When it comes to traditions and holidays, you have to ask yourself…
1. Why the costumes and the candy?
2. Why the Santa and the Savior?
3. Why the bunny and the Cross?
Is it because…
1. You’ve always done it?
2. Everyone else is doing it?
3. It’s fun?
If you don’t, will you feel…
1. Left out?
2. You’re depriving your kids?
3. Others will think you are being too holy or spiritual?
I’ve pondered all of these questions. There are not specific commandments for how to celebrate holidays/traditions. If there were, it would be so much easier…like, “Thou shall never have your child sit on a chubby, red-suited stranger's lap”. Anyway, we still need answers, so what’s a believer to do? I don’t have any answers for you, but check these scriptures out -
* So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
* And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9
* Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
Hmmmm – The Quest Continues…
3 comments:
Interesting questions. We've never done Santa Claus in our family because Mom read something interesting about how if you pretend something and then tell them it's not real later, that may cause them to doubt Christianity.
I remember struggling with similar questions. When our daughters were about 8 and 9, we felt convicted about the Santa thing. My husband and I had the bright idea of creatively telling them the truth, so on Christmas morning Mike dressed in a Santa suit. We had in mind a meaningful and bonding time of telling them that the gifts came from Dad and Mom, the REAL "Santa and Mrs. Claus". Whoa! Talk about a good intention and plan backfiring! One daughter had the attitude of, "Okay, whatever. Let's just open presents. It doesn't matter who brought them." Another daughter was upset that her Dad was impersonating Santa and thought we were trying to steal his show or take some undeserved credit! All this to say that it is ultra important to know the truth about Santa and about CHRISTmas early in their lives. Save the money on the silly Santa suit and don’t “have the talk” on Christmas morning! It seems most wise to know the truth without shunning the “fun”. They can know it is make-believe without harming their spirituality. There is a balance, obviously, with truth always being at the forefront! We often chuckle (or shudder) at our bungled parenting. My parents often say, “You kids turned out alright in spite of us.“ I echo the sentiment with our own children and I am thankful for God’s grace! This was a little tangent, I realize, but I hope you can catch my sentiment.
We will not celebrate Santa or the Easter Bunny, and all our Christmas and Easter decor is Christ centered! PK is also very against Halloween. We are helping out with a CCBC get together this year, but I keep encouraging him that we need to make a decision... we either oppose or not.
My mom is a non believer, so she thinks we are nuts and that we deprive our kids, but I don't care!
Oh, and in my family Christmas was all about presents. Not in MY home! They will get a FEW, and during the weeks leading up to it I will let them pick out a present that they want to give to a needy child and that will be one that is wrapped under the tree, (so they get the feeling that they are sacrificing by giving something that is "theirs").
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