Santa's out

  

Santa's not just in the basement this year.  He looks so cute
with my new red and white dishes.

Christmas table

My seasonal dishes.The checkered and snowflake plates
are from Wal-mart and the white snowflake plates
are from The Dollar Store.

All together and ready to eat!

These are just a few things that make me smile: red, red & white, family, sparkles, smiles, pokadots, stripes and pretty dishes. Christmas gives me the excuse to use a lot of red.  I love red and white, actually any color and white.  They are so cheery together. The couple of Santa decorations have usually been relegated to the basement decorating. But this year he gets to be in the kitchen. Over the years, I've tried not to give him anymore attention than necessary.  Christmas to me needed to be focused on Christ and there wasn't any room for the worldly tradition of Santa Clause.  I felt so strongly that when Jacob was 8, I thought he needed to know the truth, so I told him. Dad was not happy with me. (Sorry Jacob for shortening your childhood by taking the magic away too soon.) Gradually though, I've soften and now recognize the good Santa can do, with the right perspective.  He now represents to me the spirit of giving that comes from love.  Here is a man that gives himself completely because of the love he feels for little children, not unlike the Savior.  He teaches our children the thrill of giving secretly without the expectation of recognition- just for the joy of making others happy.  Our children are also blessed with the thought of someone outside the family who cares about their needs and wants.

Unfortunately, the world has distorted the meaning of everything connected to Christmas, to the point of distraction. With diligence on our part, the magic of the season can be gained while using the Christ-like love of an old man dressed in red.  While he'll never outshine our nativities in the house, I'll give him a little room to do his thing.