Believe

For today's Christmas program at church, the women sang a wonderful song called "I Still Believe in Christmas." While this song was certainly about The Savior and not the man in the big red suit, I think at this time of year; the two are intertwined. At least, they are for me. I have long-maintained my right, as well as the rights of my children, to believe in Santa Claus. I think encouraging belief in those beloved and good symbols surrounding the season in which we celebrate the birth of Our Lord help us to give our children believer's hearts, and I can see that my efforts with my own children are succeeding.

Over time, Natalie apparently looked up St. Nicholas on Wikipedia, but loved the magic and surprise of presents on Christmas morning and continued to embrace the tradition just as I do. Last year, Tristan asked me about it in a way that made me feel like I should tell him the truth; so I did. Like Natalie, he now knows who puts the gifts under the tree; but he still believes in the magic. The little girls continue to believe in the man AND his magic, and no one encourages this more than their older siblings. I believe in letting children be children. I believe in letting them have a little wonder in their lives. I've never gone overboard with their gifts, but I'm big on spreading Christmas cheer in this house. I feel that teaching small children to believe in someone who will reward them each year just for trying to be good helps to prepare them as they get older to understand the sacrifice/gift that Christ gave to them and to all of us just for being born.

The Atonement is a huge concept for anyone to grasp regardless of their age, I believe that by starting with something small and lovely like the idea of Santa Claus, you prepare them for something as big and wonderous as Christ's ultimate gift for us. I acknowledge that it is just my opinion, but it worked for me as a new believer in my 20's and I thought it was a lovely way to keep Santa a part of our holiday traditions when I married and had a family.

Yesterday, I posted this sentiment on Facebook. I thought that I had written it out beautifully, and I am rarely pleased by my own writing. Of course, any time I feel good about something that I've done (which isn't often in any aspect of my life), there has to be a naysayer. This one said basically that when children find out Santa isn't real, they won't believe you about Jesus anymore either. My first thought was "That's the dumbest thing I've ever read." My second thought was "What if Natalie and Tristan don't believe in Jesus anymore?!" So, I pulled Natalie aside and said "Now that you know the truth about Santa, does that change what you believe about Jesus?" Her answer: "Mom, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Tristan's response was the same. I was relieved.

I let daughter read what I wrote and thrilled to hear that she thought it was beautiful and "one of the best things you've ever written, Mom." Since she's part of my most important audience, I decided that I didn't want it left up for anyone else to dispute and deleted it. It felt not unlike casting my pearls before swine to let anyone else criticize one of my best writing blurbs. (We watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers yesterday, and Natalie asked what that 'pearls before swine' scripture meant. After we discussed it, I went for the 'delete' button.) Instead, I'll save it for my children who DO think it's a good thought and who reassured me that it DID help them to grow into true believers now that they have both had their 8th birthdays and subsequent baptisms. And as Natalie pointed out "It's not like there never was a St. Nicholas, Mom. It's just that he was mortal and had a small mission and moms and dads still celebrate it in a small way once a year. Jesus is immortal and has a huge mission and we celebrate that one in a much bigger way every day. I've always known the difference between the two, and I think that most kids do."

I could say much in closing, but I think Natalie pretty much covered it (Yes, she edited a few times first, she's a writer too.) Besides, my beloved pal Kermit puts it much more eloquently than either of us:



"And if you find you stand alone in an unbelieving world,

Look to Him, you'll find that you can still believe."

"I Still Believe in Christmas" by Joan Sowards