The Reason for the Season

I love reading blogs and I love hearing how other mom’s do things and what “works” for them and their children, and at the risk of being criticized for this blog post I have to say this year I’ve become a bit annoyed with some bloggers. Here’s why.

I am Catholic, I was raised by two very Catholic parents and they made sure we went to church each week, volunteered at our church (I was a lector) and also went to adoration, confession, etc. I even went to mass everyday during Easter week to celebrate the reason for that season. I loved the last supper mass with the washing of the alter boys feet to symbolize the apostles at the last supper. I loved it all. I am a good person, who does things for others regularly and KNOWS the reason for the Christmas season, but I have children; young children who clearly can’t comprehend the “true” meaning of Christmas just yet, but that doesn’t mean they won’t.

This year reading on Twitter and on some of my daily blogs I read I notice some people are just constantly making me feel like if I decorate my tree, my house, go look at Christmas lights, bake Christmas cookies, take my children to see Santa, and even have Santa visit our house I should be ashamed of myself. Christmas isn’t all about these things, ya know!. Yes, I do know that, but I do know that my 2.5 year old doesn’t understand who Jesus is and why he came to earth for us. I can explain it as basic as I can and all that he will be able to repeat to me is that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday and that if he hits the baby Jesus in my nativity he won’t be allowed to play football anymore in the house. He doesn’t get it, and I’m okay with that. When I got married I promised that I would raise my kids up in the Catholic faith and I have every intention of doing that. Right now, I’m content with teaching my son that the train table he gave to another little boy last week was super nice of him because that little boy didn’t have one. Sharing is good, and he understands that. Giving to others is part of the true meaning of Christmas and he gets that.

As parents we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, and until our kids are older we will do it FOR THEM…don’t get me wrong, we will still try and teach the religious aspects of the season to our kids when they are young, but I won’t let people make me feel bad for letting my kids celebrate Santa as well, and the other non-Christian aspects of the holiday. The next best thing to having my son(s) grasp the true meaning of Christmas is watching their faces light up on Christmas morning when Santa has come, or making Christmas cookies and looking at lights.

And I won’t feel bad when I hear moms and dads talking about how their 2 year old was caught singing Away in a Manger, or holding the baby Jesus from the nativity ever so gently because my son doesn’t do that. Because honestly, even if my son was singing Away in a Manger he still wouldn’t know what it meant. He’s holding the baby softly because it’s a baby and we needed to teach him to do that with babies for his little brother’s sake. He may go to church and sit quietly while reading his Children’s bible, he may talk during the WHOLE mass as loud as possible, but either way he still won’t understand why he is there—yet.

So this week when we deliver cookie trays to people and wish them a  Merry Christmas, and when my son hands the gifts we bought and that he made to those he loves and a smile a mile wide fills his face I’ll be okay with that. I’ll be okay with knowing he’s doing for others and THAT is part of Christmas. And when he packs away some of his old toys to make room for the ones Santa brought him this year and we take them to those less fortunate I will know me and his dad are doing something right.