Santa's Coming!

When I was a very young mother, I considered whether or not it was good for my young daughter #1, Anna, to perpetuate the "Santa Claus with reindeer, living at the North Pole" story.  Elves? Get real!  I would have taken a stand against the world, if it brought truth and love into her precious little heart!  I didn't want to have to lie about anything to her.

Then I recalled: there was a real Santa Claus.  He was Saint Nicholas, a Greek Bishop in the 4th century in what is now Turkey.  There were three young women whose family could not afford a dowry for their marriages.  Nicholas secretly threw gold coins in their window, thereby saving the young women.  His feastday is December 6th.  This is where the story of Santa Claus started.  I didn't have to lie,

Next, I considered gift-giving.  Since Christmas is Jesus' birthday, it made sense to give gifts to Jesus, NOT to each other  I really respected the Spanish custom of exchanging gifts on Three Kings Day, the Epiphany, celebrated January 6th, when they brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus when he was born in Bethlehem.

But should I, an American, go against the practice of our entire culture and make my daughter wait until Three Kings Day?  How would she feel in coming years returning from Christmas vacation in school when classmates and teachers asked, "What did you get for Christmas?"  "What was your favorite present?"  Was it worth it to make her feel odd, different, weird?

I decided, "no." We will follow the American custom and give each other gifts on Christmas. The first time Anna and I visited the Baby Jesus statue on Christmas, she was 3 or 4 years old. We actually had a wrapped gift which she placed next to Jesus' crib. She and I had shopped for a gift for baby Jesus previously.  She selected a baby doll.  I assume the priest or church secretary gave it to a needy child. After the first year, I forgot about it.  Having an additional child or two definitely adds to the excitement and busyness of the season.

As a family, we always celebrated St. Nicholas, the real Saint's Feastday, every December 6th.  How the children loved this over the years!  The night before the feastday, they would put out their slippers beside their beds.  In the morning they would wake up to slippers full of gold chocolate candy coins. Sometimes everyone would get new slippers if they needed them.  Three of my daughters still celebrate this with their children.  We even celebrated this when daughter #8, Jeannie, was the only one living at home and was in college!

What are your Christmas traditions?  Do you put up a Christmas tree?  Do you have special food?  Special songs?  Do you ride around and look at the Christmas lights at night?  We always tried to bake something German, our family ancestry.  We watched all the cartoons on TV together and, of course, went to church even if Christmas wasn't on a Sunday.  This was special!  Will you choose new traditions this year?

Didn't God love us so much to send us his only son as a baby!  He could have come in any way.  Yet, he is human, like us!  We thank you and we praise you, O Lord!