Putting Christ back in Christmas
By Staff
Melissa Dozier-Cason
Here we are a week before Christmas and I haven't done any Christmas shopping for my family and friends yet. Usually, Jimmy and I start in October buying for the kids and go down the list from there. But, this year, we have just put it off for one reason or another.
We are planning to do some serious Christmas shopping this week to catch up. I made our shopping list of who to buy for last week and I was surprised that the list had over 20 names on it. Yikes. And, that's not counting the gifts for school, daycare or work Christmas parties.
While planning our shopping trip for this week, I started thinking about how everyone shops during this time of year and about how commercialized Christmas has become. Sometimes I feel like the true meaning of the holiday has been lost.
Our kids have always received tons of gifts at Christmas time, but this year we have opted to start a family tradition in order to link Christ to Christmas, as He should be.
My kids are old enough to learn the true meaning of the holiday. We have always tried to emphasize the "reason for the season" but when your child is ripping up wrapping paper, they really don't care about anything except what's inside.
Our new tradition is that our children will receive only three gifts from Santa from this year forward. I sat my boys down in October and explained that their dad and I emailed Santa and told him our request and he accepted.
I explained that Jesus only received three gifts when he was born, and that if three gifts were enough for Christ, it's enough for them. I thought they would be disappointed, but they both seemed excited, and only told us three things they want from Santa.
My youngest wants a four-wheeler and a big truck. That's all he really told us, but we'll find something else. My oldest wants three different video games, but I really don't see him getting three, maybe one, but not three.
I can't take the credit for the three-gift idea because I didn't think of it. The secretary at Russellville Elementary School told me that they only buy their children three gifts each, and I thought it was a great idea and decided to go with it for our family.
So far my kids seem excited about it, and we have talked several times about Jesus and how he was born, and the rest of it. And, I feel better about them knowing the true meaning of Christmas.
It has taken some of the pressure off shopping by knowing that the boys are only expecting three gifts instead of a truckload.
So, while you are finishing up your Christmas shopping, I hope that you too will remember that Christ is the whole reason we have Christmas and he should be celebrated all year long.
