All the controversy about Santa and Elf on a Shelf swirling around on the internet, Facebook and the blog world has been curiously interesting and disturbing to me. I understand every family has their own beliefs and traditions – – that’s the beauty of living in a free country. And just for the record, my kids did believe in Santa (gasp!). But what about the baby? There would be no Christmas without the baby.
When I was a child, one of the ways my siblings and I got ready for Christmas was to make a Baby Jesus Blanket. It was a weaving of construction paper strips with a space for each day from December 1 to December 25. We would choose our own colors and fringe the edges and then tape them to our bedroom door. Our mission was to put together a “blanket” of love to give to the baby Jesus on Christmas day.
We could earn a shiny star each day for doing something special for someone, helping out at home, showing a small (or big) kindness at school to a teacher or student – – basically acts of love for other people. It helped us to remember that Jesus came out of love for us – – what better gift could we give Him than showing love, too?!
I continued this tradition with my kids when they were young, and I hope they will do the same someday with their families. They were always excited to bring their blankets to the manger on Christmas Day and give Baby Jesus their gift. I hope this tradition helped them to realize that the Baby Jesus was the most important part of Christmas.
For old times’ sake, I made a blanket for myself this year (pictured). It’s helping me keep things in perspective.
Please . . . Don’t Forget the Baby!
21 Twin Years 