TEACH THE CHILDREN THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS One December night, many years ago, I had just finished decorating for Christmas when I heard a noise at the front of the house. I turned on the porch light and opened the door. To my surprise just as I stepped outside, I saw Santa Claus climbing out of his sleigh. He placed his fingers over his lips, silencing me before I cried out.
"What are you doing..." I started to ask...but the words choked up in my throat as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner, the eager, boisterous soul we all know, was gone. He composed himself by clearing his throat, and then answered me in a whisper. "Help teach the children."
I was puzzled. What did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the sleigh. As I stood there bewildered, Santa stated again but more firmly, "Teach the children. Teach them the true meaning of Christmas. The meaning that has long been forgotten."
I invited him in to warm by the fire as I tried to tell him that I wasn’t sure if I knew what he meant... when Santa reached into the toy bag and pulled out a brilliant shiny star.
Teach the children that the star is the heavenly sign of promise," he said. "God sent a Savior to the world and the star was the sign of that promise being fulfilled. The countless shining stars in the heavens, one star for each person on earth, represents the hope of all mankind."
Santa gently laid the star on the fireplace mantle and brought from the bag a bright red Christmas tree ornament.
"Teach the children that red is the first color of Christmas. It was first used by the faithful people to remind them of the blood that was shed for all the people by the Savior. Christ gave His life and shed His blood that every man might have God's gift of Eternal Life. Red is deep, intense, and vivid -- the richest color of all, and it is a symbol of the greatest gift from God."
"Teach the children," he said as he pulled a small Christmas tree from the bottom of the toy bag. He placed it near the fireplace and gently hung the red decoration on it.
"The deep green branches of this tree is a perfect background for this ornament. This is the second color of Christmas," he continued. "The pure green color of this evergreen tree remains this color all year round. This represents the everlasting plan for mankind. Green is youthful, hopeful, and the abundant color of nature. The needles on the tree point heavenward -- symbols of man's prayers as they go toward heaven. Trees have been man's best friends. They have sheltered him, warmed him, and made beauty for him."
Again, he pulled something from his bag; I heard a soft tinkling sound of a bell.
"Teach the children," he said, "that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring for every person too, that they might find their way back -- it means guidance and return. It further signifies that all are precious in the eyes of the Lord."
As the soft sound of the bell faded, Santa lit a candle and placed it on the mantel. The soft glow from its tiny flame cast a glow about the darkened room. Odd shadowy shapes slowly danced and wove pictures upon the walls.
"Teach the children," whispered Santa, "that at one time candles were placed on Christmas trees. They glowed brightly against the dark green branches showing man's appreciation for the star of Bethlehem of long ago. Now, strings of colored lights have taken their place in remembrance of Christ's birth."
Santa turned the small Christmas tree lights on and placed a gift under the tree.
He pointed to the bow and said, "A bow is placed on a present to remind us of the spirit of brotherhood of man. We should remember that the bow is tied as all of us should be tied together, with the bonds of good will toward each other. Good will forever is the message of the bow and the gift, a gift of love."
Santa reached for a candy cane, and held it out towards me.
"Teach the children that the cane represents The Shepherd's staff. The crook on the staff helps bring back sheep that have strayed away from the fold. The candy cane represents the sweetness of giving not only at Christmas time, but also throughout the entire year. The spiral design is a symbol that we are, our brother's keepers."
Santa looked about the room, then again at the tree. His love and great feeling of satisfaction shone from his eyes. He could not help but sense the wonderment and admiration that I felt for him in my heart.
One last time, he reached into his bag and brought forth a large beautiful wreath. As he placed it on the door he spoke gently with love, "Please teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love: it never ceases, stops, or ends. It is one continuous circle that only grows greater and greater when expressed. The wreath, the circle of love, plays a double role. It is made of many things and has many colors. It reminds us of God's unconditional love and the true reason for Christmas. Please teach the children."
I asked, "But where does that leave you Santa?"
The tears gone now from his eyes, a smile broke over Santa's face. "Why bless you, my dear," he laughed, "I'm only a symbol myself. I represent the spirit of family fun and the joy of giving and receiving. If the children are taught these other things, there is no danger that I'll ever be forgotten."
"I think I'm beginning to understand."
"That's why I came," said Santa. "You're an adult. If you don't teach the children these things, then who will?"
THE ART OF GIFT GIVING
Teach your children to be good gift recievers: Have you ever given someone a gift that you think they will love, only to see by the look on their face that your gift instead was a bomb! Do you ever think about how you look or act when you are opening a gift? Try to remember that when you are given a gift, the gift giver loves you and thought about you while picking out that gift. Every year at Christmastime, I hold a special family home evening with my children to "practice" being good gift recievers. We give each child a gift bag and then give them 2 minutes to search the house for a funny "elephant" gift. When they come back we exchange gift bags. When the person opening the gift sees what is inside, they must look at the person who gave them the gift, make eye contact, thank them by name, and say something they like about the gift or look forward to doing with the gift. We hope with enough practice our kids will learn to slow down and really appreciate the time and thought that went into picking out gifts for them.
Think about the recipient: When choosing a gift for someone, I keep a notebook in my purse (my husband keeps his list on the phone). We think all year about the people we will be giving gifts to throughout the year and we make notes on our lists about their likes, needs, and wants. By Christmastime, we usually have a pretty good idea of a gift that will be meaningful to the recipient. We also make sure that our children have an opportunity to give a one-on-one gift to either a sibling or a cousin. They must earn money to buy that gift. This gives them the opportunity to really think about one person and work hard to earn the money to buy a thoughtful gift.
Good Gifts Don't Have to Cost a Lot of Money: Some of the best gifts that I have recieved over the years are homemade gifts from family and friends. Other times, the best gift you can give a person might be your time spent visiting or doing a service.
Don't Forget the Savior: Every year I have an advent calendar for my children. Each day they open a door on the calendar and get a little piece of candy and there will also be a slip of paper that tells us of an activity that we will do to focus on the Savior that day. Sometimes the activities are simple like saying a special prayer of gratitude that night, or smiling at someone who is in need of a smile. Other times, we get in the car and visit the temple grounds, or go see the nativities at the Museum of Idaho. When we have completed the task, the slip of paper goes into a pretty pre-wrapped gift box that has a lid. On Christmas Eve, we place this gift under the tree for the Savior, because after all, it is his birthday!
MEANINGFUL GIFT IDEAS FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS: -Homemade picture frames with meaningful pictures
-One year I got all my nieces and nephews together and we dressed them in nativity costumes. We took them to locations with a donkey, sheep field, and even a camel and took pictures of the nativity scenes then put them together in a nice hardbound book with the scripture account of the nativity and gave copies to grandma, great grandma, and each family involved.
-Digital picture frame with preloaded pictures of family and friends
-MP3 player loaded with the scriptures, available at lds.org for free download. Also available for free download is Preach My Gospel, Gospel Principles, the hymns, and other various goodies.
-For an elderly relative, for a month every time you have leftover dinner, freeze it in a Ziploc container and then for Christmas you can give them several frozen homemade dinners.
-A homemade calendar made from a collage of pictures of loved ones, or made by having children or grandchildren draw pictures.
-A family home evening kit filled with games, stories, and goodies
-One year my kids gave their grandma a craft kit filled with misc. craft supplies and a book of 100 different crafts that they could do together when they visit grandma.
-Have the children or grandchildren make a music video where they lip sync to a song. It is also fun to give a homemade video where you interview the kids/ grandkids about their thoughts about Christmas and Santa.
-Homemade gifts, such as bath soaps or candles with scents that you know your loved one likes
-A magazine subscription that fits the recipient’s interests.
-Books on tape read by a parent or a grandparent as a supplement to a book given as a gift to a child or grandchild. This also works as a gift for an adult. One year I read a book into a tape recorder for my husband to listen to on his long commute to work.
-A CD mix of holiday music
-For a spouse, an envelope for every month of the year containing the date and time of a pre-planned date night.
-Offer a service instead of a gift. In lieu of a gift every year, our family offers to help an elderly grandmother put up her Christmas decorations and we always end the night with a pizza dinner.
-For a long distant relative, a set of stationary and some pre-addressed, stamped envelopes, so that you can correspond throughout the year. -Ice cream sundae kit filled with ice cream bowls, cones, ice cream scoop, a half-gallon of ice cream, chocolate or caramel syrup, and some favorite candy toppings. -Children’s game bag filled with games that the whole family could enjoy. -Homemade memory game using photos of the recipient’s family, especially meaningful for family members who live far away and aren’t able to see members of their family often. -Quilt pieced together from a deceased loved one’s clothes or a quilt made from favorite old t-shirts such as high school tees and sports tees. -A meaningful painting or a framed calendar picture that has sentimental value to the recipient -Soup or cookie mix in a decorated jar -Baked goods (I know it meant a lot to an elderly grandparent, who didn’t have room for more “things” in a small apartment, just to receive a wonderful loaf of her favorite banana bread!) -Creative ways to display family pictures or memories such as gluing them to wooden blocks and lacquering them to give them a glossy coat. You could also modge podge family pictures onto drink coasters.
-Movie night in a bag- Fill a bag with bags of popcorn, movie candy, and 2-liters of soda along with some favorite family movies. You might also include a gift certificate to a pizza restaurant. INEXPENSIVE GIFTS FOR FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, AND COMMUNITY HELPERS: -Cookie Dough- “Here’s a little extra “dough for Christmas” or “Everyone needs a little extra “dough” for Christmas.” -Jar of Jam- “Hoping you have a holiday jam-packed with fun!” or” Have a “Berry” nice holiday season!”, or “Hoping your Christmas is “Jam-Packed” with Christmas cheer.” -Christmas Shaped Pasta- “Have a “pasta-tively” Merry Christmas.” -Veggies & Dip- “Dip into a wonderful Holiday Season and a Healthy New Year!” -Muffins or Muffin mix- “You're gettin' 'MUFFIN' for Christmas!” -Rootbeer- “We're 'ROOTING' for you to have a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year!” -Candle(s)- “May your days be happy, your heart be light, your Christmas merry and the New Year bright!” -Microwave Popcorn- “May your Holiday's be 'POPPIN'!” -Calendar- “Keep Christmas in your heart the 'WHOLE YEAR' through.” -Platter- “When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed and tripped on this 'platter'! Merry Christmas!” -Soda- “I'd 'SODA' like to wish you a Merry Christmas!” -Hershey's kisses in a whisk- “We 'WHISK' you a Merry 'KISSmas'!” -Fudge brownie mix- “'FUDGE' a little on the calories and enjoy the Holiday Season!” -Hot chocolate mix- “Wishing you a 'WARM' and wonderful Christmas!” -Mugs with Hot Chocolate Mix- “To our special friends who are so dear- We wish you both a “Cup of Cheer” (one mug would make a cute gift for a favorite teacher…”To a special teacher dear, here’s wishing you a cup of cheer!”) -Eggnog- “Have an “Udderly Moovalous” holiday” -Gingerbread House- “Nibble, Nibble, Nibble like a mouse, we hope you’ll nibble at this house!” -Santa decoration- “Ho Ho Hoping your Christmas is Merry!” or, “Be “Claus” you’re our friends, we wish you a Merry Christmas.” -Bear Shaped Honey and homemade bread- “Have a “Beary” sweet Christmas!” -Ice Cream- “Have a “Cool Yule”” -Grater and cheese- “To a “grate” neighbor!” -Pencil and Notepad- “Merry Christmas from our pad to yours!” Or, “Merry Christmas to a noteworthy friend.” -Bubble Gum or Bubble Bath- “May your holidays “bubble over” with fun!” -Strainer with a Christmas Bow- “We couldn’t “restrain” ourselves from wishing you a very Merry Christmas!” -Snickers Bars- “Don’t “Snicker” just be glad you got something!” -Sprite- “May your holidays be merry and “Sprite”.” -Any Sweet Treat- “Wishing you a season filled with sweetness!” -Seasoning Mixes- “Seasoned with Love!” -Dish Towel and Dish Cloth: “This Christmas you deserve the best......a present unlike all the rest. We considered a new car or exotic cruise, but decided on something you could really use! Finally we found a gift to admire, we hope you like your new washer and dryer! Happy Holidays!” HOMEMADE GIFT IDEAS: The following are all wonderful websites with hundreds of wonderful inexpensive homemade gift ideas. And for some amazing ways to wrap a gift check out this website. Her ideas really make a gift special! |
