Stopping to think about what I believe

I was going to upload a picture of my tree, but the scene is much less adorable and much more unopened mail stacked on the counter top in the background....so we'll pretend I have a fireplace and adorable animals snuggled in front of it instead.

My mom forwarded me an email this morning that was a take on 'Twas the Night Before Christmas only it addressed the commercialism of Christmas and the use of "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."

I have to admit, I kind of felt a pang of "EEEK! Am I doing this?!"  

I do not have a nativity, and so far I have only read my son "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."  They are both cute stories, and the Grinch addresses the fact that Christmas is not about toys and food but about love and family and togetherness, and it is.  However, for Christians, it's about much, much more, and I want to find a way to share that part of my faith with my son.

So, it is my mission to make sure my son does not get wrapped up in the commercialism of Christmas but instead gets a sense of the beautiful story of the birth of the Child who later takes His place as the Savior in Christianity.  For me, because of what my parents taught me about Christmas, Jesus is the reason for this holiday, and I don't want to fail to pass that message along to my family.

Being a parent is about so much more than taking care of the day-to-day needs of our children.  It is also about teaching them the values and truths that we hold dear, whatever those may be.

I have no idea what everyone who reads this blog believes.  However, I'm sure that whatever your beliefs, you hold them dear to your heart.  Hopefully, while you are preparing for the holiday season, you stop to think about what this time really means to you and share that with your children so that their generation knows that this time of year is about more than iPods and Elmos and (insert your child's favorite toy here).