We're a bit far from Christmas time, but somehow the Halloween thread reminded me of this.

Every Christmas, my family gathers at my grandmother's house to eat dinner and give gifts. Some of my cousins are a bit...umm...out there, you could say. One of them made a visit with her children, which was a little surprising, since I usually don't see her on Christmas (or any other time, for that matter). My dad has a way with kids, so of course he talked to my cousin's kids and asked them if Santa Claus visited their house during the night and what he brought for them. My cousin quickly told Dad that at her house, they don't do Santa Claus. Instead of writing a list to Santa, the kids will pray to God and tell him what they want for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, angels will come and deliver the presents that the kids prayed for. My dad told me later he thought she was being "fuddy-duddy."

I agree with my dad about fuddy-duddiness. I also have to wonder, though, what my cousin plans to do when the kids find out that the "angels" who deliver the presents are actually just their parents. I can see that they are trying to incorporate their religion into their household as much as possible (something that annoys me quite a bit, but that's another post), but I don't think they realize that trying to recreate the "childhood fantasy" thing with a Christian theme may backfire on them. Santa or the Easter Bunny not being real usually turns out to be no big deal. But using a character so crucial to their life - God?

Well, good luck cousin. Tee-hee :3 (I'm sure she'll have an excuse ready when the time comes, though, lol)