It’s
January and I’m ecstatic. Well, ecstatic like someone who has crossed a
marathon finish line and can finally stop running. I love the holidays.
But I loved them lots more before I knew the whole damn show was
powered by one frenzied woman on a gerbil wheel – and she’s me.
This year there were a few new wrinkles to Christmas beyond finding
the perfect gift, getting the kids to smile in the Christmas picture
and keeping the artichoke dip warm at the party. Now that my children
are a bit older at the esteemed ages of 4 and 6, they’re starting to
ask questions that are, well… hard. And the balancing act of Santa vs. Nativity Story has officially begun. Or as I call it, “the pink Jesus in the room.”
Our vague “Do Unto Others” philosophy that we’ve taught our
un-baptized children works all right most of the year. But then there’s
Christmas and the Christmas Story (not the one with the BB Gun – the
other one) and it’s non-stop Jesus talk. Once my daughter came home
from preschool in tears because a child told her that “when you love
Santa it makes baby Jesus cry.” We couldn’t ignore it any longer.
It’s not that I’m against Jesus, I have even found myself describing
him to my children as “a really nice guy.” I understand that’s short
shrift for the man that inspired the Christianity movement, but
honestly, I feel like he’s been co-opted as the spokes-deity for a
political movement I’d rather not be associated with.
So to avoid completely resigning the Season to a red-suited man
driving a Norelco shaver across the snow (shout-out to anyone who
watched any TV in the 80’s), I went on-line and researched Advent.
Every December Sunday, we lit a candle, read a story with the theme of
generosity and talked about how we could each be a light in the world
like Jesus – and hey, his birthday happens to be coming up!
I’m not claiming it was perfect, but the kids liked the ceremony,
the story or at least the flames. It spurred many interesting
conversations and we even “adopted” a family in need on our quest to be
that light our world desperately needs. It helped cast Jesus as less of
a red-state politico and more of an actual “nice guy.”
All in all, it was a satisfying experiment and I’m even trying to
carry it on the 11-months when the Nativity is packed away. Most
surprisingly, I feel common ground with religious conservatives who
pull their kids from public schools because, for now anyway, when it
comes to spirituality we’re home schoolers.
Lucie B. Amundsen is a writer and editor in the Twin Cities. Her
family oriented essays have been heard the podcast, Mombo and Minnesota
Public Radio’s "All Things Considered” and “In The Loop."
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