Love for the Man in Red

Christmas!
Is there really a time that is as magical as Christmas? There seems to be extra joy and kindness and love everywhere, and even for those Christmas haters there seems to be extended compassion. One of the most wonderful things about being a Mother is Christmastime with my children and being an active part of the magic. We start counting down the days, we make our lists of what we want and what we want to give. We pick names off the tree at walmart for kids who need our help to have a nice Christmas. We drive around and look at the lights, we play in the snow, we have school parties and friend parties, we decorate the tree and listen to super loud Christmas songs in the car. We shop and wrap presents. We bake cookies and make carmel corn and deliver things to neighbors.We take silly pictures and send out awesome cards. There is a heap of things we only do at Christmas. We visit Santa and spill out our heart and tell him all the things we are wishing for. And we talk about Baby Jesus and why we celebrate Christmas.

But I'm sensing a loss of love for good ol Saint Nick. Last year and then again this year poor Santa seems to be being shoved out of Christmas. Last year the kids didn't even get to chat with him or climb upon his knee and tell him their wish list. This year in order to see him we had to hunt him down before the ward party- pushed away in an empty room upstairs in the church there was Santa, all alone with a sad box of candy canes. It was pretty much anything but magical. I really do understand. I know that Christmas is about the birth of the Savior. I know that He is the reason for the Season. I know that the intentions of kicking poor Santa to the upstairs was to bring the focus back to Christ and the true meaning of Christmastime. I just think that when you are a child Santa needs to be included and loved and embraced.

I was a big Santa believer, I made my lists diligently every year, with 100% belief that they would be sorted by Elves and read by Santa. I knew he would come on Christmas and bring presents and that he drove a sleigh and had reindeer, I even think I heard them on the roof. I was completely embraced in the magic of Christmas. I also knew for as long as I can remember that the reason for Christmas was Baby Jesus. Slowly as I grew older my understanding of Christmas changed, I began to celebrate the birth of my Savior more and the sound of  jingle bells less, the Christmas magic was still there but it was changed, I was filled with love and understanding of the miracle of Jesus and the celebration of His life and His everlasting Atonement. But are we really expecting our children to fully understand that? There is a reason we baptize at eight years old, with hopes that by then they have the ability to understand more and to recognize the spirit in their lives. So why do we have such high expectations for these tiny people at Christmas? To NOT be excited about Santa and presents? Our years of magical innocence are so limited and we seem to be making huge efforts to make them shorter and shorter.


I remember daydreaming in school about Christmas morning and how excited I would feel! I still have those daydreams, but they are dreams of perfection, of Resurrection morning, of eternal families and endless happiness. What I feel is similar to what I felt as a young child. That same excitement and utopia and love. I think that poor Santa isnt getting the credit he deserves for helping with the Christmas spirit in our little children. Santa is easy to understand. He loves everyone and brings gifts and wants you to be nice all year and is always watching. Sounds like someone else I know.