Celebrating the True Meaning of Christmas

It seems that every year I stuggle with keeping my children from getting caught up in the "material" hype of Christmas. They talk about new toys, Santa, reindeer, and all the traditional Christmasy things they know about. While Matt and I have always tried to teach our children that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus, giving of ourselves, and helping others, we too find ourselves caught up in the hype. Sure, we take our kids to church, read them the Christmas story, set up a Nativity in our house, and talk about ways we can give and help others, but somehow the buying, baking, and giving presents seems to come out in full force in the end.

This year, however, we had some help in celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. The first graders at our church put on their own Christmas pageant. They spent 3 Sunday School classes practicing for it, and they did a terrific job! Austin had a big role - Shepherd #1 - and he even had a speaking part! He looked great in his costume, and he certainly was a little nervous when he came out on stage to say his lines. The kids did a wonderful job showing their families what Christmas is all about.