December is here! We had our first giant snowfall so now I feel like decorating our house and trying out my new cookie press with some shortbread.I am also back to thinking about where my new feelings and beliefs fit in with this season. This is the first time in my life I have stopped identifying myself as Christian. Some days I am an Agnostic, and some days I am a Humanist, but I definitely don't feel Christian anymore.
Hubby takes the kids to church and they are learning about being Christian and being an Anglican from him. Baby Jesus is in our Christmas book basket, as is Santa.
I don't quite know how to teach my kids there is something in between celebrating the birth of Jesus and waiting for Santa. They of course are all about the loot.
I want to teach them there is more to Christmas than loot and baby Jesus.
I am starting by trying to get the kids excited about giving. Emmett and Charlotte have each been on special shopping trips so they could pick out gifts for each other. Charlotte and I spent the morning making salt dough ornaments to give as gifts.
Can someone point me to some good story books about giving that don't have Santa in them?
What do you do to celebrate the season?
3 comments:
We bake cookies, Dutch specialties, bread, and anything to make the house gezelig (Dutch for feeling cozy/welcoming/homey/lovely). We also eat and read and talk by candle light to help get a feel for how dark this time of year really is. Walks in a park or the woods, if feasible, are also good ways to get in the mood to celebrate "drawing back the sun."
I love the alternative card at the top of your post!
I steered my family away from Christmas a few years ago - we kept some of the fun stuff, like gifts, tree, lights and good food, and got rid of references to Christmas and Santa. The kids were OK with it. We have our big dinner on the 21st - the Solstice - and it feels a lot less hypocritical to me as the religious side of Christmas never meant anything to us.
We're atheists in our home and we LOVE Christmas.
The good ol' Dr. Seuss classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a great anti-capitalist, non-religious Christmas story. The Olden Days Coat is also great (and Canadian.) The latter is my Margaret Laurence.
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