Putting the "Christ" back in "Christmas"

Here is my disclaimer: If you are looking for a fluff piece about Christmas or a "spiritual" rendition of why Christmas is holy, then you probably haven't been reading my blog and/or you don't know me.

The statement that Christ (Jesus) has been taken out of Christmas is absurd. Now, wait, calm down. Yes I still live in the same world as you. Yes I have seen the roughly 1 million annoying blow up Santas (and all his blow up friends) littering the yards of Indiana. I get it. BUT none of that would have EVER started without Jesus being born first. We haven't taken him out, we are simply ignoring him.

By the way, for the record, ignoring him is worst. Let's put it in a real world scenario. Let's pretend it's the Queen of England's birthday, and they are having a HUGE party at Buckingham Palace. Now lets say instead of the press taking pictures of the Queen, they are taking pictures of the magician that is performing. Stupid right? WE ARE DOING THE SAME THING WITH CHRISTMAS.

Now in our home, my girls believe in Santa. Santa brings gifts. But if you ask my girls what Christmas about, without missing a beat, they will tell you it's Jesus birthday, who came to die for the bad things we do, and rose on Easter. Just like you wouldn't kick the magician out of the party, Santa and Jesus can co-exist. It's important though to remember that one is fictional and one is a real live breathing King who deserves celebration of his birth, and the gift he was to all of us, whether we choose to open it or not.

People talk about the magic and belief of Christmas. But then they go on to talk about Santa and all the magic he brings. It is important for us to teach our children that while Santa is great, he is just a person with LOTS of Christmas cheer. More importantly, Jesus is the Son of God. Who came, and was perfect, and died to save us from eternal separation from God. He is the reason Santa is so full of Christmas cheer in the first place!

Jesus can't be taken out of Christmas because he is Christmas, without him there is no Christmas. We, as Christians, have to decide to not let him be out shined by the entertainment.


Just a small comparison to show why it is so important to teach Jesus as the reason for Christmas:

Santa:                                                                      Jesus:
He is human. Bound to make mistakes.                     Jesus is the Son of God. He doesn't make mistakes


Santa refused to allow Rudolph to be part                 Jesus accepts everyone no matter how they look, or
of his team initially because he was different.              if they are different. You don't have to prove
He had to prove himself through actions that             yourself to Jesus. Just accept his grace.
he was good enough.


Santa is mythical. And at some point your                  Jesus is real and tangible in your life if you let him be
child will catch you doing a Santa job, that                 and the things that he does in your life cannot be
that part of the magic will be gone for them.               replaced by anyone.


Santa is a hermit. Never seen. Never                           If you desire it, you can have a personal relationship
heard.                                                                        with Jesus. If you give him your time, he will give
                                                                                 you his.

Again, this blog is not to get you to take Santa out of your home. He is alive and well in mine. But more importantly, Jesus is alive in our home. And not just on Christmas and Easter, but all year long...but that is another blog all together :)

Merry Christmas!!

Is It Bedtime Yet?

I know it has been roughly 100 years since I have posted anything. See the title of this blog, well, that is my excuse.

But as I find myself with a little spare time, I'm going to write about my new favorite topic: bedtime. No, no, no..not my kids' bedtimes, mine. With every child, my bedtime has been pushed back. One night this week I didn't sleep, although mostly due to one too many things on my mind. (One would've thought, since I was awake all night, I could have found a few minutes to blog.) Somehow, I made it through almost 48 hours of no sleep, and accomplished everything I needed to without crashing or freaking out.

In the midst of the 48 hours, however, I made a decision. I need a bedtime. I need a set time where I say, "everything else will wait until tomorrow, now it is time to sleep." A time when Facebook is shut off, television is silent, and "to do" lists are put away. So I have decided for me, pending some unforeseen event, bedtime is 10:30, unless it's the weekend and I get a nap in (LOL).

Last night I went to bed at 11. (Hey can't get everything right the first time.) I had a late start time at work, so I got 7 hours of sleep. SEVEN HOURS OF SLEEP. ON A WEEKNIGHT. This is unheard of, but I will tell you what, I was the most productive I had been in a long time. Furthermore, this evening as I was home alone with my three girls (husband is on the road again), when two large kinks were put in the chain of my evening. I rolled with it. No internal (or external) freak out.

I always thought the secret to a happy family was well managed bedtimes, I just didn't realize the one that needed managed was mine.