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Yeah, that's why I'm continuing the many traditions we had that focus on the real meaning of Christmas, but doing it in a fun way. I do go overboard on gifts every year though, I'm pretty sure dd may have like 20 with her name on it before Christmas gets here! It's just so much fun to shop and I always know what to get her months in advance. My mother was on a mission every year to find us one amazing gift that we didn't even know was in existence but became our favorite thing.

Quoting Action_Jaxon:

My litte sister made jesus a birthday cake one year. She was 3 and it was all her idea so it was adorable. Ive thought about having santa only bring 3 gifts signifying the gifts the wise men brought. This is my sons first christmas and my first time playing santa. I dont want him to grow up thinking its all about the presents.

Quoting Turtledoves:

I so want to find a statue just like it, but I've never seen one. She managed to get it at a yard sale years ago, and so far I can't find anyone like it!

What we do is celebrate Jesus, and sort of act as if Santa is another guest to the party. Some of our favorite traditions as children was making a "Happy Birthday, Jesus" cake on Christmas Eve. Also on Christmas Eve we always lit a candle in the window that represented our house being open to Jesus, and then say a special family Christmas prayer. Christmas morning was still all about the gifts and being excited for what Santa brought, but afterwards we'd have Birthday cake and a huge meal. All of my siblings and I would put on a production, where we'd actually build a manger out of anything we could, dress up in characters of Mary, Joseph, Angels, Jesus, etc and sing Christmas songs. I think we'd do this Christmas Eve night.

Lots of traditions that center around the meaning of Christmas, while working Santa in and while we were also always thankful to Santa and so excited for him like any other family, he was more of a secondary for the holiday as a whole.

Quoting Action_Jaxon:

love this! the image of santa kneeling before the manger is beautiful. Id never heard of it done that way before. Could you ellaborate in a pm? if you dont mind, i think it would be a beautiful thing to teach my son.

Quoting Turtledoves:

Dd will be 18 months at Christmas. I'm not planning on starting Santa until next year. We celebrate the holiday for what it is, and I plan to use Santa how it was used when as a child, where he's honoring and celebrating the birthday of Jesus. My mother has a beautiful statue of baby Jesus in the manger with Santa kneeling beside him praying. That sort of sums up how I want to represent him to dd. But, I think she's too young this year to grasp the concept.

 

I have one of the original statues from the late 60s or early 70s. It belonged to my mom and I put it out every year. I like it more than my manger. I have seen several versions at Christmas Shops and online. My kids get a santa gift, but understand that Christmas is about Jesus.

Quoting Turtledoves:

I so want to find a statue just like it, but I've never seen one. She managed to get it at a yard sale years ago, and so far I can't find anyone like it!

What we do is celebrate Jesus, and sort of act as if Santa is another guest to the party. Some of our favorite traditions as children was making a "Happy Birthday, Jesus" cake on Christmas Eve. Also on Christmas Eve we always lit a candle in the window that represented our house being open to Jesus, and then say a special family Christmas prayer. Christmas morning was still all about the gifts and being excited for what Santa brought, but afterwards we'd have Birthday cake and a huge meal. All of my siblings and I would put on a production, where we'd actually build a manger out of anything we could, dress up in characters of Mary, Joseph, Angels, Jesus, etc and sing Christmas songs. I think we'd do this Christmas Eve night.

Lots of traditions that center around the meaning of Christmas, while working Santa in and while we were also always thankful to Santa and so excited for him like any other family, he was more of a secondary for the holiday as a whole.

Quoting Action_Jaxon:

love this! the image of santa kneeling before the manger is beautiful. Id never heard of it done that way before. Could you ellaborate in a pm? if you dont mind, i think it would be a beautiful thing to teach my son.

Quoting Turtledoves:

Dd will be 18 months at Christmas. I'm not planning on starting Santa until next year. We celebrate the holiday for what it is, and I plan to use Santa how it was used when as a child, where he's honoring and celebrating the birthday of Jesus. My mother has a beautiful statue of baby Jesus in the manger with Santa kneeling beside him praying. That sort of sums up how I want to represent him to dd. But, I think she's too young this year to grasp the concept.

 

I will allow my son to believe in Santa only because I did as a child. However, when the time comes I will explain to him that he is not real and the real meaning of Christmas is about Jesus. It's his 1st Christmas this year so I have a while.

Santa was the best part of Christmas in my choldhood. Yes i know it's not about the gifts and it wasn't like that. But for some reason it always made the season so much more magical. Yes we still celebrated it as Jesus' birthday. We did our Christmas play at church every year. My parents still haven't come out and said Santa isn't real. I figured it out on my own and was not upset. We also do the Easter bunny and tooth fairy... childhood should be a magical time!