In light of how commercialized and selfish the Christmas season has become in our culture, we are not going to fall on our sword to protect the secret of Santa. Jennifer told Jacob the story of St. Nicholas (the historical person) and how he surprised poor people with money and things they needed. Jennifer said she believes in the real St. Nick who gave to people in need and did it in the name of Christ to remind us all that Christ is the true gift of the season. Jacob said he believes in the REAL Santa also.
In our consumer culture, even the idea of Santa has become polluted. He is a magical figure whose purpose is to meet our materialistic desires. The concept of being naughty or nice flies in the face of gift giving since we essentially are telling our children that if they are good, they get presents. If our good behavior earns a gift, it ceases to be a gift. It becomes payment. Gifts should be given out of love and the last thing I want Jacob thinking is that our love for him is conditional upon his performance. The last thing I want him to think is that he is loved more when he is good and less when he is bad. Santa and the gifts at Christmas should point us to God's grace, the free gift we never deserved because we are all on the "naughty" list in God's eyes. The gift of Christ came so that when he went to the cross for us, for our naughty ways (i.e. sins), God could look on us without condemnation. Christ moves us from the naughty list to the "nice" list, we don't do it on our own ability. Jacob is having fun trying to find Mary and Joseph each morning. He enjoys the treats he gets with the story of Christmas each morning. I hope he also grasps the real spirit of Christmas and not the selfish, consumer spirit of our culture.
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