It's a BIG Birthday Party!

Many years back, my grandma wrote this letter and I thought I would share it. It makes a lot of sense and is something that every Christian should really take time to think about. It was out of response to the "Dear Virginia" letter that a little girl wrote asking if Santa was real or not because her friends had told her that he wasn't. Here is what Grandma wrote:

Dear Virginia,

Yes, Virginia, your friends are right. There is no Santa Claus. But there is a loving Heavenly Father, who gave us the best gift --Eternal Life --through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came not down the chimney, but down from Heaven's glory through a virgin name Mary, to be born in a lowly stable; to walk where we walk, work as we work, live as we live, and to be tempted as we are tempted, and then to die the cruel death of the cross --all without sin. Yes, Virginia, there is a Heavenly Father who knows all things, sees all things, and is present everywhere and in His wisdom He knew we would never be good enough to go to Heaven to live with Him, so in His grace He made a way for us to escape the punishment of Hell and live with Him forever. You see, Virginia, although God's Son died on the cross for our sins and was buried, He rose from the dead and lives, forever interceding for us before the throne of God.

You see, Virginia, Satan would like for you to believe in Santa and not Jesus, but Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." Satan wants to get your eyes off of Jesus, so he gets you to think about yourself; "what will Santa bring me?" He wants you to go to sleep thinking about what will be under the tree in the morning instead of the precious birth of our Lord and Saviour.

So you see, Virginia, when we celebrate Santa Claus and look to him for our gifts (even though he brings none), instead of celebrating CHRISTmas we take away the glory due our Lord and give it to His enemy. When we tell others there is a Santa Claus, we become a liar like Satan.

Love,

Aunt Jean

Now, I don't usually get totally involved in this issue, but I feel as a Christian we really have to look at this issue seriously. We are being told that we can't say "Merry Christmas" anymore. We can't find nativity sets for our homes anymore when you go to a store to purchase one. The hot topic that everyone asks a child is, "What is Santa bringing you for Christmas?" The Bible talks about God being a jealous God. Why then do we bring another man into our homes to celebrate our Lord's birth? People are constantly saying that Christmas has gotten too commercial so they are doing away with Christmas all together. Why not just celebrate Christmas the way your family wants to celebrate it? We don't need to get rid of it all together. This time of year is a special time. We get to say thank you to our wonderful God for giving us such a wonderful gift. He came and gave His life for us. That calls for celebration! We still put a Christmas tree up which symbolizes the trinity and the eternal love of our God. We play Christmas music, look at lights (we are to be a light to the world), etc. But we do not have a Santa, we do not get caught up in the bus-i-ness of the season. Really think about giving Christmas back to remembering our Saviours birth. Why do we need anymore than that? It is the best story to tell our kids. It is the best gift to share with others. It is simple, but oh-so-BIG! Share the real meaning of Christmas to the world. Don't let the world change you and this special time. The world is the world. They are not going to celebrate our Saviours birth and we can't be upset about that. They don't know our Saviour like we do. Why would they celebrate His birth? We need to keep it going! Keep Christ in Christmas. Have the Biggest Birthday Party ever! Happy Birthday Jesus! We love You and thank you for the best gift EVER!!