To Santa, or Not to Santa?

I never imagined this choice would be so difficult.

When I was a kid, Christmas was magical. Trees, lights, homemade cookies, trips to the store, Christmas albums, cards in the mailbox. The atmosphere was full of beauty and wonder and anticipation… all leading up to the big night, when Santa would come with presents for all.

I have very fond memories of Christmas as a child, and of course I want to create wonderful memories for my children as well, but deciding how to do Christmas has been hard. When my husband and I had our first child, we discussed what we wanted our holidays to look like. Would Santa come? The first year, our decision was pretty easy. The answer was “yes”.

For me, things changed after that first Christmas with our son. The next year we began attending church together and my husband and I started growing deeper in our faith. As our son’s second Christmas approached, I felt uncertain about how to celebrate. Although I really enjoyed the typical Christmas traditions, they suddenly felt so secular. Where was Jesus in Christmas? 

I wanted to celebrate the birth of our Savior, and I didn’t want that to be overshadowed. I wanted our son to grow up knowing the true meaning of Christmas. Sure, we had a nativity, and children’s books about Jesus’ birth, but it didn’t seem like enough. And suddenly, I wasn’t sure about Santa any more. I decided to talk to some Christian friends of ours, to see what traditions they have, and what Christmas looks like with their kids. 

Two of our friends said that Santa does not come to their house:

The first said that each of their children gets one present for Christmas. Their kids get to pick what they want, which means they know what they will get. She said since there is only one gift, it ends up being extra special. Her kids really like their present and can easily remember which toy they got each year.

The second said that they give three gifts to each of their children on Christmas. The three gifts symbolize the three gifts given to Jesus by the Wise Men. They said that the gifts they give are typically things that will help their children to grow spiritually.

Two of our other friends said that Santa does visit:

One said that their children each receive a gift from Santa for Christmas, but they don’t take their kids to see him, or even really talk about him at all. I asked her how she and her husband handle questions about Santa. She said that they typically turn the questions back to their children… “Is that what you heard?” or “What do you think?” 

My other friend said that she likes to talk to her child about the story of St. Nicholas, since that is where the whole Santa idea came from. She takes her child to see Santa every year. She told me that when her son is old enough, she will tell him that knowing the secret of Santa is a special treat, because then you get to share the spirit of giving with others.

It was interesting to hear about the unique celebrations each of our friends have. Ultimately, my husband and I decided that it would be just fine for Santa to continue to visit our home at Christmastime, but I also decided to add a little more Jesus! I tweak things a little bit each year as I try to find what works for us.

Here are a few things we have tried:

• We have a small 3’ Christmas tree that I made Advent ornaments for. Starting December 1st, we read a Bible story or devotional each day and then hang one ornament on the Advent tree.

• Every Christmas Eve, we go to church. It seems like it may go without saying, but I know there are many families who celebrate Christmas but do not go to church. Honestly, the Christmas Eve service is probably my favorite of the whole year. Each church I have been to seems to have their own traditions that make the service extra special.

• My favorite tradition is actually one from my childhood. When I was a kid, my mom would read the nativity story to me every Christmas Eve before bed. Now, I read one to my kids. I love that the last thing we talk about before going to sleep is Jesus’ birth. 

• Last year, instead of leaving out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve, we left out a birthday cupcake for Jesus. I guess I hadn’t thought this one through very well. After “giving” the cupcake to Jesus, it felt wrong to eat it, and wrong to throw it away, so it kind of just sat there for a few days and my five-year-old asked over and over if he could have it… needless to say, we won’t be doing that again.

• On Christmas morning, before opening presents, we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. I feel like my son kind of sings on auto-pilot as he scopes out what is under the tree, but maybe a small part of him thinks and remembers what Christmas is really all about. Then we eat cupcakes while we open gifts (but not Jesus’ cupcake!).

Thanks for reading! Merry Christmas!

“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Luke 1:30-33

~Sarah~

What traditions do you have to bring more Jesus into your Christmas celebrations?