Okay, let's figure out the Night Before Christmas and the morning of at our homes as kids and now with our kids.
#1 We had a St. Nick Day at the beginning of December for SMALL gifts
#2 We had to be good and go to church like good kids in prep for Santa's visit on Christmas EVE so we could get our gifts that next morning after church.
#3 There is a HUGE difference between Santa Gifts and other gifts, mainly cool toys vs socks
#4 We also exchanged family presents - sometimes on Christmas Eve, due to the onslaught of gifts on the 25th.
#5 I think we missed church on Christmas ONCE due to a sick dad
#6 Now that I'm older and a mom, in our home now - we do #1 AND #3 for JP.
...so what's so weird about that? If we were Jewish, we'd have ten days of presents!!!
My hubby doesn't understand the presents thing from St Nick, Santa, Friends, Family, etc.
I call it Christmas. And YES, I do know and cherish what the real reason is for this holiday although Christ was born in the Springtime....but presents represent what God gave us when he gave the best present EVER - Jesus!
Well, that's what we were told anyways. And, St. Nick comes to the Christian kids who pray to him for help while Christmas is for everyone - to spread the news of the birth of Christ.
There, that's my story.
Okay, and there was an awfully funny series of letters today in the paper...
1) Dear Editor - these Evangelicals are up in arms about using the phrase "HAPPY HOLIDAYS' when if they really knew what it meant, they'd be happier. It means "holy days", basically. So, happy HOLY DAY!
2) Dear Editor - everytime you say HAPPY HOLIDAYS instead of MERRY CHRISTMAS...an elf dies.
...so Merry Christmas to all!
2 comments:
We didn't do St. Nick day growing up but I do it with Patrick. I just explain the two 'trips' the same way you do, Nino. Okay, so I stole it from you! But hey, it works.
#2 - we went to church but were never forced to - I just always loved to go to midnight mass. Obviously Patrick is required to go to Vigil that night at least.
#3- Santa gifts are whatever Patrick specifically asked him for. We didn't have "Santa" gifts growing up.
#4 - We couldn't open anything until Christmas morning. We do th same thing in our house now, except Christmas Eve everyone gets their Christmas pajamas.
So I guess we were spoiled along with the 100 and something other RC kids who had Santa gifts each year. My parents even wrote our names on them with their non-writing hands to 'confuse' us in case we figured it out.
The day we figured it out, we were on gift wrapping patrol for our younger siblings.
Not kidding, the gifts were lined up from here to the top of the tree each year.
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