- If young children ask if Santa is real and we say yes, they believe this equally as strongly as when we tell them Jesus is real even though they can't see either.
- Having Santa at church for a Christmas program seems out of place.
- The figurines of Santa praying over baby Jesus seem to be a good compromise of both.
- You can have both Santa and Christ on Christmas morning. When we were young, we thought Santa came at night but we also knew we had to read the Christmas story directly from the gospels before we could open any gifts.
Honestly, I can see the validity in each of these points of view. And really, this conversation started me thinking about future Christmas seasons in the Nixon household. Paul and I both grew up believing in Santa and have recently discussed how neither of us had a life-shattering experience when we learned Santa was pretend. Instead, we each simply grew out of the tradition and realized it was a story (though I realize that, for some, learning about Santa was traumatic). I also have thought about how discussing Santa when kids are young as well as Christ might pull the rug out from under us as parents when our children really start to make decisions about their faith (hypothetically: "If mom and dad lied to me about Santa, how do I know Jesus is real and that God exists?'). This started my spaghetti brain going....
When I was small, my imagination made Santa real, along with the tooth fairy, Easter Bunny and Disney Princesses. I took my baby doll everywhere and tended to her every "cry"; a cry that I heard loud and clear. I cried watching The Land Before Time when Littlefoot lost his mother. All of this was REAL to me--for a time. My parents never pulled me aside and said, "That baby doll is pretend." "Get over it, it's just a movie." "Ariel is made-up. No one can be a princess and you will never find a prince like that." No! I was allowed and encouraged to live within this imaginative reality as long as possible because this was the magic of being a child.
For the year of his life from age three to four, I was Jacob's nanny. He frequently told me he needed to change into his red shoes with flames on them or into his new blue shoes because that was what made him FAST! He believed with every fiber of his being that donning a cape and mask MADE him a superhero, fully capable of defeating evil while protecting everyone around. Lightening McQueen was not simply a character on a movie but a moviestar we "met" each time we saw a toy, shirt or poster bearing his image. This was his reality--swords made him a knight, guns made him a cowboy and shoes made him as fast as Lightening. He was busy--very busy--each day being an imaginative child.
Both from my memories in my own childhood and my days as a nanny I remember the inevitable "ow-y" that came weekly, if not daily. Most often, this ow-y was followed by the request "kiss it." Every adult knows that kissing it does not make it better--but it does touch the place in the heart of child that tells them they are ok and loved. We don't tell kids that the real reason their ow-y is better is because it was really just a bruised ego or the Neosporin on the bandage or the cough medicine they were given that morning. The kiss (by either mom, dad, loved one or caregiver) is the only part of the treatment that really sticks with that child--at least it's what stuck with me. I don't have vivid memories of medicine or Band-aids or ice packs. But I do remember knowing that mom made things better when they hurt. Now, as an adult, I'll admit that when I feel sick or something hurts, I still call my mom for advice and secretly wish she would appear at my door to make it better. But I have a healthy understanding that her mere presence is not going to heal what ails me.
None of us is perfect and few have walked a road free from regret. But, when a three-year-old girl thinks Daddy hung the moon and stars, we don't sit back and list past mistakes, indiscretions or recount the latest argument. For that three year old, Daddy did hang the moon and stars and that is what she should believe. This doesn't mean that we don't sit down with this same little girl when she starts dating and explain that no guy is perfect but one will be perfect for her. This doesn't mean that we forget to tell her her there are some flaws she will be able to accept and some she should never look past when choosing a husband. When this three year old is no longer three and is old enough to understand and grow from more information, we share it, knowing it may not all be easy to hear but it will be worth it.
So, what in the world does all of this mixed up spaghetti have to do with Christmas and Santa?! Let me tell you the conclusion I came to as a result of all this (please know that the following is in no way an attempt to convince you that your opinion is wrong or you should join me on this page. It is merely the conclusion for us.).
We were born sinners but something in us wants more from the time we are born--we want magical saving powers, we want to be swept off our feet by someone who adores us, we want the power to defeat the evil one, we want our biggest desires to be understood and we want so much more. This is why we pretend to be knights, we adore princess movies, we dress like superheroes, we hear baby dolls cry; it's why our imagination is in hyper-drive as children and why we latch onto the idea of Santa and the magic he brings to Christmas. Our human nature knows there is something more but as children, we don't have all the dots to connect yet. The truth we learn as we get older is that only one person really can protect and save us, only one person adores us like the dreamy prince, only one person defeats evil and only one person is responsible for the amazingly powerful magic of Christmas. That person is Jesus.
The Nixon house will have Santa and the magic he brings--for one season each year. But, every season, everyday, we will worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We will be honest with our children as they gain more dots and start to connect reality. But we will also encourage the imaginative land they get for such a short time where kisses heal, shoes make you fast, baby dolls cry and superheroes are real. We will do this knowing that one day, they will learn that while imagination is fun, only one thing can provide far more than we could ever imagine. At that moment, I pray they remember the One we worship year round, the One we strive to grow closer to each day and the One that created their precious life and placed them in our family.
Pregnancy Update: Today, we are 16 weeks along (baby is about 4 1/2 inches long from head to rump)! That number is staggering to me. I was discussing with a friend recently what our nurse told me about the second trimester and I was taken aback at those words: "Second Trimester." It suddenly hit me that we are over 1/3 of the way to meeting our precious little baby boy or girl! We are still waiting to feel the first movement and waiting to need maternity clothes (though my regular pants don't quite fit like they once did). But, everyday brings a new realization that this is real--11 weeks ago, all we could say was "Um, that's not negative!" This has quickly been replaced by "How big is our baby this week?", "What amazing development is happening now?" and "Look how fast he/she is growing!" We are enjoying each day of this journey and praising God this Christmas for the best gift we could have ever asked for!!
"You watched me as I was formed in utter seclusion
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed."
Psalm 139:15-16
