As I was driving Izi to school today (because of where we live, we drive her 40 minutes one way to school) I was out on a country road and was noticing all of the fall decorations. Well, Halloween decorations really. All in all, I don't have a huge problem with Halloween when kids are dressed up in cutesy costumes and there are nice Jack-o-lantern carvings. What I can't stand is when little kids especially are dressed up as evil characters and there is all this blood and gore. I know many Christian families choose not to celebrate Halloween in any form, and I can respect that. My parents did allow us to participate in Halloween activities, and we were raised ultra-conservative. My boys will be going as teddy bears and it is one of their outfits we purchased from Carters, so it's pretty harmless and we didn't spend a ton of money on a costume. But all this is a side point. What really got me is how much people decorate their homes for Halloween but do nothing for Christmas. Oh sure, they have a tree inside and buy a ton of presents, but they don't show the world that they are celebrating Christmas on the outside of their homes. I don't know about you, but one of our family traditions was to get hot chocolate and drive around to look at lights.
Needless to say, I was a little disappointed in realizing that people put more into dressing up, turning their front yard into a graveyard, stringing up orange lights, and playing scary movies than the birth of our Savior. True, many don't acknowledge that it's Christ's birthday, but choose instead to teach their children about Santa and out-do one another in maxing out credit cards on gifts. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with giving and receiving gifts, it is the spirit in which they are given that gives me pause for thought. Speaking of santa... just last week I had the conversation with Isabelle that Santa isn't real. I figured since she is 6, it's time to learn the truth. I think it's fine to pretend, but I will not teach my boys that santa exists.... just fun to pretend that he does. She handeled it very well, but I don't think she fully grasped the concept that there wasn't a little man in a red suit that delivered presents to all the boys and girls in the entire world. I did tell her about St. Nick and where the story of santa originated, which made it a little easier to take. I'm just waiting for her to tell her mom that I told her there isn't a santa and how she's going to take that... she believes fairies exist, so who knows!
We do decorate our house for Christmas, but this year I am determined to go crazy with lights!
1 comment:
Isabella has been bugging Scott for a month about lights on our house! A house down the street has their house decked out in Christmas lights, and has had them on for about 3 or 4 weeks. She wants lights on her house! I think she may succeed this year.... (I've been trying for 5 years, we got lights out in front of our apartment our first year:)
Post a Comment