The big guy.

There's so many decisions to be made as a parent.  So many, that you don't even realize it until you're in the thick of it and then have to decide which road to take.  Some days, all you can do is close your eyes and pray that what you're doing won't ruin your kids for life.

Parenting is so much more than it appears.

Here's another blog about the role of Santa in a Christian home.  I know, it's all over the blog world, and a discussion that my husband and I have yearly.  Where does Santa belong in our Christmas traditions, if anywhere?  Should we even go down that road with our kids?  What does it look like for our family?

Recently I read a blog where a lady said she believes she is an atheist today because of Santa Clause.  She said she can vividly remember the day when she found out he was not real, and from that moment forward, could not listen or believe another thing out of her parents mouths in regards to what to believe in.  Maybe it's an extreme case, but it's one that has really struck a chord with me.

Growing up, we talked about Santa at Christmas time.  He brought us our stockings each year... yet I never remember "believing" in him hard core.  I never had the "WHAT?! SANTA ISN'T REAL?! moment.  In all of my memories, he was a fictional character.  It was just for fun that we talked about him.  The same goes for my husband, all of his memories as a child of Santa were make-believe.

Ideally, we'd love for it to be the same in our home with our boys.  The big guy that brings gifts to every child in one night and comes down the chimney to eat our cookies is not real, but in some odd way I feel like he can be.  The same way that we tell our boys that they are superhero's, and girls that they are princess'... it's part of the magic of an imagination, and child-like faith.

Blair said it perfectly this morning.  While Jesus' birth will ALWAYS be the forefront of our celebrations and Santa will never be the reason we celebrate, I think somehow we can find a balance between the "fun" of it, but yet the seriousness of the birth of our Savior and WHY we do it.

I heard it perfectly said recently... a Christmas with Santa does not mean a Christmas without Christ.

I'd seriously love to hear your thoughts... how does your family celebrate? How do you find a good balance?  If you have grown adult children, how did you handle this when they were kids?  Or if you're not a parent yet, how do you anticipate handling this when the time comes?