Christmas Question.....

Hi Jodie, We just had this discussion (my hubby and myself) on our drive down here to Mexico for my surgery last week. We were all baptized and saved back in 98, and my kids were older and already knew the truth. Our pastors have told their kids from the beginning about truth, no santa, etc... But, as Christians, we are called to tell the truth in Christ, and my feeling on this subject is just how we feel......hope it makes sense... If we had young children, we would not tell them there was no santa because those are memories from our childhood that are so precious, fun and childlike, and why rob them of that. BUT we always would make sure they understood this is ALL about Christ's birth, and what it really is about. They won't believe for long anyway with school etc... so don't you be the ones to tell them, as they may resent you for it later. I think it is okay, you have to be balanced in your life, you have to know that if you don't tell them about santa, you are not going to hell, that is not a sin. You always put God First, and what we said we would do is to do a few toys from Santa, and then most from us, family etc... and make it fun, but that Santa is not the focus, but it can be incorporated into your holidays. It is a fun treat, and so sweet to see them excited, and our pastor's kids, while its their decision on how they raise their kids, they seem to be cheated out of the whole experience. It is so wonderful you are in the kingdom of God now, and your light will shine brightly and the kids will not love God less because of Santa, but just stay balanced. hallejulia for your salvation!!! ITs so wonderful to be in the light and out of the dark!! Me personally, I would not tell my kids, its the only thing they have left as kids, and the easter bunny, and so forth, tooth fairy, etc.. My kids are wonderful Christians, they both are in college and my oldest is a junior at Oral Roberts University, Tulsa and my youngest is a freshman at Biola. I asked them what they would do with their kids and they said let them believe in Santa, but make sure that they knew the real reason for the season, and make it the opportunity to take them to the nativity plays, but let them "play santa" as they get older. All kids use their imaginations and pretend to be spiderman or batman, and my pastors kids do too, so are you then going to take it to the extreme and not let them play imagine either?? No, don't tell them, but....make sure the focus is on the birth of our saviour. If you watch those shows, santa claus is coming to town, etc...they are full of Christian expressions and so is Charlie Brown. They all say about the night of the most pure love, and the holiest night. Kids need to be kids, and have that. They all grow up too quickly now adays anyway, so have fun with it, and as long as you raise them up right, and train them up right, they will not depart from it when they are older. Hope this helps. I am a spirit filled, tongue talking, baptised in the Holy Ghost, Bible thumping believing Christian, and I would let them have Santa. Remember, you can be too religious and there is a difference between religion and a religious spirit. Don't get a religious spirit and allow that spirit to come in and defile your thinking. I know Christians who have religious spirits and believe me, I would rather deal with humanists than religious folk. Christ actually fought against the religious spirit while here on earth....pharasees sp? and the rabbis, all thought they were better because they did more for the poor, or they went to church more, and prayed more.....don't allow satan to come in and use this against you and to make you have a religous spirit, that is worse than anything. Let me know what you guys decide. I will pray for God to guide you and show you a balance in your life ;) PS hope all that made some sort of sense?? Love you!!! Merry Christmas!! Deb

WELL, POLITICS DRIVE ME ABSOLUTELY CRAZY, BUT I LOVE TALKING RELIGION! THERE IS ACTUALLY A SAINT NAMED ST NICHOLAS WHO DID, IN FACT, USE HIS MEANS TO CARE FOR CHILDREN & GIVE THEM GIFTS. I MAY HAVE THIS ONE FACT WRONG, BUT I BELIEVE THAT SANTA CLAUS IS THE ENGLISH VERSION OF THE GERMAN TRANSLATION OF THE NAME ST NICHOLAS SOMETHING LIKE "KLAUS". SO, IN ESSENCE, THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT, SANTA CLAUS IS THE MODERN DAY ENGLISH VERSION OF THE REAL ST NICHOLAS. I WAS RAISED BY 2 VERY DEVOUT ROMAN CATHOLIC CHRISTIANS & THEY LET ME BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS, TELLING ME OF ST NICHOLAS AS WELL, UNTIL I COULD UNDERSTAND THE SUBTLE DIFFERENCES, THEN ... OH GOSH ... THIS IS A FUNNY STORY. THERE WAS A LITTLE BOY IN SCHOOL WHO LIKED ME. HE THOUGHT HE WAS MORE MATURE THAN I WAS BECAUSE HE KNEW THE TRUTH ABOUT SANTA CLAUS NOT BEING A REAL PERSON. SO, AS A LOVING, MORE MATURE LITTLE BOY WOULD, HE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NO SANTA CLAUS. I PUNCHED HIM IN THE MOUTH & KNOCKED HIS FRONT TOOTH OUT. WELL, OF COURSE MY MOMMA GOT A CALL FROM HIS MOMMA BUT THE FUNNY THING WAS THAT THE LITTLE BOY WAS SO OVERJOYED THAT I PAID ANY ATTENTION TO HIM THAT HE TOLD HIS MOMMA NOT TO GET ME IN TROUBLE. DID I BELIEVE THE LITTLE BOY? NOPE! IT TOOK 2 MORE YEARS OF MY LITTLE FRIENDS TELLING ME THAT THERE WAS NO SANTA CLAUS BEFORE I ASKED MY MOMMA & THEN SHE EXPLAINED ABOUT HOW DOING GOOD THINGS FOR OTHERS KEPT THE SPIRIT OF SANTA CLAUS/ST NICHOLAS ALIVE. THAT SATISFIED ME. SANTA CLAUS WAS NEVER RIPPED FROM MY HEART & YET WHEN I WAS OLD ENOUGH TO ACCEPT A MORE MATURE BIT OF KNOWLEDGE, MOMMA TOLD ME THE TRUTH. OF COURSE, TO THIS DAY, WE NEVER HAVE A FIRE IN THE FIREPLACE ON CHRISTMAS EVE; WOULDN'T WANT TO SCORCH SANTA'S SUIT! SOOOOOOO THE POINT OF THIS SILLY STORY? WHAT YOU TELL A CHILD MUST BE AGE-APPROPRIATE. DON'T TAKE THE WONDER OUT OF THEIR LITTLE LIVES BUT, START BY SAYING THINGS LIKE "THE SPIRIT OF SANTA CLAUS" ... &, LOOK UP THE REAL STORY OF THE REAL ST NICHOLAS & TELL THEM ABOUT WHAT WONDERFUL THINGS HE DID FOR CHILDREN & HOW THAT RELATES TO THE SANTA CLAUS WE SEE AT THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS. THE MOST POWERFUL THING YOU CAN TELL HIM IS THE REAL STORY OF CHRISTmas & THAT IS THE STORY OF OUR LORD'S BIRTH & HOW HE WAS GOD'S GIFT TO US ... &, HOW THE MAGI BROUGHT GIFTS TO BABY JESUS ... &, THEN YOU CAN USE THE REAL STORY OF CHRISTmas TO JOIN IT TO SAYING HOW SANTA/ST NICHOLAS GIVES/GAVE GIFTS IN THE SPIRIT OF JESUS BEING OUR GIFT FROM FATHER GOD. IT ALL ROLLS BACK INTO THE "TRUTH" YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO TELL THEM. IT'S KINDA LIKE WE CAN'T EVER FULLY PROTECT OUR LITTLE ONES, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF "TRUTH", WE DON'T TELL THEM THAT IF THEY GO OUT THE DOOR THIS MORNING, THEY MAY DIE & WE CAN'T DO A THING ABOUT IT - WE'D SCARE THEM TO DEATH. IN THE SAME WAY, ALLOWING YOUR LITTLE ONES TO BELIEVE IN THE GOODNESS OF SANTA CLAUS WITH ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT BRINGS INTO THEIR LIVES ... WHY "BRUTALLY" TAKE THAT AWAY IN THE NAME OF "TRUTH"; INSTEAD, TELL THEM THE TRUTH IN A GENTLE MANNER THEY CAN UNDERSTAND AT THEIR AGES UNTIL THEY ARE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE FULL TRUTH AT AN OLDER AGE. &&&&&, WELCOME TO THE BODY & FAMILY OF CHRIST! WE ARE SO HAPPY THAT YOU & YOUR HUSBAND JOINED US, MS JODIE. GOD BLESS YOU ... DAWN & NICk

Dawn you are right, I just did some research and it was St. Nicholous who did give gifts to the children, he was a bishop in the church, and that is how the whole thing started in Germany I love talking religion too!! I can't tell you how many times God has let me use OH to witness and actually help bring several people to salvation through this website...He will use whatever means He can!! Here is something good I found. Do you know Hillsong, Darlene Zech, the singer, here is what the pastor of Hillsong said about Christmas: Santa Claus pays a Christmas Day visit to the epicentre of Christian evangelism, the Hillsong Church. "I think Santa has at times been unfairly vilified," says Houston. "Santa is merely a fun figure and I don't believe that Christians should have a scrooge mentality that wants to take all the fun out of Christmas. "I actually don't believe that a fun figure like Santa is any real threat to the powerful message of hope that is Christ the Saviour being born." Great posts!!!! As believers, it is wonderful how today has been about Him, by you posting this, so thanks!! God Bless, Deb

I just read the other posts Eddie and Deborah Grooms....DITTO you expressed it better than I did and in less words!! It must be the drugs I am still on from my plastics the other day MERRY CHRISTmas!!! Love your replies everyone!! Great topic!! I found these quotes: Keeping Christ in Christmas means daily revealing the character, love and spirit of Christ that dwells in you, by allowing these traits to shine through your actions. Here are simple ways to keep Christ the central focus of your life this Christmas season. 1) Give God one very special gift just from you to Him: Let this gift be something personal, that no one else need know about, and let it be a sacrifice. David said in 2 Samuel 24 that he would not offer a sacrifice to God that cost him nothing. Maybe your gift to God will be to forgive someone you've needed to forgive for a long time. You may discover a gift you give back to yourself. Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian who survived extreme brutality in a German concentration camp after rescuing many Jews from certain death during the Nazi Holocaust, was later able to say, "Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you." Perhaps your gift will be to commit to spending time with God daily. Or maybe there is something God has asked you to give up, like last New Year's resolution. Make this your most important gift of the season. One of the best things I just remembered was that as long as Santa is not replaced as a God-substitute, that while Santa can bring fun gifts, God is the ultimate Gift giver, and that His gift is that of eternal salvation and glory forever with Him in heaven, and that he bore our sins and gave us the gift of eternal life with Him, and broke the chains of bondage for us. That is what I believe the focus should be. Hope that helps, thanks again for putting this topic up for reading....makes even us non santa believers focus our eyes upon Him, and gaze at His wonderful face, and to thank Him for His greatest gift to mankind and earth, His son!!!