The reason for the season

I have really been trying hard to make sure that Elvis understands the true meaning of Christmas. It is getting harder these days to wade through the commercialism and see the point behind it all. With more and more stores dropping "Merry Christmas" and going PC, I have to work harder to make sure that my kids don't get all wrapped up in the buying and list making that the media pushes on them. At our house, we have a nativity in the living room and I make sure to talk to him about Baby Jesus being born and how it was a special night. Last year when we went to Mass, he was looking for the Baby so he could tell Him "Happy Birthday". This year we have participated in several Christmas and holiday charities so that he can learn how fortunate we are and how others aren't quite so lucky. He knows now that there are people who can not afford to buy groceries that thanks to our donations to the local food pantry will have something to eat. When we worked on his shoe box for Operation Christmas Child, it broke his heart to think that there are children that won't get any toys (or any presents for that matter) for Christmas. He also saw me taking a bag of goods to work with me and asked why. I told him that they were gifts for a family that wasn't going to have much for Christmas and he was pleased that his mother was helping out. I tried to explain the Angel Tree to him, and I think he got the gist of it. I do get all into the decorating and the tree and as I mentioned before, I spend way too much money on gifts. I do want to make sure though that my son (and my daughter when she is older) understand why we give each other gifts and why we decorate and why Christmas is so important. I want them to learn that this is a time of year to be especially thankful for all the things that we have- our health, a home and most of all each other. We don't have a lot to give but we do give what we can. We give because years ago a Baby was born and that Baby was the greatest gift of all.