Why would you ask THAT question?

Christmas and I have a love hate relationship, its true, I hate Christmas. I hate the expectation of gifts. I hate the "want" list. I hate the disappointment. I hate the stress of buying the perfect gift. I hate the commercialized idea of what Christmas has become. I love Christmas, too. I love being with family. I love the treats and sweets. I love seeing the look on my kids faces when they wake up Christmas morning. I love our traditional 6 am breakfast on Christmas eve. I love that everyone makes it a priority to be together at some point during one day. I love the pictures. I love the memories.

If I have heard it once I have heard it a thousand times--

What do you want Santa to bring you?  

Why, why ask that question? Are you going to go out and buy whatever the newest latest most expensive toy is? No, your not and now my kids will be disappointed because they have told 78 different people what they want Santa to bring them! And newsflash, we have 6 kids and they will NOT all be getting Beats, Ipads, Xbox One's, BMX bikes and four wheelers! What about that kid who's parents don't have ANY money for Christmas and they won't get anything at all. Or what about that child that will only get what is donated to them..an Ipad doesn't quite compare to some hot wheels cars donated by a local charity. 

Next time, why don't you ask "How are you going to celebrate Christmas?" or "Are you going to visit your family?" or "What's a nice thing you can do for someone during your Christmas break?" Why does it always have to be about Santa?! 

With 10 days left before Christmas we are going to sit down with our kids, like we always do and talk to them about being grateful for what they get, not having a "want" list, and reminding them of the children that don't get any presents. We collect gifts for foster kids and they usually help deliver them every year so they know first hand that there really are kids that don't get anything and this isn't something we just say.

I want my children to grow up knowing the real meaning of Christmas and knowing that there are far more important things than getting the newest latest toy on the market. Don't get me wrong my kiddos get lots of gifts for Christmas (they have 14 living grandparents, if that tells you anything) and we all appreciate their gifts and generosity very much, but we want our kids to value the time they spend with them as much as the presents. And fortunately for us all our family has the same values, so its not a battle within our own family, just the rest of the world. 

What are you going to do for someone else this holiday season? Remember the reason for the season is our Lord Jesus Christ! Celebrate His birth, His life and His sacrifice so that we may live forever.

Merry Christmas from The Kirks'!