WWCD? (What Would Cupid Do?)

Since coming back to Canada for Christmas I have gotten some serious scoldings for not blogging more so here's a double wammy for you to make up for the rest of the month. Lucky you!

So Christmas is an interesting time of year, don't you think? I've always felt conflicted about Christmas for a few reasons. Firstly, I am not Christian so I've always felt like a bit of an imposter celebrating a holiday when I don't believe in the actual reason for it. I also am increasingly disgusted by consumerism and Christmas truly is consumerism at it's height. This year I have also realized that I kind of hate snow which feels terribly un-Canadian and un-Christmasy.

Of course, all of this is emphasized by the fact that I have a 4 and a half (not 4, don't you dare try to say she's 4) year old person asking me questions all the time. It's awfully hard to celebrate Christmas without mentioning Jesus and rightly so since he's the reason for the season and all that. He's in the middle of the nativity scene and he's mentioned once or twice in Christmas carols. It was only a matter of time before Asha asked who was this guy that everyone's making such a fuss about.

Here's what I believe. I don't think there's a God. I think Jesus was just a mortal human being but I think he had a wonderful message to share with the world. I think he was an amazing person who did wonderful things and if people could truly just live the message that he brought, the world would be a better place. I'm not sure if the whole Bethlehem/stable business happened but I think it's a lovely idea that he had such a humble birth and grew to be such an influential person. There are images of Christmas that I think are lovely.

So I tried to explain the above to Asha as tactfully as possible. I want her to know that some people think that there is a God that created everything and that Jesus was his son and had special powers. I want her to know that my beliefs are my own and other people believe otherwise.

Well she has really latched on to the whole Jesus thing. I think it might be because he's a cute baby in the nativity scene but I think it's also because she likes the idea of someone telling people that they should be nice to eachother. She seems to be undecided about whether or not Jesus was more than human. She also went through a period of getting Jesus and Cupid mixed up. She would say "I'm going to share my snack with Nia because Cupid said we should share". I didn't correct her because it was hilarious.

The flip side of Christmas is the whole present-giving aspect. I like the fact that people came from far and wide to bring Jesus gifts although what's a baby supposed to do with frankincense and what exactly is myrrh, other than a very difficult word to spell? I think Mary probably would have preferred a soother or diapers or, here's a thought, a crib for the baby instead of a feeding trough! I am a total sucker for the Little Drummer Boy and how he goes to see the baby but has nothing to give so he plays him a song.

But how do you tell your kids that Christmas isn't just about presents when the whole world is telling them otherwise? I know it makes me a total Scrooge but I really dislike the concept of writing a list to Santa and sitting on his lap and asking for stuff. No wonder kids are obsessed with opening their presents and are rude to Aunt Myrtle when she only gives them pajamas. We're teaching them that they're entitled to get whatever they want!

I enjoy giving and receiving presents and I especially love when I think of the perfect present for someone. I always have at least one person for whom I think of the best gift and I can't wait for them to open it. There's something about the inherent generosity of Christmas that I love but I think it's been lost in the craziness of the season.

I guess I must be doing something right though because when I asked Asha what she wanted for Christmas she said a toy car, nothing more. I was surprised but she hasn't changed her mind. We were at the grocery store and she said "That Mom! That's what I want for Christmas!" while pointing to a $1.00 Matchbox car. That's all she wanted. She also decided to make Nia a present which consisted of a card on which she wrote "Dear Nia. I hope. Asha." She got a bit distracted in the middle and forgot to write what she hoped for. It's the thought that counts, right?

So if you ask Asha what Christmas is about she says, "Jesus (she got the Cupid thing sorted out, much to my sagrine), being with family, and snow". She's knows better than to say "presents" for fear of my reaction. She has decided that anyone that she's sees during this visit is family because Christmas is about family. I kind of like that.