The Baby Jesus is not for throwing. Please don't chew on the Wise Men. Take that camel out of your mouth. Did you hit your brother with that angel?
These are just a few of the actual sentences I have uttered this year while teaching our sons the Christmas Story. Each evening after dinner we have told a small part of this eternal tale. We started with the prophecy, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given." Tonight we finished with God's care of Mary, Joseph and Jesus as He warned them to flee Herod and go to Egypt. Tomorrow night we will return to the stable for a review of the basics. Sometimes I feel like it is all falling on deaf ears. The cynic in me says, "They are so young. Why bother with it? Just let them open their presents on Christmas morning and save yourself the grief of trying to keep their attention for five minutes." And then I realize that none of this makes sense to me without the Story. Why give gifts? Why decorate my house? Why sing these songs that are way too high? Because the angels really did announce His birth. Because the Wise Men were there to worship. Because the Baby Jesus did not stay a baby. He grew up and gave His life willingly to pay for all our sin. Without these truths, Christmas is meaningless and empty to me. And I know that someday my boys will understand for themselves the beauty and mystery of this celebration. Until then, we will keep the glass ornaments out of reach and the plastic nativity set on the coffee table. At least next year nobody will be teething.
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