I never left milk and cookies out for Santa Claus… I never stayed up late to hear Rudolph on the roof… and I never begged my parents to put out the fire so Santa wouldn’t burn his buns when he came down my chimney… LOL! But it wasn’t that I didn’t believe in him, because I did (at least for the first five years of my life). Thinking back though, I don’t remember my parents teaching me about Santa Claus. I guess I believed in him because of all the songs I sang in preschool like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” and all the cartoons I watched during the Christmas season. I was only 4 or 5 when my older friends and cousins told me he wasn’t real.
Between the ages of 6 and 10, I adopted the commercial meaning of Christmas. I honestly didn’t know what the meaning of Christmas was. I thought it was a time when children would get presents. I can still remember the feeling I used to get when I would see a box wrapped in shiny paper with a bow in the center. Sometimes, my parents would have to keep me from opening other people’s presents.
As I have gotten older, I have come a long way in my thoughts about Christmas. It is still my favorite holiday, and I still get that warm and fuzzy feeling when I see a present with my name on it, but I know now that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus.
Recently, there have been times when I have questioned some of the things I have learned. One time, about a year ago, after watching a program on the History Channel, I got a little confused. I started to question if it really possible for a virgin to become pregnant. Was Jesus really God in the flesh? I asked my parents and pastor about these things and they encouraged me to keep my faith. Since then, I have come to understand that I will always have questions, but for now, I have decided to go with what my faith has taught me–all things are possible with God! And though I may not understand His thoughts or His ways, I will not lean to my own understanding; I will trust Him in all that I do.
I hope the Christmas season brings you as much joy as it brings me. And always remember: Jesus is the reason for the season!