How We Chose to Handle Santa Claus

We made the decision when our first son was just a baby that we would not teach our children about Santa Claus. First of all, the reason we chose not to teach our children about Santa was basically because Christmas is about Jesus and Jesus deserves our full attention and praise. Secondly, we strongly felt that we should not lie to our children ,even in “play”. Both Rick and I were saved when we were 16 years old. I had never heard of all the wonderful stories of the Bible as a child. There are so many truths in Scripture that are remarkable and not natural and I didn’t want to confuse my children as to which things Mommy told them were true and which were games we play. If I were to tell them the Santa story and they later learned it wasn’t true, how could I expect them to believe me when I told them about Daniel in the lion’s den or the parting of the Red Sea. I never wanted to intentionally lie to my children.

Therefore, my goal to was to magnify Jesus Christ during the Christmas season . I wanted my children to be devoted to the Lord and not distracted with fairy tales. I began to find meaningful ways to magnify Jesus. During the years we made ornaments for our tree with names of Jesus on them, things like Wonderful Counsellor,

Prince of Peace, Light of the World, Lamb of God, etc. I evaluated the things that we used for our celebration and taught my children what significance they had (these can be found below)

We soon learned that people in stores and friends would be asking him what Santa was going to bring him for Christmas. We realized we had to address it somehow. As for answering well meaning folks we rubbed shoulders with, I told my children that some people play the Santa game. I told them why we didn’t and made it clear that Christmas was about Jesus. I also taught them not to be rude to others and when asked what Santa would bring them, just to say, “We celebrate Jesus birthday on Christmas. Also, I taught them that it was not their responsibility to set others straight and they were not to tell other children there was no Santa. We told them Santa in the mall was someone’s daddy dressed up in a costume, but the Santa game was not something our family participated in. We were not to judge others, but do what God clearly led our family to do. This has worked well for our family through the years. Our children - young and adult love the Lord Jesus Christ and we all LOVE Christmas!! It is a highlight of the year for us and a time to remind us of the greatest sacrifice of all made in our behalf- that God sent His only Son to earth as a Babe to die on a cross for my sins and for yours! What a marvel! Jesus, we love you and we celebrate your arrival here on our sinful earth. Consider what traditions you will have as a family. We have more suggestions on our booklet, More Than Just a Wish List. God bless you as you strive to make Christmas a meaningful celebration for your family.

The Christmas Tree

Jesus was born for the cross. He came to die for us- ON A TREE. I Peter 2:24 says that Jesus bore our own sins in His body on the tree”

The evergreen tree also represents eternal life- the green remains all winter long.

Lights

Jesus was the light of the world. He came to be a light shining in the darkness.

Star

God placed a special star in the sky to guide the wise men to the Savior. It’s fitting that that God used a star to announce the birth of Christ-Ps. 19:1 says, “the Heavens declare the Glory of God”

Angels

Heavenly messengers sent by God to announce the miracle to lowly shepherds

Candle and Poinsettia

Candle-We are told to be lights on a hilltop , not to cover it under a bushel, but to let our light

so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven., leading others to our Precious Savior. What better time than

Christmas?

Poinsettia- Answers in Genesis tells us that the poinsettia was used for Christmas as it was believed to represent the unique star of Bethlehem. Also, the red color represents the blood that Jesus sacrificed for our sins. It blooms in winter

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Gifts

Jesus was the greatest gift ever given . As his life’s blood flowed to the foot of the cross, so we place our gifts under the tree as a reminder of the greatest gift we ever received- the salvation of our soul. We emphasize the joy of giving to others during this season.

Ornaments

Our adornment should be of Christ- God wants to decorate us with the fruit of the spirit to make us more like Him.

Wreath
The wreath, in a circle, reminds us of God’s everlasting love which never ends. The green represents everlasting life.

Candy Cane

Read in Celebrating a Christ-centered Christmas on page 20.

Have you ever thought about the colors of Christmas or explained them to your kids?

Red- represents the shed blood Isaiah 1:18 “Thou your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”

White- Christ’s purity and sinlessness

Green- everlasting life

Gold- royalty

Memories and family traditions are the stuff life is made of. And you, as mom, have the wonderful privilege of building meaningful traditions for your children they will treasure their entire lifetime.