Wordless Wednesday - Christmas is Coming!

A single photo 

– no words –

capturing a moment from our lives.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment

I want to pause, savor and remember.

A moment

that brings a smile to my lips, 

and joy to my heart.

Who Is Santa?

Santa Claus is anyone who loves another
and seeks to make them happy; who gives
himself by thought or word or deed in every gift
that he bestows; who shares his joys with those
who are sad; whose hand is never closed against
the needy; whose arm is ever outstretched to aid
the week; whose sympathy is quick and genuine
in time of trouble; who recognizes a comrade
and brother in every man he meets upon life's
common road; who lives his life throughout
the entire year in the Christmas spirit.
EDWIN OSGOOD GROVER, Vicki Howard's The Book of Santa Claus

I used to struggle with the decision to "let" my children believe in Santa.  I wanted the holiday to put the the Savior first, to put aside the commercializim that is so prevelant in our society.  It was so hard for me to decide to allow Christmas to be commercialized by the world. 

I have learned as I have gotten older.  I have learned that we get to decide to put Christ back into Christmas. It is a choice that we make.  We can't totally escape the world views of Santa and Christmas, but we can change what our children remember and celebrate for the season.  

We never have a season in our family where we don't talk about the meaning of Christmas.  Where we don't teach the true meaning of Christmas.  We share stories, songs, and love.  We talk about he Savior and the wonderful gift that He is to us.  We talk about symbolism and how to keep Christ more in our hearts and our minds.  

I have always taught my children that Santa Clause is the spirit of giving and he lives in the hearts of all men.  If they want to believe the Spirit of Giving wears a red suit and says, "ho, ho, ho", that is just fine with us.  At some point in time they put it all together and it is not a big deal.  We try and teach them to believe in the Spirit of Giving.  It is essential for us to have that Spirit within our hearts all during the year.

I think that part of Christmas is making it fun and memorable for  my children.   It is teaching them to treasure their memories and to feel the love and joy that comes with giving.  

Writing Santa Letters

For the past several years, one of my favorite time honored traditions of things to do is to answer Santa Letters for the children in our community.  The younger grades participate and the Chamber of Commerce sponsers the event. The kids usually write short letters and sometimes draw pictures to put in the envelopes.  I send Santa Letters back to the children along with a candy cane for each one.
It is such a joy to read those cute letters.  One of the favorite questions this year was "how do you make Rudolf's nose glow?"  I seemed as if most of the kids in town wanted to ask that one.  I also love the fact that the children actually had small lists of things that wanted.  I would say that the average list was only two or three things long.  Makes me wonder how much emphasis we are putting on buying and giving, when the kids are really not wanting as much as we think they do.
This year, we have downsized a lot in our family.  I have been struggling with the fact that Christmas has gotten so out of hand.  We have so many kids, in-laws, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters and parents, that it is easy to spend too much money on everyone.  So, this year, I have changed my buying habits and am trying to do less with more.  I am trying to focus more on the reason for Christmas, and less on what they are getting.  I am trying to remember those Santa letters from all the children and how happy they will be if they just get the few things on their lists instead of all the stuff that we might normally try and buy.  
Maybe it is time to remember that Christmas is not about stuff.  It is not about how much we receive.  It means so much more than the distractions and commercialism that we find during this season.  

President Monson said, “Christmas is what we make of it. Despite all the distractions, we can see to it that Christ is at the center of our celebration. If we have not already done so, we can establish Christmas traditions for ourselves and for our families which will help us capture and keep the spirit of Christ.”