A confession

Here it is...a big hairy confession. It's one that might get me pinned as a no fun, bible beating, stick in the mud, mommy. It's a confession that might tempt you to feel judged for your own decision. I'm not judging...will you trust me? This is about me. This isn't about you or what you do or don't do. This is my blog and I hope that you'll let me confess, hear my point, and not be unkind to the wrestling of my heart. I already feel pretty isolated by my decision, I don't need a verbal stoning too.

So the confession....

Wait for it.

Remember, I'm not judging others for doing this. I'm not trying to start a movement. It really is just a place for me to write out my feelings.

Here it is:
I loathe Elf on the Shelf.

Can't stand it. Dislike him. Get annoyed seeing "ideas" everywhere. Frustrated that people pay money for this thing. BAH HUMBUG to the ELF!!!!!!!

Notice - this has nothing to do with people who have it.

Follow me on this one:
As a Christ follower, Christmas is a very important season for us. It's the birth of our Savior.
Said Savior came to Earth so that He could die for our sins. His death means we don't get what we deserve, we get grace.
His entire existence was meant to wipe clean any naughty or nice list that our Heavenly Father might have.
So, if JESUS is the reason for the season I absolutely LOATHE that some creepy looking Elf that costs 29.99 at Target is getting so much play and his "purpose" is to make sure children are being good.

I have some friends that make me think more closely about all decisions that I make. Said friends did not grow up in the US. So imagine me trying to explain to these people that Christmas is about Christ and yet this Elf thing is supposed to be a "fun" way to celebrate the season that is about someone who is here to free them from being on a bad list? They might ask me about the Elf. I get it....the elf is fun. But with sooooo many people completely obsessed with this fun I wonder if the message my friends get as they are sorting through our culture is that Jesus just isn't as fun. So we put the message of the season aside to create some fictional fun to amp it up. Something is backwards when the Jesus things feel cheesy and the Elf thing feels fun.

I know you will be tempted to comment about including Christ in Elf on the Shelf. You might even link me up to some people who do it well. Please resist. I've seen them. I've considered them. If you want to do them, that's awesome. Again, this is not about you. I personally don't feel any better about trying to Christian-ize the Elf. John 8:23 cleared that up for me.

Where does that leave us with Santa? St. Nicolas was a man who represented the giving spirit we admire and since St. Nick was a real person and Santa exists to carry his legacy, we feel that including Santa in our Christmas fun is ok. We don't talk about the naughty and nice list. We don't leave reindeer food in the front yard or cookies on plates. We don't really focus at all on the fictional Santa. However, a Santa ornament, seeing Santa at the mall, or singing Rudolph the Red nose reindeer with our friends is an opportunity to allow the spirit of who St. Nick was add to the fun. Since Christ gave His life for us, anyone who encourages us on a path to greater selflessness is welcome in our fun.

It is really this simple....at Christmas I desire CHRIST to be my focus. When my aforementioned friends come into my home, which they do often, I don't want them to have to sort through which things are fictional fun things and which things are true. I want the clear message of my heart, my home, and my actions to be that I love Christ because He first loved me. I want to have fun. I want to deck the halls. I want to share hot chocolate and home made cookies with anyone who wants to stop by. This season is rich with joy, togetherness, and an energy that comes with this most wonderful time of the year. It's just my personal belief that at the core of all the fa la la la las is the richness that is the Birth of our Savior. Furthermore, because this holiday has such a deep meaning the overflow of our hearts is the fun and festivities we crave. We want to spread Christmas cheer because there is a genuine outpouring of joy that comes with a precious baby born to save us all.

He appeared and the soul felt it's worth!

He is big enough to carry the season. He deserves to be the center focus. And He's a big enough deal that there just isn't enough room on my shelf for an Elf.