What Christmas means

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT.

I have written before (basically every Christmas) about how we don't do Santa at our house.  We watch the movies and sing the songs.  Our kids know from the moment they can talk that there is no such thing as Santa, because Santa is just one of the many symbols of Christmas and selfless giving.  The kids get plenty of gifts, but they all know that Mom and Dad worked hard, saved and sacrificed to give them those gifts because we love the kids so much.  The kids also know that we can work together to do kind things or buy things as surprises for others to make the spirit of Santa come alive.

And just as I don't like people judging me or getting mad at me that my kid told their kids that Santa was not real, I never want to come across as judging people because they DO  Santa.  Christmas for every family should be celebrated in the most meaningful way to them.

Actually, I do judge people when they use Santa as a threat.  As in, "If you don't do this right now then Santa will not come," or my personal favorite at the store, "Put that back or Santa won't bring you any presents."  I think that is just wrong.   My parents did Santa in a very fun way, but never used it as a threat.

So we are weird.  What else is new?

One thing about my Zack is that he spends every spare minute drawing or making some other crafty thing out of whatever he can get his hands on.  He is an artist.  I found these drawings on the kitchen table recently.

Another thing about Zack is he is the biggest sweetie pie in the whole world.  Christmas to Zack is about Baby Jesus and angels.  When he writes about Christmas, it is always about how much he loves it when his cousins come over. The party is not about the food or the presents--it is about playing with his cousins.