Yesterday was a day that people all over the USA took the time to slow down, spend time with loved ones and have at least a passing thought or two on gratitude.  It was a day that has been set aside for years, a day when (most of) the stores are closed, and you are practically forced to chill.

We took part in the festivities – having a relaxing morning (we cooked on Wednesday), headed over to my aunt’s house where the whole family was gathered for the feast, and then went to see a movie with the girls and the grandparents, as is tradition.  We talked about what we are thankful for as we were driving – A is thankful for family, friends, and Jesus. Oh, and the cat.  M was thankful for us & A, her grandparents, her teachers and her friends.  Oh, and Jesus.  Yes, they were both in that order!

Me?  I’m thankful for so many things.

First & foremost I am thankful for being created by a God who loved me enough not only to create this world and all of us on it (knowing that so many wouldn’t love Him back) but also loved me and you enough to sacrifice His Son – to allow Him to be born as a human, to live out a life, to be ridiculed and beaten, and torturously killed – so that I could be saved.

Second – I’m thankful for Eric.  I’m thankful for everything that he does each day for our family.  I’m thankful that he has a job that pays our bills, and that he loves his children deeply.  At the moment I’m especially thankful that he is stringing the lights on my mom’s Christmas tree – especially knowing how much he hates to string lights.

I’m also thankful for the two beautiful girls that God has blessed us with.  Yes they frustrate me from time to time, but over all they are truly great kids.  They are well behaved, they love each other and they love Jesus.  They have gentle and sensitive hearts and I know that God has something in mind for each of them – and I can’t wait to see what it is!

Thirdly I am thankful that we live in a country where we are free to live our lives how we want to.  We can worship God freely and without fear of persecution.  That we can gather together with other believers – both in the real world and online – and not have to hide away in a basement somewhere out of fear of being thrown in jail.  I am, however, saddened that while we have these freedoms we as a nation tend to squander them.  And yes, I’m talking to myself as much as anyone else with that one.

These are some of the things I have been reflecting on over the last coupe of days.

And then comes today.

It seems ironic to me that the day following our corporate day of thinking about all that we have is the day of corporate “get out there and get stuff before everyone else.”

Seriously.

What happened to being thankful for the things that we already have – both the tangible and the intangible?

Personally, I avoid the whole black friday thing, and have for years.  I think that the mad rush to go buy more stuff – stuff that we don’t really need and stuff that those we are buying for don’t really want – is kind of insane.  We spend so much money that we don’t have anyway on things that we don’t need and we seem to have lost the point.

Christmas is about the gift God gave the world, but we have perverted it into a season of “me, me, me!”

Today I am taking the time to be thankful for the blessings God has already given me, and leaving the insanity to the rest of the world.

The Christmas season is upon us, and with it comes heaps of “extras” that never had anything to do with the traditional holiday.  Prepare yourself – I may come across a bit offensive here…

I am a Christian – I have never tried to hide that fact – and as such, I believe that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ (whether he was actually born in December or September being set aside).  This time of year can be very frustrating for me, as I see this wonderful celebration being tainted by consumerism, over-spending, the idol of self, and a fat man in a red suit.

Yes, I said it, I don’t like santa clause.  I think that lying to your children year after year is setting yourself up for a confrontation.  Why is it suddenly OK to tell a lie?  Do we really expect our kids to understand that it’s “not really a lie” when yes, it actually is.  Why the double standard?

Let’s make it more challenging, shall we?  I don’t like the idea of SC, but my mom… well, she was adamant that the girls believe in jolly ol’ st. nick.  Every year she gets them some over the top gift “from Santa” and force feeds them the line that santa is real.  Have I told her that I don’t want to tell them this?  yes.  Did it matter?  Apparently not.

My youngest has not believed for a few years now – she asked me and I refused to lie to her.  I put the ball back into her court though – she asked if he was real, and I asked her what she thought.  After thinking about it for a minute or so she decided that the whole idea was a little too out there.  She didn’t believe in Santa – after all (in her words) Christmas is about Jesus, isn’t it?  Praise God!  Yes, I told her, Christmas is about Jesus.  She was concerned for her big sister though – M believes, oh yes, she believes!  After all, Grandma told her that it’s true, so it must be.

Yes, I’ve heard all of the arguments… “it’s just a fun thing to do” and “do you really want your kids being the ones at school telling the other kids he’s not real?” (um… yes?) “It doesn’t hurt anything” and my personal fav “but YOU believed in Santa, why are you taking that away from them?” ugh.

Let’s tackle these comments, shall we?

It’s Just A Fun Thing To Do:  yes, it’s big fun, and it creates little tyrants that are so focused on themselves that they can’t see the world around them.  They live life looking in a mirror rather than looking out at the world around them.  They get so focused on “Me, me me” that they have no compassion for their neighbor.  That sounds like loads of fun.   Not.

Oh, and let’s not forget the year that some kid (possibly mine) tells them that their parents have been lying to them all of these years.  “yes, of course you can believe everything I tell you!”  “But you told me Santa was real (and the tooth fairy, easter bunny, etc)”  “Oh, but that was just for fun!  I wasn’t really lying to you!”  Hmmm… sounds like a double standard to me.  The whole “do what I say, not what I do.”  Nice.

Being the parent of the bubble bursters… honestly, I don’t mind that one a bit.  My youngest is rather known for speaking her mind… I think her teachers expect it these days.  In case you’re wondering, we don’t celebrate halloween either, and she will tell them why every year.  And no, I haven’t gotten a phone call yet – from parents or teachers.

It Doesn’t Hurt Anything:  well, other than their trust in you to always tell them the truth, and teaching them that it’s OK to put something else in front of the truth of Jesus.  Oh, and teaches them that it’s OK to lie if it makes someone else happy.  Our society has replaced the truth of Jesus birth with the lie of a fat man in a suit that brings more junk into our homes.  We have taken humility out of Christmas and replaced it with sacrifices to te idol of self.  No, it doesn’t hurt anything at all, does it.

Then we come to the age old “but YOU got to have the fun of Santa, why are you depriving your children of that same joy?”  Yes, this one is usually from the grandparents who don’t see any issue with the fat guy.  After all, they promoted the lie, and if you don’t continue that “tradition” you are saying that they did something wrong.  Yes, I was raised with Santa.  Yes, my mom LOVES the idea of santa – no, she really loves it.  I still had unwrapped presents laid out under the tree when I was 18.  Seriously.  I honestly don’t know why she loves it so much, but she is the one that refuses to give up believing well past the bitter end.  I love her dearly, and I am thankful for her, but I just don’t get it.  And when I voiced my opposition to the whole santa thing, I was in deep trouble.  She stopped arguing with me & started in on my dear husband.  Of course to keep the peace he tried to convince me to “let her have her fun”, which I (regretfully) eventually did.  So, we let Grandma tell the stories of santa, we let Grandma give the gifts “from santa” and we let Grandma perpetuate the myth.  I didn’t back it, but I allowed it.  If my girls asked me if santa was real, I tried to let them talk it out – I still have not told my oldest “no dear, Grandma lied to you all these years, santa is not real” because I don’t want to be the one to have that conversation.  I don’t want to blame Grandma for it, after all, I allowed her to do it in my house.

This year though, I just can’t do it.  I can’t let the lie perpetuate.  This year we are going back to basics, we are celebrating Christmas – the real Christmas.  We are celebrating the birth of our Savior, the miracle that is the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  Yes, we will still exchange gifts, but we will remember that we give gifts to remember the ultimate gift that was given for us – God’s only Son in exchange for our wretched lives.  I want my girls to look at the world through the filter of Jesus, not get stuck looking in a mirror at themselves.  I want them to see the needs around them, and focus on how to help others and give generously rather than get caught up in the self-absorption that has taken over Christmas.  No, there will not be any shiny, expensive toys under the tree.  There will be some books, some clothes that they need, and something that they have said that they really want, but there will not be an over-abundance.  We just can’t afford it – economically or spiritually.

When M asked me this year if santa was real, I asked her if she really thought that he was.  I have to admit, Grandma made it pretty convincing – there were even sleigh bells one year while they were taking a bath, and fun unwrapped presents were under the tree when they got out.  She wants to believe, because Grandma told her.  She wants to believe because all of her friends at school believe.  This is something that I have to figure out, something that we will have to talk about.  I don’t want to tell her that Grandma has been lying to her, but I’m unsure how to go about explaining it to her without her coming to that conclusion.  She is still undecided.  She’s 8 now, and is starting to realize that it just doesn’t add up, but she’s not ready to give up on the idea.

My biggest fear though isn’t that she will realize that someone she loves deeply lied to her.  No, my biggest fear is that she will somehow come to believe that the true magic of Christmas – the birth of Jesus – is also something that someone made up.  That the birth of Jesus will be one of those “childish things” that gets put aside as she grows up.  No fairy tale is worth that.

So, if you are considering how to deal with the whole issue of Kris Kringle, make sure that you prayerfully look at all sides of it.  Ask God what He would have you do with your family.  And once you have decided, don’t let anyone else go against that choice with your kids – not even family.  Your kids eternity could be part of the bargain.

…with That’s a Wrap!

Yes, the Holiday Season is just around the corner – it’s already the end of September! Before you know it October will be over and the rush will have begun. How will you wrap your gifts this year? Do you have traditions for gift wrapping in your family, or is it time to create some?

Here is a little history of gift wrapping and how it has evolved.

Gifts have been wrapped since the invention of paper in 105 A.D. in China. In Asian cultures today, the packaging of a gift is often more impressive than the gift itse;f – the attention to detail is incredible.

This Chinese paper-making process was kept a secret for centuries, but by 800 A.D. the process was known in Egypt. The secret spread to Europe, where the first paper mill was started in 1085.

Wallpaper was one of the first Eorupean forms of gift wrap, however it cracked or tore when folded. By the early 20th century, gifts were wrapped in plain brown paper or tissue. In many parts of Europe this is still the main form of gift wrap in use.

At the end of 2002, industry statistics showed gift bags had become the No. 1 way consumers choose to wrap gifts. It is quick and easy, and it looks great! Gift bags are expecially good for awkward shaped gifts, as you don’t have to either fit them into a box ot get the paper to stay around your gift.

Now that we have seen where gift wrapping originated, it’s time to take a look at your family’s gift wrapping traditions. Many people wrap everything in gift boxes, while others use gift bags exclusively. Most families use a combination of the two, depending on the occasion and the intended recipient.

My mom has a cool trick that I have borrowed – it keeps any chance of peeking far away, as there are no names on the boxes… She chooses one theme or color combination for each person – i.e. one gets gold & cream, another gets burgundy & gold, another green & red, etc. She knows the colors for each person and every present she wraps for them goes in that color theme – be it a bag or wrapping paper.

This is a great trick when you have little ones that try to guess what’s inside. They can shake the gifts all they want, but they don’t know if it’s for them, their brother or sister, for daddy, or someone outside the family. If you choose an overall theme, the packages look beautiful under the tree, and there aren’t any name stickers to contend with. I will often find a pen that blends in with the wrapping paper & jot the first letter of the person’s name somewhere in a corner, just in case I forget!

Now that you have some extra ideas for your own holiday gift wrapping, head over to That’s A Wrap to get your gift wrapping supplies squared away before the big rush gets here. They have a wide variety of styles and patterns for Christmas, Hanukkah, birthdays and more. They offer tissue paper, bags, wrapping paper, ribbons, boxes… you get the idea. Don’t leave your gift wrapping for the last minute!

That’s A Wrap – Giving All Of Your Gifts That Extra Touch

If you are looking for a great gift for a family on your list – or your own kids – you need to take a look at a new book by Sara Ann Denson called Christmas Turtles. This great story is about Sara’s own grandmother, and the wonderful turtle candies that she used to make every year when Sara was growing up – even though her grandmother couldn’t eat them herself!

This is a wonderful and heartwarming story that may bring back fond memories for you Moms, Dad’s and Grandparents, and it includes a recipe for turtles and a wooden mixing spoon to help you create new memories of your own!

Christmas Turtles is available from Purple Sky Publishing, and if you use the coupon code “cottagegiftspecial” you can save 15% on your total purchase. Hurry over to check it out – there may still be a few autographed copies left to order!

Christmas Turtles is also available at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com and borders.com, however the 15% off coupon is good only at purpleskypublishing.com

Do you want more info about the author & illustrator?

Sara Ann Denson has been a nationally published author since the age of 18. In 1995, she received the first place One-Act Play Award at the annual Alabama Writer’ Conclave and she went on to publish three books of scripts and play along with various magazine credits. She currently lives in Jefferson City, Missouri with her husband, Boyd, and their two sons, Samuel and Gideon. She is a member of the MOMpack.

Tara McMillen as always had a special love for art. Tara is a painter who has done numerous murals in the Kansas City area. Her attention to detail and her intuitive nature makes her the perfect illustrator for children’s books. Tara has been married for seventeen years and has two wonderful children, Ericka and Kyle, who have also been blessed with their mother’s artistic ability.

For additional information regarding the author and illustrator, as well as other authors and illustrators employed by Purple Sky Publishing LLC, please visit purpleskypublishing.com