Whether or not to “lie” to our little ones about the magical parts of childhood seem to be of much debate as of lately. And while I don’t usually touch any topic that can be seen as a “mommy war”, this one just won’t let me be.

I’ll take a firm stand here and let the cards fall where they may. I will make my girls’ childhood as magical as I possibly can, and though I enjoy it immensely, just for fun, I’ve realized there is a much deeper, more spiritual reason for my enthusiasm.

That reason is faith. Plain and simple. I believe it’s something that we’re born with and I refuse to stomp it out by forcing the lenses of adulthood on my children.

At birth, we cry, and take it in good faith that someone, namely our parents, will come to our aid.

As we age, we take it a bit further, and on wobbly legs, take those cherished first steps, in full faith that someone is there to catch us when we fall.

As maturity continues, our faith shifts forms, and we begin to create our own views of the world and everything in it, and as scary as it seems, most of those views stubbornly stick with us into adulthood. We’ll basically be “believers” or “skeptics”.

From a parent’s standpoint, that is hallowed ground that I pave. Whether or not to extend a practice of faith, and a belief in something beyond ourselves is essentially in my hands. That’s positively terrifying!

And while each parent has their own reasons for parenting the way they do, I feel compelled to share why I try to make believing in more so very important.

A subject like the Trinity is difficult at times for even adults to grasp. We practice in baby steps if you will, memorizing stories, scriptures, and simple prayers. With hopes of someday understanding the complexity of it all.

But on the other hand, faith itself, which is the absolute cornerstone of Christianity, is belief in the unseen, complete trust if you will, and knowing, that beyond a shadow of a doubt something we’ll never physically see on this side of Heaven is real.

If we practice taking steps, babbling words, and every other action under the sun, why should we not practice FAITH in terms understandable to children?

In my humble opinion, sharing the “magic” of Santa and elves, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and all the like, is sharing a practice of faith. It’s believing that though we can’t see something, it can still be very real. And after all, as a mother, I fully believe myself to be all of those roles! I AM their Santa, their Elf on the Shelf, their Tooth Fairy, and their Easter Bunny. Those things are not lies to me, they’re baby steps into faith. They’re a foundational belief in goodness, joy, and love.

Imagine this: you’re taught during your childhood to take things at face value. Believe in what you can see with your own eyes, in only what you can understand and prove to be true. We’ve just destroyed faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Matthew 18:3 also instructs us “become like little children” in order to inherit the kingdom. If we never allow our children to BE LITTLE CHILDREN, how will they ever become ADULTS who are capable of belief like a child?

I don’t know about you, but when I’m breathing life into my children’s imaginations and fueling their wildest dreams with “things unseen”, I FEEL like a child! My heart soars and pure joy fills my soul. Like Psalms 23:5 “my cup runneth over” in moments like these! 

Now don’t misunderstand, I connect fun traditions like Santa and the Easter Bunny to our walk with Christ every chance I get! I do that so that we never underestimate the teachings of Deuteronomy 6:7-we talk about God and His goodness, when we sit at home and when we walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up. I never allow the fun stuff to overshadow the REAL stuff and I firmly believe that putting our faith into action in terms understandable by children is the key to a deep, long lasting faith as an adult.

If we can’t allow the belief in something as wholesome as Santa, which they see portrayed in a positive light all over the world around them, how can we expect that they’ll ever fully accept the concept of salvation, which is almost hidden by most societies, tucked away in “special stores” and legally separated from state affairs, such as public schools? 

Now I’m no Biblical scholar, no fine teacher of The Word, just an ugly sinner, saved by grace. I know, with full confidence that the Holy Spirit resides in me, and chastises me when I’m out of the will of God. And when I share beloved holiday traditions with my little ones, I’m not filled with dread, guilt, or doubt (because those are emotions the enemy brings). On the contrary, I’m completely overcome with love and joy that often spills down my cheeks in tears. It’s a beautiful thing! 

If Jesus himself were to step foot in my home during any holiday celebration, especially His birthday, I’m quite certain He’d smile at all the pomp and circumstance surrounding it! That feeling of comfort when thinking “what would Jesus do” tells me all I need to know.

My home will be filled with traditions, with the magic of childhood (which I’m thankful to be experiencing a second time, through the eyes of my own babies), with joyful hearts, and with the Gospel. And for none of that am I ashamed!

Here I am, typing through tears of pure humble joy! What a God we serve!

In the hustle and bustle that is the “season” I’ve found myself lost in all the wrong things, not intentionally of course, but it happens.

Then, in all his mysterious glory, my Savior hugs my heart and opens its eyes long enough to feel joy insurmountable! 

Nothing out of the ordinary happened tonight, but praise his name, I saw my “normal” through his eyes.

As I was tucking my daughters into bed I felt tiny warm kisses from perfectly beautiful, extremely healthy, huge hearted children who love the Lord! 

I heard “You’re the best mommy in the WHOLE world!” as little arms encircled my neck and gave it a gentle squeeze.

I felt the comforts of a safe warm home in a quiet quaint neighborhood, saw our Christmas tree twinkling above a few gifts for treasured family members, and was completely overcome at that moment with gratitude and joy completely unspeakable!

Here I am, so undeserving, so blind, and yet, so incredibly blessed.

Words are inadequate to describe what’s going on in my heart at this very moment, so I’ll simply pass on a prayer that you too may be “blinded by the light” this season. That you’ll take a moment to look around, open your heart, and stop-be still-and truly absorb the many blessings around you!

“Joy to the world! The Lord has come!” and even with all our inadequacies, he loves us still! Halleluiah! 

As you’re counting your blessings feel free to comment below how He has moved you recently!

I can’t believe it’s finally here! Time to write letters to Santa! SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!!! 

Yes, those are MY thoughts, not those of my 3 year olds :oP

We normally wouldn’t do them so early, but our local Post Office is preparing their annual display and asked if we would participate, so we did them. Tonight!

It actually works out perfectly because we’re going to take pictures with Santa on Tuesday, so they’ll be able to take him a copy of their letter! SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I found several adorable Santa letter templates on Pinterest, you can find them on my board HERE!

For those who may not know, we do Christmas a little differently than most families. At our house, Santa only brings ONE gift for each child. After all, he’s only got ONE sled and has to deliver gifts ALL over the world to EVERY single boy and girl on the planet. That’s quite a tall order and we’re not going to complicate things even more for him by asking for an entire list of gifts. It defeats the whole purpose of Christmas, in my personal opinion. (And keeps mom and dad out of the poor house, LOL)

Then, as parents, we give them 3 gifts each, from us. The reasoning behind this being the Bible mentions that Jesus received 3 gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh) the night of his birth, and if 3 gifts are enough for the King of Kings, it’s enough for us! Again, this helps us keep our focus on the REAL reason we celebrate Christmas-Christ’s birth-instead of making it all about the presents.

We do the “12 Days of Christmas” with small, trinkets in their stocking as a countdown to Christmas, and then on the morning of, we’ll have a small birthday party for Jesus and enjoy opening gifts!

I wrote their letters, word for word, what they told me they wanted them to say, and then they signed them all by themselves! *tear* I bet by next year, they’ll be writing the whole thing, just needing help with spelling.

M is asking Santa for “a baby doll with a spoon and yogurt” and K wants “a Jasmine costume and shoes”. That’s easy enough! But what they don’t know is what’s killing me! “Santa” will bring those things, but he’s got an EXTRA SPECIAL gift for the entire family this year……….check it out here!

As I stated in the original “Mama Said” post, Proverbs has me thinking and appreciating the teachings of my parents. I journaled a pretty extensive list so to keep my hands from going numb, and you from falling asleep, I decided to break up these posts to help us all :o) You’re welcome! LOL

Proverbs 6:20 “My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

Honestly, my mama did more teaching than daddy-his wonderful words of wisdom sometimes included the words “dingle berries”, so I think it’s best to stick to her guidance! Here are a few more of the things that my mama said:

Whether we are conscience of it or not, we teach our children lessons every single day. Take some time to think about your normal routine, actions, and attitudes. Are you pleased with what you’re passing along? Would you like to see your children follow in the footsteps of your heart?

If I’m truly honest, I don’t actually recall my own dear mother using those exact words, but she did teach me lots of life’s lessons, whether she meant to or not.

In my Bible study this morning Proverbs kept reiterating the importance of remembering the teachings of our parents. This led to a journal entry of some of the things that I recall learning directly from my parents, whether they were intentional lessons or not. And even further than that, leaves me pondering what lessons I’m passing along to my children…….deep stuff!

But, first things first: a look at the lessons I distinctly recall from my own parents.

(In no particular order, just as they came to mind while journaling.)

There are lots more where this came from; however, my explanations are a little more windy than I planned. So, lucky you-I’ll take a break and come back later with more “Mama Said” lessons!

What do remember your “mama saying”? Are those lessons you plan on teaching to your own children or are you doing things differently?