Celebrating holidays

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

How do you choose to celebrate holidays like Easter and Christmas? How do your kids and other family members feel about it?
Just curious. My family has always had a Christmas tree and were told about Santa and such and for Easter we colored eggs, had candy, etc. My son is four and has already been told about Santa and been to egg hunts, which took place in churches. I don't really like the idea of Santa because it seems a bit like an idol. Months before Christmas my mom instills in my son's head that he better behave if he wants Santa to bring him presents and she tells him that Santa is watching him. I heard this growing up myself but now as an adult I don't like it. My son should not want to behave because of the fictional character of Santa Claus. I know if I stopped celebrating Christmas and Easter the way that its popular to, my mom would FLIP and tell me I'm only hurting my children.
Im just wondering how others with kids celebrate these holidays and how the kids feel about it and other family members.

 

[joshua 1 9]

How do you choose to celebrate holidays like Easter and Christmas? How do your kids and other family members feel about it?
Just curious. My family has always had a Christmas tree and were told about Santa and such and for Easter we colored eggs, had candy, etc. My son is four and has already been told about Santa and been to egg hunts, which took place in churches. I don't really like the idea of Santa because it seems a bit like an idol. Months before Christmas my mom instills in my son's head that he better behave if he wants Santa to bring him presents and she tells him that Santa is watching him. I heard this growing up myself but now as an adult I don't like it. My son should not want to behave because of the fictional character of Santa Claus. I know if I stopped celebrating Christmas and Easter the way that its popular to, my mom would FLIP and tell me I'm only hurting my children.
Im just wondering how others with kids celebrate these holidays and how the kids feel about it and other family members.

I tell my son the stories about the real Saint Nicholas. The Santa story is just the worlds rip off counterfeit of the historic 4th-century Christian saint and Greek Bishop of Myra.

 

[christianforumsuser]

If...I had a family...how would I manage it after how I was raised...
Carnal family?

As far as holidays go I suppose any day someone can be truly born again is reason for joy
I have no idea what's wrong with people. Why insist on things like teaching a kid about Santa...what joy/pleasure and purpose does that serve. Why so much idolatry and fleshly boasting and tradition, I'd like spiritual things and peace
I guess I have a bit of a bias because high class things with waste just makes me feel so gross like spoiled ignorant useless opposites...it makes zero sense to me so I better just shun it lest I go insane (too?). Again sorry I just can't look at it and see what people see. If it's godly I might hope to

 

[Tutorman]

Well we used to hold an Easter egg hunt when my nephews and nieces were little. I still love coloring eggs and fill baskets with candy and such. At Christmas we have an Advent Calender before Christmas and we have a tree and talk about Santa, yes he is real and a Saint. I love and keep all holidays in my heart and make merry as much as is possible within me.

 

[chevyontheriver]

How do you choose to celebrate holidays like Easter and Christmas? How do your kids and other family members feel about it?
Just curious. My family has always had a Christmas tree and were told about Santa and such and for Easter we colored eggs, had candy, etc. My son is four and has already been told about Santa and been to egg hunts, which took place in churches. I don't really like the idea of Santa because it seems a bit like an idol. Months before Christmas my mom instills in my son's head that he better behave if he wants Santa to bring him presents and she tells him that Santa is watching him. I heard this growing up myself but now as an adult I don't like it. My son should not want to behave because of the fictional character of Santa Claus. I know if I stopped celebrating Christmas and Easter the way that its popular to, my mom would FLIP and tell me I'm only hurting my children.
Im just wondering how others with kids celebrate these holidays and how the kids feel about it and other family members.

Demythologize Santa. He is a historical figure also known as St. Nicholas of Myra. He got in a fight at the council of Nicea, where he pulled the beard of an Arian in the heat of a discussion. So he stood up for the faith, and then some. He also tossed gifts to poor and deserving people. Take Santa out of Christmas and restore him to St. Nicholas day instead. December 6th.

 

[christianforumsuser]

Demythologize Jesus too from the worldly one people put on a leash cross-eyed to agree with whatever they want to be true
Even put Christmas back in the warm season when He came to earth from Heaven....from HEAVEN
If I had a wishlist I might write that people would have the right faith and find peace with God by Jesus Christ

 

[JAM2b]

I always told my kids Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc. we're not real, but that it is fun to pretend. I didn't want to lie to my kids about Santa, and then expect them to believe me about Jesus.

My family was offended and resisted. They tried to get my kids to believe anyway. It created some confusion for a little while, but when the truth was obvious to them, they knew they could trust my word.

 

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

I always told my kids Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc. we're not real, but that it is fun to pretend. I didn't want to lie to my kids about Santa, and then expect them to believe me about Jesus.

My family was offended and resisted. They tried to get my kids to believe anyway. It created some confusion for a little while, but when the truth was obvious to them, they knew they could trust my word.

My mom wrote "love, Santa" on mine and my brother's Christmas parents probably until we were nearly teens. We had of course stopped believing years prior. I know why it was so important to her for us to believe there was a Santa. I know she would absolutely hate me if I told my kids there was no such thing. But I like her telling my oldest he has to behave for Santa. Its basically lying to him.

 

[Tutorman]

Not quite Santa is real and his given name is one of the names for Santa - St Nick or St. Nicolas Saint Nicholas - Wikipedia.

 

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

Not quite Santa is real and his given name is one of the names for Santa - St Nick or St. Nicolas Saint Nicholas - Wikipedia.

Ok but the Santa kids are taught about who lives in the north pole and drives a sleigh and "watches" you all year isn't real.

 

[Tutorman]

Yes, but it works and all myths have a basis in reality

 

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

Yes, but it works and all myths have a basis in reality

I suppose that's true but id rather my son learn to behave to please God, not Santa.

 

[Elliewaves]

I think parents have the right to celebrate how they want with their children. Did you discuss with your partner when the children were born on how to handle this? It's probably easier from the beginning, but you can begin to discuss with your children on what you want them to believe- in an age appropriate way. It's probably going to be very confusing to them at first.

 

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

I think parents have the right to celebrate how they want with their children. Did you discuss with your partner when the children were born on how to handle this? It's probably easier from the beginning, but you can begin to discuss with your children on what you want them to believe- in an age appropriate way. It's probably going to be very confusing to them at first.

Well I didn't become a Christian until my son was already two and I was pregnant with my daughter. I hadn't given this sort of thing much thought though until recently when my current partner and I began discussing it.
Beforehand though, I wasn't too keen on my mom telling my son this and that about Santa.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Ok but the Santa kids are taught about who lives in the north pole and drives a sleigh and "watches" you all year isn't real.

It's your choice to teach or not teach that 'Santa' depending on what you think is proper. The real St. Nicholas is an antidote to the North Pole sleigh driving cultural Santa. Was for my kids. We even kept St. Nicholas Day on Dec 6th, with presents. It kept Christmas day much more sane and a celebration of the incarnation like it is supposed to be. Try it.

 

[JAM2b]

My parents went to great length to make us believe in Santa Claus. They signed us up to receive a letter from "Santa" just before Christmas, and left notes from Santa.

We never got much snow, but one year we did, and my dad put the cat on the roof to make it walk around up there, and told us it was reindeer tracks.

One year there was a half-eaten ham sandwich left on the cookie plate we had left out for Santa. There was a little note next to it that explained he helped himself to a sandwich because he was extra hungry from all the work of delivering toys and thanking us for the cookies and the sandwich. It was signed, "Santa Claus."

We believed it all. When I was told by my mother that Santa was not real, I was very angry. I felt manipulated and betrayed, and like I had been made a fool of. I didn't want my kids to go through that.

I also really wanted the focus of our Christmases to be more about the birth of Christ and about being generous to family and friends. One of the things I tried to do was symbolize the three gifts from the three wise men, by giving my sons three gifts each. It didn't always work out that way partly because of family influence in the years of plenty, and partly because of limited fund in the years I didn't have much to give.

 

[Bumble Bee]

My husband and I don't want to teach our son that Santa and the Easter bunny are real, either, because we don't want him to feel that way about Jesus. We have been talking about doing it as a game to play around the holidays so that he doesn't miss out on the fun, but he understands the truth of what we are celebrating.

 

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

My children are older so it will be a bit challenging to change things

 

[tansy]

I always told my kids Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc. we're not real, but that it is fun to pretend. I didn't want to lie to my kids about Santa, and then expect them to believe me about Jesus.

My family was offended and resisted. They tried to get my kids to believe anyway. It created some confusion for a little while, but when the truth was obvious to them, they knew they could trust my word.

Yes, I always told my children these things were not real...they knew the presents really came from us - but it was fun to pretend. My parents did the same with us and it didn't lessen the excitement and fun of Christmas, plus visiting distant grandparents and the cosy feel of it, and going to midnight service and so forth.