The two sayings above are more than just cute little sayings for our family. All year long, we try to keep Christ at the center of our lives but especially at Christmas we try even harder to make Christ the focus of the holiday.
The world gives a watered down version of the holiday with Santa Clause as the focus. People rush around to buy gifts they cannot afford. I, personally, prefer people give to a charity instead of giving gifts to me. I got that idea from a wonderful little story about a white envelope (https://giving101.org/whiteenvelopeproject/originalstory). Other people lump Christmas together with the other winter celebrations and give a generic “Happy Holidays” rather than a specific “Merry Christmas.”
Our children know the truth about Santa Clause but we warn them not to tell the other kids in their class. We made this decision even before we had kids. We have kept this decision despite pressure from family and friends. Our daughter was cautioned not to talk about Christ during school hours by a former teacher. Kids can discuss anything but their belief system it seems. Her current teacher is a Christian and we can tell the difference when this particular holiday was discussed.
Our family plays Christian centered Christmas music. We read the Bible and pray before opening gifts. Our children do receive gifts but we do not overspend. Our church helps us keep the focus on Christ’s birth. The annual children’s musical program celebrates His coming to Earth.
So next Christmas, please remember to make Christ the focus of your celebration. You can even share Him year round. He is the gift that keeps on giving.
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