For Whom Do We Wait on Christmas?

As a child, we did not grow up with Santa Claus.  We knew that our parents purchased the gifts and that Jesus was the center of the celebration.  Before we were allowed to open the gifts we always read the Christmas Story and were reminded of God's love for us sending us his only Son that we may have eternal life.  My parents often made many of our gifts, spending many late nights hand crafting their creations.  We truly felt special and blessed.  They weren't the latest toys shown on the commercials or expensive Atari's and electronics, but they were one of a kind gifts that showed each of us that we were special.  Some of my favorites were almost life size Raggedy Ann and Andy Dolls, Shadow Boxes for our special trinkets, and a lamp with a beautiful doll on a stand.  I know that we got store bought gifts too but those are not the ones I remember.
Early on with our first child, we decided that Santa would not be a part of our Christmas.  My convictions were not super strong against Santa, in fact he is kind of intriguing, I just knew that I agreed with my parents that he could not become what Christmas was about.  Our children know of him.  We even enjoy movies and story books about him.  We talk about the Saint and the true story of the man behind the legend, a generous kind hearted man who helped the poor and sick and gave to children.  You might ask but what of the magic that Santa brings to Christmas?
In our home, honesty has always been important.  It became even more important at the adoption of our son who was 4 1/2 at the time.  You see he didn't trust adults because they were not truthful.  They made promises they could not keep and they told him things that were not true.  The truth is a story of a baby born in a lowly stable.  A story of the wealthy and noble wise men along with the lowly poor shepherds, often known as thieves, all receiving the one true gift of Jesus.  It didn't matter who was naughty or nice, Jesus came for everyone.
This year I have run across an interesting concept.  One that I had never before thought of.  What if when our children discover that Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy are indeed not real they also lose their faith in Jesus as well.  After all you can't see him and they have been tricked before.  Are we putting their faith at risk for the sake of magical fun?   We are asking them to sit on the lap of a stranger, a human being we don't know, instead of asking them to sit at the feet of Jesus.  As parents we need to be careful.   For whom do we wait on Christmas?

   "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:32