Stewardship Development

Written by Barbara Fullerton, Stewardship Development Coordinator, The United Church of Canada.

As a young mother working as program director in a church camp in the 1980s, I led Advent workshops at the camp and at our church, using the original material related to Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway? produced by Alternatives for Simple Living. It resonated with the lifestyle my partner and I had chosen for raising our daughters.

Because I was born to missionaries in India, where Santa was not part of the culture, he had never been part of my life. Neither did we introduce him to our daughters, concerned that perpetuating that myth as truth would compromise our integrity with them. Because their friends “believed” in Santa, we cautioned them not to tell their friends Santa is “just pretend.”

One year, they complained that they felt left out when their friends talked about Santa and wanted to pretend he was real. Together, we agreed to do that, but decided that his pretend visit to our house would not be on Christmas, when we celebrate Jesus’ birth. We chose St. Nicholas’ Day, an opportunity to learn about Santa’s Christian roots in the story of the bishop, St. Nicholas.

On December 6, they received “Santa” presents from Mom and Dad. The rest of the Advent season was calm and peaceful, leading to a special Christmas, a holy festive day with family and friends gathered to celebrate with music, food, and a birthday cake for the baby Jesus. We also celebrated the 12 days of Christmas with family activities planned by the girls. Read that story and more in “$teward$hip at Chri$tma$.”

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

Invite each member of the family to respond to these questions:

• Did you ever feel “different” or marginalized from friends or classmates because of your family’s values?
• How did you (or your parents) engage all family members in making decisions and supporting each other to live out your discipleship together in the world?
• How did that feel?
• I wonder what this Christmas would be like if we… (fill in the blank)?

Prayer: Holy One, thank you for all your gifts. May the peace of Christ fill our hearts with generosity this Christmas and all year.

Adapted from Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway? produced by Alternatives for Simple Living, Dillon, CO (2008), page 9. Used with permission.