Baby Jesus did you come like they say in all those songs and stories and books? Like a lamb? All quiet and unobtrusive? Little cries, little weak cries? Sleeping through the night from the start like a “good baby?” No struggle to fight out of those swaddling cloths? So subtle, you were, that the others never […]
No Santa? But What About the Magic?
I’ve written before about why we aren’t doing Santa in the traditional sense. We love and appreciate him and want to maintain his spirit through both his real Saint namesake and through his fairy tale, but we won’t be insisting that he delivers our children’s gifts on Christmas Day. I am a bit unique in the camp of […]
I Don’t Like The Red Cups, But Not Because They Offend Me
When I heard about the “Starbucks red cup controversy” I wasn’t very surprised by the red cups, but I was surprised to see the whole thing being referred to as a controversy. Apparently Christians are “outraged” and “offended” by this rather secular business’s decision to be rather secular during the months of November and December. I’m […]
Why Santa doesn’t come to our house
I love Santa (to be distinguished here from the historical St. Nicholas, who I also love). I don’t mean I “love” him in the way that I “love” the color green or goat cheese. I love Santa in a way that makes me tear up at the thought of him. I love Santa more than any […]
Fevers, Christmas, and the Problem of Pain
I have mixed feelings about fevers. On the one hand, I hate the way they knock you out. I hate the pounding head pressure, the weakness, the chills and the sweats, the so-exhausted-but-can’t-sleep feeling, the fear of it getting worse. But there is a special tenderness that comes with a fever. The warmth of my head […]
