SANTA DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE And I'm Glad

Christmastime is still a time of celebration, but instead of Santa, we in our house have made Jesus at home in our hearts. Santa no longer lives there. The children are no longer little. They've become wise to the real meaning of Christmas. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a stable and there He was placed in a manger where animals sometimes feed. There was no room at the inn. Angels sang to the shepherds at night announcing the birth of the King of the world and the Savior of all mankind who are willing to follow Him. Three important men came from the East to see Jesus. They were wise from knowing prophecies of His birth. They had an idea where Jesus was to be born and the star led their way. And so we celebrate Christmas. Or do we!

Sadly, Santa gets all the glory at Christmastime, and now he is joined by the Grinch. There is no room for Jesus once again, not in people's hearts or in the seasonal celebration. Gone are the Christian ornaments, decorative figures, and the songs about His birth. The songs are all about Santa, snowy weather, the Grinch, and even Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Reindeer. Christmas seems to be growing away from Jesus.

So if Santa and his following should be taken out of the celebration, would there still be any fun left in it? Well, we would still have the tree. Jesus's cross was fashioned from a tree but He was the only thing hung on it. There would still be gifts because the wise men brought gifts for Jesus. Three "wise men" could replace Santa when giving gifts as a way of acting out His birth. There would still be candy canes because they represent the shepherd's cane and the red stripes represent the stripes that he bore from a terrible beating. The star on the top of the tree represents the star in the sky that the wise men followed. And the lights represent many things but mostly Jesus is the light of the world. And our little lights also should shine.

Yes, if you look into our hearts, you will see that Santa doesn't live there anymore and Jesus is here to stay.