I just want to start off by saying that I have been struggling with writing this post. I didn’t know exactly what I was wanting to write or say. Then it came to me in the shower (because all my thinking happens there), that I needed to be honest and share with you how we choose to celebrate Christmas. I want to preface all of this by saying I am in no way trying to tell you how your family should celebrate. I’m just sharing what we choose to do and why. Keep in mind that we are new to this parenting thing and just trying to figure it out as we go. We are NOT expert parents or perfect parents by any means. We are just trying to do what works for our family. So here it goes.
Santa Claus is not a part of our Christmas….
Okay, now that you’ve had a moment to let that sink in, let me explain why. We decided early on that we wanted to keep the focus of Christmas about Jesus and His birth. It’s so easy in this day and age to get caught up in consumerism and then the “give me” attitude tends to creep in. (I’m saying this from personal experience.) Shadrach and I felt that Santa Claus took the focus away from what was really important. So, we don’t give any gifts from Santa. Up until this year, it has been pretty easy to deal with and navigate, but now it’s beginning to get a little hairy.
Santa is all around and in everything from tv, music, books, stores etc. Logan is a very perceptive kid, and he has noticed and started asking questions. I’ve struggled with whether I should just throw our decision out the window and just go along with the whole Santa thing because otherwise I feel like he might be missing out on something. So maybe we should just make things easier and go along with it. Oh how easy it would be to give in! Then I stop and realize that I’d be going against what we are trying to teach him.
So, we are standing strong and keeping the focus on Jesus’ Birthday. Logan is very into birthdays right now, so this helps take the focus off of Santa a bit. I also worry that that maybe he will lose some of the excitement and joy at Christmas that comes along with the magic of Santa. (I’m a mother, I worry by nature :)) Just so you know, we aren’t haters of Christmas. We still get a tree and decorate it, we still buy gifts to exchange, and we still have special family Christmas traditions.
My point is not to make you stop incorporating Santa Claus into your Christmas. I’m sharing this because we can’t be the only family out there that chooses not to do Santa. We can’t be the only family that wants to keep the focus of the holidays about Jesus and giving to other. So, this if for those of you who are on the fence about which direction to go when it comes to Santa Claus. It’s also for those of you who may just want to make the focus of your Christmas more about giving to others and spending time as a family. Either way, I thought I’d share some of the things we do to make Christmas fun and exciting, as well as some things we do to keep Christ the focus.
Here’s a list of some of our Christmas traditions and few new things we plan on doing this year:
- We do a Jesse Tree. ( You can also do an Advent Calendar )
- We cut down our own Christmas Tree.
- Sing Christmas songs at a nursing home or hospital.
- Drive Around to Look At Christmas Lights in jammies.
- Gather friends and family to go Christmas caroling around a neighborhood.
- Bake cookies and take them to the neighbor or someone in need of some Christmas cheer.
- Look for a Local Live Nativity.
- Have a Christmas movie night, with popcorn, candy, and jammies.
- Read the story of Jesus’ birth on Christmas morning to remind us what the season is really about.
Well there you have it. Like I said, we aren’t perfect parents and we don’t have it all figured out yet. I’m sure that questions and situations are bound to come up regarding Santa. I am just praying that we have made Christmas something fun and exciting for Logan that also keeps the focus on what is important!
Do you ever feel like you want to change the focus of your family at Christmas? If so, what are some things you’ve done or thought about doing? I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas season and relaxing a bit through it all. Be sure to check back because I plan on sharing in detail each of our Christmas traditions as we do them over the next few weeks…
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Laura Ramnath
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We don’t do Santa in our house either. Our Christmas is focused on family, togetherness, joy, love and giving. There is so much magical moments that come with this season that we don’t miss Santa at all.
Tina, I agree! The magical moments are what we choose to make them, as parents. It’s so great to know that we are not the only family that leaves Santa out of the celebrations. Merry Christmas!
I love your perspective on the importance of Christmas. While we do Santa and celebrate Jesus’ birthday, I am open and interested in what others do. Your traditions are some that I would for sure include in our celebration.
Kim, that’s great that you have found a balance between Santa and Jesus at Christmas! Thank you for stopping by and I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas!
I really enjoyed this post! Although our baby is only 1, we’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of Santa. We don’t love the consumerism of the holiday either and also we just don’t want to lie to her/have her find out the truth years later and feel like we betrayed her trust. The whole Santa concept is so tricky but it’s see how other families are navigating this! Thanks for sharing.
Erica, I remember when we were celebrating my little guys first Christmas and the whole Santa thing came up. I’m so glad I had a couple of years to decide and prepare myself for how we wanted to truly celebrate the season. I’m so glad to hear this post help you. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
I think more and more parents are doing this. I’m with you on no Santa! Great alternative!
Thanks Jen! I’ve been surprised at the amount of people that have shared that they don’t do Santa either. Before I posted this, I felt like we were the only ones and were some weird family. So it’s nice to have so many people share that they choose not to do Santa either. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
We are Team Santa all the way…My parents did such a good job with the whole Santa thing, that as a kid, I believed for many years. Even when I started to doubt, I chose to believe anyway just to keep the magic alive one more year. I look back on those years now with such happiness, they remind me of my parents’ love and how hard they worked to keep me young and innocent. Now, that I am a parent, I am choosing to follow in their footsteps. I want my daughter to believe in magic as long as possible. And, I have lots of ideas on how to make Santa “real.”
I say all this just to share my side. I also believe every family has a right to do what is best for them. I think this article will generate some fun conversations!
I love that you have such great memories of Santa and that you’re parents did such a good job giving you something special at Christmas. I believe it’s the choice of each family on how they choose to celebrate Christmas. It sounds like your daughter is going to have some great memories and traditions. Thank you for sharing. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Thanks Rebecca! I grew up with Santa visiting our house too. So, I’ve been a little worried with not doing Santa that some of that Christmas magic will be lost.
Also, thank you for the suggestion! This is one of my biggest fears, that he will tell all the kids that Santa isn’t real. I’m trying to figure out the best way to deal with this now, before we start next year, so I don’t get 30 phone calls from various parents angry that my child ruined their Christmas’ 🙂
I love this post, but I’m sure there are a lot of people out there that are like “what the heck?”. So, we sort of do Santa. Sort of. LOL, it’s kind of complicated and I have a whole post in the works but basically, we just don’t emphasize him as a mythical figure. We do talk about the real person who Santa Clause was based on and why he’s part of the holiday season. We do stockings and one family “Santa” present…. but I’m pretty open with my kids that we get those things for them. We don’t do Elf on the Shelf or even cookies and milk because I feel like it puts the focus on Santa and send mixed messages. And although we take them for a picture with “Santa” we always say we’re going to see the “man dressed up like Santa”. The focus is always on the Savior. We talk about why there’s a star on the tree and what that symbolizes, we talk about each figure of the nativity and their importance, and we read the Night Before Christmas, but we also read the Christmas story from the Bible. I think it’s a pretty good balance. So I totally see where you’re coming from, and I of course respect however anyone else wants to celebrate the holidays with their family.
Thank you Justine! It sounds like you have a great balance! I do sort of feel like we are the weird family and we usually kind of brush over questions about Santa from other people to avoid being looked at strangely. I grew up doing things with Santa and having Christ the center, so I believe both can be accomplished. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I love that you wrote about this. We have never taught our kids about Santa. We celebrate Jesus birth during this time of year. We just say Santa is an imaginary character that is associated with Christmas and makes it fun for a lot of kids as well. We also don’t want to take away from saying “Thank You” to the right people or having to burst their bubbles at some age. Merry Christmas!
Thank you Jehava! I worry about what we are going to do once my little guy is in school but we are just taking it a year at a time. It’s so nice to know that I’m not all alone with my no Santa Christmas. 🙂
Totally respectable! I have a 7 year old about to do communion so it’s important he learn the true meaning of the holiday. I also like your idea of looking for a live nativity we’ve never done that!
Thank you! That’s so exciting for your 7 year old! Living nativities are so amazing, I hope you are able to find one in your area. 🙂