Santa, Easter Bunny and the like....

I'm going to have my chimney cleaned. I told the kids that he will come to you if you believe in him... when you're done, he's done. Since when did it become bad to believe in the love and goodwill of this Christian tradition? Yes, he is a Christian tradition.

The Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Great Chicken visit too.

Those who have chosen to not include what they consider the commercial side, you are not alone. I've known a few who have made the same decisions.

Christmas is only as commercial as one allows it to be - whichever way a person chooses to celebrate. I've known homes without Santa and all of the trappings but with a Nativity that can be void because of their attitude towards others. I've also known homes with all of the commercial trappings and no mention of religion - but the way they treat their fellow man is more Christlike.

Let me share my celebration beliefs.

I remember getting up on a Christmas Eve and watching Santa leaving the house. No, it wasn't my father or someone dressed up (everyone else was fast asleep) - it was Santa. I also vaguely remember the Easter Bunny. (ok, I had pneumonia both times but the visions are still crystal clear)

When my kids were little, the little ol' lady next door would tell them that "Just because Santy doesn't come to see me anymore doesn't mean he doesn't exist. "

For starters let me say that we are Christian. It was a Jehovah Witness friend who first explained to me why they didn't celebrate the various holidays and that made me start looking closer at my own way of celebration.

Now, you probably think that I embraced non-celebration - quite the opposite. In our family we celebrate with Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. A few years ago, Dh and I added The Great Pumpkin.

I chose to raise our children to know that the various holidays were originally "Pagan" celebrations. People didn't understand things like the shortening of days "The coming of the dark" and that without TV and such, during those long, cold, winter nights, celebrations helped to break the monotony. That as Christianity spread across the land, people continued to celebrate the old holidays which irritated the Church to no end. They hoped that by celebrating 'their' Holy Days on the same days, the people would forget the old ways. As a result, sometimes the two beliefs combined into one - such as Christmas.

The result is that a date was created by the early Church to remember/celebrate Christ's birth. I celebrate the religious side of the holiday on Christmas Eve. In our house, Christmas Eve is always the 'lull before the storm.' A quiet evening that allows me to think and be thankful. I love to drive quietly around our valley, looking at all of the beautiful lights, listening to Christmas music. Some houses, that before this evening had enough lights to blow the local transformer, turns all of them out, except for those around their outside Nativity Scene. Add lightly falling snow and the scene is perfect. We come home, fix some hot chocolate and settle down to watch Midnight Mass.

Now, if you want both - you could always celebrate the original 12 Days of Christmas (give gifts on St. Nicholas Day) and Leave Christmas Day just for Christ.

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
1. November 11 - St. Martin's Day (they lit bonfires)
2. - 5. The four Advent Sundays.
6. December 6th St. Nicholas Day
(He brought presents for the good; switches for the bad; and brought the Christmas Tree)
7. December 24 - Christmas Eve
8. December 25 - Christmas
9. December 28 - Holy Innocents
10. January 1 - New Year's Day
11. January 6 Epiphany (Christmas tree comes down)
12. February 2. Candlemas (Take down greenery of the winter season. Candles and Fires are lit.)

For those wondering how we celebrate with the Great Pumpkin. I LOVE Halloween! Dh and I go around late Halloween evening and leave white pumpkins on the porches of neighbors with little kids with a note from The Great Pumpkin that talks about either their costume or their carved jack o'lantern.

Fairies and other sprites - When I would walk along the trees with my children I would suggest that holes in trees are the openings for their homes. Just because I've never seen one - doesn't mean they don't exist. I can think of other things I've never seen but I believe in.

Whenever someone complains that such and such a holiday is pagan I reply that for me it is my way of honoring my ancestors who were pagan - all those many years ago.

But as someone said earlier, childhood is so short - my now grown children tell me that they loved the stories told to them and the wonderment of it all.

Very nicely said, Ole_Crone!

Ole Crone: Nice prospective!! It reminds me I need to reread a book I have called “When Santa was a Shaman”. It’s a great book on the history of our Christmas traditions.

Santa doesn’t come to our house, no kids. But, my wife continues a cute little tradition her family had. Once the stockings are up, the “elfs” come and periodically leave stocking stuffers. It’s a nice way to exchange little gifts throughout the season. Though we do exchange gifts with each other, my family has stop due to the commercialism, stress and the greater distances that separate us.

Here’s wishing everyone a great solstice and any other holiday you might celebrate.

Blessed Be to you all!!

Jim

Every single one of these posts has made me reflect on what Advent and Christmas means to me.

Growing up, Christmas meant lots of time devoted to church music because my dad was music director of the church. Even now, I listen to Christmas hymns all year round. They mean so much.

Now, in my 40's, my life has been warmed by my DH who truly loves Christmas and its spirit, and we remember that for us, Jesus is God's gift to us sinners.

I agree with Buff - these posts have encouraged us to reflect and see how others celebrate. I've added various traditions to ours as I find them.

I have some movie traditions - I love to watch "The Homecoming" the TV movie that introduced us to "The Waltons". It reminds me of the tales my father would tell about going to cut a tree on Christmas Eve. After seeing that, we added a bird's nest to the tree.

One of my favorite 'modern' TV shows is one of the "Vicar of Dibley." As the Vicar of a small, eccentric English village she is invited to 4 different houses for Christmas dinner. Not wanting to hurt any feelings she accepts them all and of course, they each have a full meal waiting for their religious leader. My favorite part about that is not just the dilemna she gets herself into but looking at the decorations of each house.

We added poppers to our Christmas Day a few years ago to help my grandsons learn more about their English ancestry. Of course, our family always had similar ancestry but so far back it didn't matter. However, on their father's side, his grandparents were from England.

Just last night I found a new one that maybe we'll start doing next year (at least give it a try and see what happens). Some families put cherry branches in warm water on Dec. 6th - trying to force the blooms by Christmas Day (symbolizing the birth of Christ). On Dec. 13 hayseed is sown to be cut on Christmas Eve, to be used for a manger scene.

And according to one article, we can thank WWII for the commercialism. It was the first time that families realized they could shop early and get presents to their loved ones. The shopkeepers started offering items normally reserved for the holidays earlier and after WWII realized what a money maker it had been and kept it up.

Gotta look up that book "When Santa was a Shaman" sounds like one I'd like to read.

I may need to retract my recommendation for the Santa Shaman book. I read it about 8-9 years ago. It has some good descriptions of the where the chirstmas traditions come from, but I think it reaches a bit too far where I'm pretty sure there is little documentation. So, I would not treat it as a scholarly treatise, but as an interesting read.

Jim