[Widget_Twitter id=”1″]

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

This is a remix (refreshed) version of a post I shared last year, and since today is actually St Nicholas Day, I felt it was appropriate to share it again. Enjoy


 

I was all ready to capture the moment on my camera. My sons wonder, and delight did not disappoint. Until he screamed. “Santa gives the best gifts!”  What!?  No … stop the music!!!  NOT Santa, MOMMY!  Mommy is the best gift giver I silently screamed.  My heart shattered, tears, and sadness clouded my vision in that moment.

 

My perspective on Christmas changed over twenty years ago, when my son was three. I worked hard to find the perfect gift and was more excited than a kid in a candy store.  My husband even had to hold me back from giving the gift early.  I imagined my son’s squeals of delight when he came into the room on Christmas morning to see what wonderful treasure I had found.

 

You need to understand: Gifts – are my jam, they’re my love language.  Not just because I want gifts, but because I love giving them.  It brings me much joy seeing the pure delight on a person’s face when they open the special gift I found just for them.

 

Traditions are a funny thing; we all have them and pass them down to our children and hope they do the same with theirs.  However, we never quite think about what happens with traditions when we blend families with different ones.  You see, in my husband’s family, they always set out an unwrapped gift on Christmas morning that was a gift from Santa.  In my family, there were wrapped gifts and stockings attributed to Santa.  My sister and I knew it wasn’t Santa, but we let my parents do their thing; it was the traditions they had carried over from their childhood into our family.

 

My husband and I were raised in church, so we knew ‘Jesus is the reason for the season’, not Santa.  However, the traditions and memories we have as children simply carried forward.

 

 

Everything changed that Christmas, albeit at first for the wrong reasons.  My heart hurt because Santa got credit for something I had done. I wanted my son to love ME for the gift I had given him, not Santa.  I wanted the credit, not Santa. Truth be told I was being selfish. I should have been more upset that my son wasn’t thanking God for the gift of His son Jesus. God truly is the best gift giver.

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son… (John 3:16 NIV).

 

That year, everything changed.  Santa was no longer going to be the focus for Christmas, and he wasn’t going to get credit for anything else. My sister-in-law pointed me toward a great Christian resource about celebrating different holiday traditions with Christian beliefs and values at the center.

 

From then on, we shared the truth of Santa and Jesus with our kids. The very next year, we started celebrating Advent and focusing on the importance of Jesus, His birth, and the events that surrounded it.  We also told them about a man named Nicholas, who later became known as Santa Claus. A man who loved God and exhibited generosity towards people.  As I researched Nicholas, I had a new-found admiration for who he was and how the tradition of Santa began.  Even to this day, I love to collect Santa’s depicting different countries and traditions.

 

We taught our children to be sensitive to the traditions of other families during the holiday seasons, and yet, we still had fun celebrating in our own way as we kept the focus on Jesus.  To this day, our family celebrates St. Nick Day on December 6th.  Stockings are filled with our family’s traditional items, and we honor a man who followed in the footsteps of Jesus and gave sacrificially to others.

 

For this gift giver, it’s a win-win.  Gifts early in December and gifts again on Christmas. Though my kids are grown, we still make every effort to celebrate this fun advent tradition as a family. We incorporated other traditions in the spirit of giving and blessing others; just as Nicholas did when he pointed people to Jesus.   However, we keep our eyes focused on the real reason for the season … Jesus!

 

God is the original gift giver and His son Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season.

 

 

…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23b NIV).

 

I would love for you to share with me in the comments below about some of your favorite holiday traditions.

 

May we all turn our hearts and focus upon the wonderful gift God sent in the form of a baby, His son, Jesus. Christmas season is a season of Hope and Belief.  A Season of awe and wonder.  It is a season where we can focus on the One who gives the best gifts ever! 

 

Again Welcome and Thank you for joining me for #TuneInThursday it is an honor to have you here!

I have had a few people ask for a badge/button to display on your blogs.  I would absolutely be honored if you would display it, or link back here in some way.  Thank you!

 

Tune In Thursday

 

Now let’s get this party started, feel free to link 1-3 posts:

 


[Widget_Twitter id=”1″]

 


 

Debbie Kitterman is a natural born encourager who is on fire for God. She is passionate about equipping individuals, so they can go deeper in the relationship with God, reach their God-potential and claim their Kingdom inheritance. Debbie is a wife, mother, author, pastor, speaker and the founder of “Dare 2 Hear,” a ministry that trains individuals to hear the voice of God. She travels to churches internationally and is the founder and teacher of d2htraining.com, an online course designed to equip the believer in releasing God’s heart. Her writing and teachings inspire faith and build bridges for people to believe and expect the impossible. She is also an ordained Foursquare pastor, currently serving with her husband, John, as senior pastor of Restoration Church in Lacey, Washington. Learn more at: www.debbiekitterman.com

 

Follow Debbie Kitterman

Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Instagram :: Pinterest :: FB Ministry Page :: LinkedIn :: Google+:: YouTube


Do you wonder if God still speaks today?  Do you wonder if He would ever speak to you personally?  Do you long to hear the voice of God in your life?

Have your read other books on hearing from God, but long for hands on practical application? or are you looking for ways to  move you forward  hearing from God?

If you answered YES to any of those questions, then I have exactly what you need.  I now have an online e-course designed to equip you in understanding that God still speaks today, and He longs to speak directly to you, through His word, and others.  He longs to encourage you, strengthen you and comfort you.  The training on this site, is fully based on Scripture, and taken from my training manual Releasing God’s heart through Hearing His Voice. 

God is speaking, Can you Hear Him?

d2htrainging.com membership site is open, I invite you to check it out today, and develop a deeper relationship with the Lord, as you learn to hear Him speak to your heart.

Looking for other Great Inspirational Parties. Click Here to see where I Link-Up weekly.

Several Submissions have been featured at Blessed Transgressions, an Online Magazine:

Balancing the Warrior & the Princess We’re Called to Be

Who we Are and Whose We Are

Trusting God When it Seems Illogical

Will You Sit with Me? (Jesus is Calling.)

My Post: The Reluctant Encourager was featured here:

 

My Posts:  The Most Wonderful Time of the Year & And So Do We! & Know Your Why & Jesus in Us! were featured here:

 

Overwhelmed to Fulfilled

My Post  #BeTheGift was featured here:

 

My Post “Climb Every Mountain” was featured in the August monthly link-up at : Life on Intention Link-up Party

My Posts: “Will You Sit with Me?”  & New Mercies Everyday & Wait for it were featured here:

 

My Post: The Power of your Story, The Reluctant Encourager and #TeamJesus were featured here:

My Post “What’s in a Name?” was featured here:

The Luke 2:52 Project

 

My Post: “The Journey through Change” was featured here:

featured-image2

Again,  I have been know to link to the following Inspirational Parties:

 

Exclusively Free Resources for Subscribers

Exclusively Free Resources for Subscribers

Enter your email below to subscribe and receive immediate access to my entire library of free resources! Including video teaching, printables, e-books, downloads and much more.

You’ll also be added to my mailing list and will receive occasional updates, and your personal information will never be shared.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Pin It on Pinterest