The Problem with Christmas

Some people may not have a problem with the commercialism of Christmas and the obsession over a fat guy in a red suit that supposedly brings presents to all the kids of the world on one night. However, I do. Now I am not saying that doing Santa is wrong, but I have a problem with how big of a thing it has become to be. I would much rather focus on what Christmas is really about- the birth of my Savior, the Savior of the world. And yes I have also heard from countless people about how Christmas is really a pagan holiday and Christians shouldn't celebrate it. Truth is it was created to combat a pagan holiday- it is merely a time we can take what was meant for bad and use it for good- to celebrate Jesus' birth. I like the way my pastor explained it this past Wednesday night at church. Every single day of the week is named after a pagan god, but if he can use that day and live for the glory of God then he is not observing a pagan day. He feels that we just need to raise up Christ on any day, even a day such as Christmas. But it's the raising up of Christ I want- not the commercialism and all the Santa stuff that the world makes it out to be. 

So no I have no desire to do Santa with my kids one day or things like Elf on the Shelf. If we do Santa, they will know about the true Santa (St. Nicholas) and what he represented, that he's not real today and the true meaning of Christmas is Jesus. Jesus is what will be lifted up in my house. I want my kids to focus on his birth. We will do things like make a birthday cake for Jesus, put up the nativity, read the accounts of Jesus' birth in the Bible, learn the true meaning of giving, give gifts to Jesus, and hopefully adopt some traditions like the wise men coming a few days after Christmas to leave gifts in our shoes (shows how they traveled a long way to find the Christ child and brought Him gifts).

All you Elf on the Shelf lovers out there, don't judge me for what I am about to say. But I abhor the Elf on the Shelf. Why choose something else you "have" to do when you are already so busy in the Christmas season? Why do you need to have a toy that sits in various places in your house, sometimes creating mischief (that you have to clean up) in order to supposedly report to "Santa" if the children have been good or bad? I know some people just use this to hide in different places each day and have the child find it and it's a fun thing. But I want nothing to do with a toy elf in my house. I would rather hide the wise men from the nativity in different places each day for the child to find and read Scripture verses about them each day. You may wonder why I am so turned off by Elf on the Shelf. Well, I babysat a little boy once and the mother told me if he was bad to just remind him that the toy elf sitting on the mantle was watching him and would report to Santa. I just looked at her like "Are you serious"? I wasn't telling a child some toy was watching him. How about Jesus is watching you all the time and wants you to be kind and nice? How about teaching the children how rewarding it is to have good behavior? This one mother's comment on the Elf on the Shelf immediately turned me off from it. You may have your own convictions about it, but I don't want it in my house. Why have a toy that is supposed to create mischief try to teach your children to be good? Isn't that somewhat contradictory? I am going on what it tells you to do with the Elf on the Shelf when you buy one and what countless numbers of parents do. So don't judge me, but those are my convictions about it. I wish more people saw it that way, but a lot just don't. 

Those are my problems with Christmas- the commercialism, the silliness of a toy to see if you are good or bad, and the shift off of Jesus. The focus in my house will not just be Christ first, but Christ in everything. Not just on Christmas, but every single day of the year.  That's the way it should be.