TJ and I have been discussing lately what we plan on doing with the whole Santa issue with our kids. We know that our parents and other family members will want to play up Santa, but we aren't sure about it because we want to make sure that our kids know the real reason for Christmas. It's no simple task to tell your children that Santa doesn't exist, though, because all the other kids will be talking about Santa once they get to school. I was one of those jerks in first grade who told others that Santa didn't exist, and I would hate for our kids to be like that. And how do you explain all the Santa decorations around peoples' houses?
My vision for Christmas is for our family to go out together every year to pick out gifts to donate to children who are less fortunate. I would love for our kids to be able to think about others and put aside their own desires at the toy store so they can bless another kid their age. But how do you incorporate Santa into that vision? How do you explain why Santa doesn't go to those kids' houses?
I would love to hear other Christian parents' advice on this topic because it's really important to us to focus on Jesus rather than the greed that so easily infects kids around the holidays. This isn't an easy decision to make, but thank God, we have another year until we have to deal with it. I don't quite have a satisfactory answer yet, but all I know is what some friends and mentors have told us to keep in the back of our minds about any decision: What are your family values, and what decision will be consistent with those values?
When it comes to the Christmas holiday, our family values are to enjoy time with family and to bless others. Jesus has to be at the center of everything we do, and during the Christmas season, that will be even more important to keep in mind as the focus of Christmas can too easily be about presents and busyness.
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