Tony and I are trying to figure out what traditions we would like to pass down to Mogs. Will it be Christmas=Santa or Christmas=Baby Jesus? Tony does a great job describing his thoughts on his blog, endlessly rocking. I am partial to celebrating the Solstice and connecting it to Christmas. Jesus was born and birth is a part of the earth’s natural cycles, etc. I am making felt Christmas tree toppers that depict Mary and Jesus (or, simply mother and child). I found this great children’s book, One Winter’s Night, a few years back that really captures my feelings on honoring our place in the rhythm of nature.
Then, there is the whole Santa thing. I am not sure how it fits in, but I want to include it in some way. This weekend we took Mogs to see Santa—
This wasn’t her reaction:
This is what she thought of Santa:
Aawww…
In my opinion…not that anyone asked…any traditional elements of Christmas (St. Nicholas, Solstice, etc.) can enhance the Christmas feast if they are linked to and support the idea of Jesus, like you did with the Soltice here. Fullness, not minimalism, is better - it’s like looking at light through the facets of a diamond. There is only one Source of Light but our eyes can better appreciate that Light when it’s focuse and reflected in these different facets.
Here’s a great website about St. Nicholas. Hope you enjoy it, I did!
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23