“Of all the Charlie Browns in the World you’re the Charlie Browniest!” could have easily been used to describe me at Christmas. We lived the Christmas dream. Santa visited our family and handed out a gift each year. Our kids had a personal picture and experience to remember. We had plenty of gifts. More than 15 dishes were prepared for the Christmas dinner. Custom Christmas PJ’s every year, opened on Christmas Eve just after we read the Christmas story. Santa led his sleigh of eight tiny reindeer across our fabulously decorated credenza.
So why did I feel empty and disappointed every year. I needed Linus to tell me what Christmas was all about. Because I sincerely hoped this wasn’t it!
Then one year we had the mayhem of Christmas that none of my kids will forget. 22 people ripping paper and packages apart in a frenzy that was …overwhelming! “Thank you, Santa”s could be heard from places around the room. The paper was swept away and a table set. Dinner lasted 15 minutes – following days of preparation. And then the couches were filled with drowsy parents. I looked for my kids in the mayhem to see what they got for Christmas. Who could track anything going on? But they were long gone with their cousins and I was left at the empty table waiting for…the Joy.
On our drive home I asked the kids about what they got. It wasn’t until we were home that we discovered that at least 2 gifts were long gone. The missing delights could have been added to another’s pile of treasure or simply swept up with the paper and long taken to the garbage dump. Who would know, they were gone. Then we all realized we really didn’t know how much was missing, because we didn’t have clue what had been given by other people. But what I realized, more than anything, was that the only person who heard thanks was… Santa! Santa?! Yes, everyone repeatedly said thanks to…Santa!
I was done with this! This couldn’t be what God intended for Christmas. So slowly and methodically (like I do things any other way?) we started to process through what we wanted to do to celebrate the Savior’s Birth.
Now, for the record, I am not against St. Nicholas. The Saint was a wonderful inspiration. The tale is fun to tell children to encourage imagination. But I wasn’t loving the idea that Santa got all the gratitude for Christmas. #ThanksSanta was going! I was looking for #ThankYouJesus. Romans chapter 1 lines out how so many issues in our world can be traced back to the churches lack of giving THANKS! It was high time to change this in my house!
So, Jeremy and I kicked out Santa! We were done. He was dead and Jesus was alive. Jesus would be getting our praise! The tree went up. The decorations out. A nativity was placed in every room in our house. Gone was a visit from Santa asking for more stuff. The stockings stayed in the box and a new box was found under the tree that year. A converted cardboard box and repurposed scrap of muslin fabric now held a bundle of small gifts -to be opened second- was under the tree – the Manger, filled with manger gifts, wrapped up like a swaddled bundle. On top of that sat a star-shaped box that held a most dear gift – the First Gift of Christmas.
The morning was simple. Our new tradition wasn’t widely accepted, but that was okay. We read and acted out the Christmas story, then opened the first gift of Christmas – Baby Jesus (as many as we could gather were held in the star-shaped box). All those nativities’ Jesus were now placed around the house. Jesus was born. We continued by opening gifts in the manger, celebrating that God gave us the greatest gift ever in the manger that first Christmas morning.
And all I heard that morning was “Thank You Jesus!” 😊
Ahhh… This was what Linus meant. Jesus is worth celebrating, feasting and toasting, and giving to others. Though I miss those who didn’t enjoy our changed celebration and went their own way, Christmas is filled with Joy for our family now. And I hope that with however you are able to celebrate, Jesus’ Birthday it is filled with thanks for Jesus that leads to Joy!
“The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line,”
Romans 1:3
Thank you, Jesus, for giving up your life in Heaven to come here for me. Thank you for humbling yourself on the first Christmas! I truly love you for it!
Merry Christmas to all!
Crazy Faith Family 