. 

but i am saddened to hear of the hours that are spent shopping, waiting in line to see santa, setting up stunts for the elf and many of the other things that we can get consumed with during this season.  

hours that could be spent with your family, reading and talking and learning about the only real gift that we need, god's grace. 

 like i said, i know that many, maybe most or all of you, will think that we are crazy.  you totally disagree with us.  and that is just fine.  i am not judging my friends for what they are and are not doing for christmas.  but we have been convicted to really look closely about what we are teaching our children daily and that includes christmas and giving up some of the worldly things so that we can strive to be more like christ.  

and in this month of december, where we have been exposed to the horrors of our sinful world and watched innocent children die, where the world was supposedly coming to an end, and where, through tragedy of friends, i am reminded that i am to hold onto things of this world loosely and i am not guaranteed another day with my family, i am reminded why christ came.  

he was born to die for me, for my sins, for the sins of this fallen world.  

and i will celebrate that, and only that, to the fullest this christmas.