Does it work for YOUR family?

The holiday season is in full swing, and with it comes a time-honored tradition: judgement. Tis the season of love and sharing and magic, with many spiritual and religious celebrations from different faiths occurring over several weeks this winter. And along with those celebrations come plenty of opportunities for people to tell you that you're doing it wrong.

Do you lie to your kids about Santa or do you deny them the magic of Christmas?

Ah, no thanks, no Elf on the Shelf for us, I don't want some creepy spy hanging out at our house.

Jesus is the reason for the season!! Wait, there are other holidays happening too? 

You know that December 25th wasn't the actual birthdate of Jesus, right?

No, we don't believe in some dude who lives in the sky.

I cannot believe how people buy into the gross commercialization and spend so much money on stupid gifts.

Our kids only get homemade beeswax candles and they knit their own stockings.

Ugh, must be nice to have all that free time to bake and decorate cookies. 

"Real moms" have messy houses; I'm too busy bonding with my kids to worry about cleaning.

So many Christmas decorations! You know you don't get a medal for that, right?

The list is endless.

After having a few years of parenting under my belt, my mantra is this: 

Does it work for YOUR family?

I've found that most families I know are very thoughtful about their parenting decisions. They put thought into how and what they teach their children. Russell and I do Santa with our children for lots of reasons. One of which is tradition: we both grew up in families that loved the tradition of Santa. Neither of us have some horrific story of feeling betrayed or lied to when we "found out". I honestly don't even remember "finding out" Santa wasn't real in one distinct moment, it was more of a gradual realization. Another big reason for us is the same reason we build Fairy houses and villages in the Spring and Summer: wonderment. Awe. Belief in the things we can't see. Sure, one day they won't check to see if fairies took the gifts they left, one day they'll stop writing letters to Santa. And yes, I am prepared to have conversations with them about those things when they happen.  Each family has to make decisions for themselves. While we teach our kids that honesty is of the utmost importance, they are also still just children who believe in magic and kindness and generosity and pure goodness; and I don't personally have a problem reconciling the two. How we celebrate the holidays has nothing to do with how anyone else does or does not. MY choices are not a judgement of YOUR choices.

Does it work for YOUR family? Then you do you. boo.