The Christmas tree all lit up with presents under it excites my nearly 2 ½ year-old-son. When we ask him why we have them, he says, “For Jesus’ birthday.” He also thinks Santa and his reindeer are pretty great, but he doesn’t really understand the concept of Christmas.
He was so young for his first two Christmases that we just celebrated the season. He didn’t know what Christmas was and who Jesus and Santa are and we didn’t have to explain it to him.
This year is different – he’s at an age where he asks questions and gets excited about things. This year, we need to tell him about Jesus’ birth and the jolly fat man who brings presents to good little boys and girls.
But how do you explain that to a 2-year-old who still can’t quite comprehend what you’re telling him?
Like Mommy B mentioned in her post about “skipping” Thanksgiving, the holidays have gotten so commercialized, especially Christmas.
Some stores begin decorating for Christmas even before Halloween is over. Christmas trees and Santa figurines start appearing in windows and lining shelves a good two months before December 25 and we start asking one another, “What do you want for Christmas?”
How do I explain to my son who Jesus is and why we celebrate his birthday while balancing who Santa is and why we get presents? How do you ensure your children know the true “reason for the season”? What do you tell them about Santa (besides that he won’t bring you presents if you’re not a good boy/girl)?
After a 10+ years communications career, Jamie K. recently took on her most challenging job yet – as a
fulltime CFO (chief family officer). Currently, she lives in Alabama with her husband, an officer in the Air Force, and her toddler son and infant daughter. She’s a big fan of deal sites, attempts to be eco-friendly, and struggles daily with the great balancing act of being a super mom.
It’s really hard to do because of what we are surrounded by. My 4 year old knows that Santa is a man dressed up for pretend, she knows he is not real. She also knows to keep it a secret and not tell her cousins and friends that may still believe. I struggled with this at first because I didn’t want her to miss out on anything. BUT she has just as much fun! We still give presents, but try not to go overboard. When I found out santa was not real I was HEART BROKEN, I cried for days and screamed “why did you lie to me MOMMY?” Most kids probably won’t react like that but my daughter is just as sensitive as I was. We try to celebrate Jesus year round as well, so on Christmas she knows we give presents because it’s better to give than receive and because God loved us sooo much that He GAVE is only son (John 3:16).