Read me the stories
Of Jesus and Santa,
Of stockings and shepherds and toys.
Tell me the wonders
Of snowflakes and wisemen,
Of cookies and mystery and joy.
Read “Night Before Christmas,”
Recite from Luke 2 and
The wild words from prophets of old.
Sing a Blue Christmas
Then open your throat wide
And shout with the angel, “Behold!”
Live alongside me with awe and delight.
I’ll follow you to the True Christmas Light.
Grateful for that Light,
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Published by Michele Morin
Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four sons, four daughters-in-love, and six adorable grandchildren.
Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.”
She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.
View all posts by Michele Morin
It is such a joy to share the Christmas story with my three year old granddaughter. It is amazing how much she understands and grasps at this age. Love the poem!
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They are capable of so much more than we give them credit for!
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Oh I’m in love with that photo, friend. Priceless.
Enjoy every quiet minute … they are rare and noteworthy indeed.
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Awww… thanks, Linda.
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Did you write this fine poem? I love it!!! SS
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It showed up yesterday! I was thankful. (Cookie day #2)
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I love both the picture and the poem!
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The way you enthusiastically wove together Jesus and Santa in your poem reminds me of a wonderful book we owned when our children were young: Santa Are You for Real? I loved the way it segued from the stories about the actual St. Nicholas (and his love for Jesus), to the birth of the Christ Child. In my view, Santa does not need to be omitted from a Christian Christmas, any more than we need to omit other fiction stories from our bookshelves. But I do wonder if it’s wise to raise young children to believe that Santa delivers all the presents on Christmas Eve.
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I agree with you on this, Nancy. And when we start “stretching the truth” about gift delivery, we run the risk of coloring all our stories — even the crucially true ones! — with the question of our truthfulness.
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My husband & I have a one year old and are starting to have these conversations this year!
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Good that you are getting yourselves on the same page early in the game!
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You and your husband are very wise. This is the time to make those decisions!
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We still read stories about Santa and my kids know who he is, but they don’t believe he is “real” (i.e., they know he is a fictitious character) and they don’t get gifts from him. This allows them to enjoy Santa decorations and stories, but he is just like the princesses or superheroes in other children’s stories to them–fun to read about and pretend about, but just a character. To us, this was the best solution. It keeps the focus on Christ, but still allows them the fun of the stories.
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We did the same thing, Shannon. Santa was part of the fun of Christmas, but Jesus got center stage.
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Exactly, Shannon! I agree this is the best approach for families of faith.
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Amen. Beautiful poem.
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Thank you, Mary!
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Great poem that seems to capture the struggle of allowing for santa while emphasizing the birth of Jesus!
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Yes, our kids are embedded in this culture and, whether we like it or not, they are exposed to all the facets of every holiday. We kids ourselves if we think we can just ignore the parts we don’t care for as much. I believe we can trust God to make all of it meaningful and pointing to Jesus.
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Beautiful! These are all the moments that Christmas is made of!! I love it.
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Love seeing this photo of you with the grands, Michele! Picture perfect.
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Thank you, Lisa!
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What a beautiful photo of you with your precious grands! Thank you for sharing this poem with us, Michele. Yes, let’s give our children and grandchildren Santa and Jesus, reindeer and O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Let’s teach them the true reason for the season.
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We need to give them credit for being able to sort through all the cultural icons — with our guidance, of course–and embrace the truth.
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Such lovely Christmas sentiments. The photo is adorable!! #SeniSal
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Thank you, Darlene. Those two little sweeties are a gift in all seasons!
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I am not sure if I love your words or your photo more. Both are beautifully precious!
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Oh, thank you, Joanne.
That moment was a gift, and I ended up being grateful my good husband captured it on his phone.
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Our church used to call children up from the pews to act out the story at a special children’s mass they held each Christmas and I have such fond memories of that… even if I didn’t usually want to get up in front of all those people.
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Wow! That’s quite an exercise in spontaneity!
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What a precious shot!
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❤
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Michele,
This picture is certainly a keeper! Precious! What a gift to be able to share THE GIFT with your grandchildren!
Blessings,
Bev xx
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Love it! And them!
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I love this!
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Beautiful poem, and I love the photo too!
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Good memory!
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Beautiful! Amen! Thanks for sharing.
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Thank YOU for reading!
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Sweet picture and poem! These precious shared moments will be forever etched on their hearts and minds. A grandparent’s love is such a treasure for all of life! Thanks so much for sharing this post again!
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Thank you, Cheryl!
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Love this, Michele!!! And the pic with your grands is precious!!!
Thank you for linking up at InstaEncouragements! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
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I loved it! So I had to share it!
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So beautiful, Michele! Thank you for sharing this poem. Wishing you many blessings this holiday season!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
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Merry Christmas, Shelbee!
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Merry Christmas, Michele. Thanks for blessing us with your words!
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And to you also, Shannon!
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What a lovely poem Michelle. We try hard to do this with our two daughters over the festive period – teach them about the true meaning of Christmas as well as all of the excitement surrounding Santa. I get an advent calendar each year and we open the door every day together and talk about the symbols and what they represent. And they actually love learning about it. The story of the nativity is such a lovely one and it is great to be able to share it with children – thank you for sharing this on #globallbogging and I hope you and your family have a happy and peaceful Christmas!
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Oh, thank you, Tracey!
And you as well.
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This is lovely, Michele! Thanks so much for sharing on Farm Fresh Tuesdays! I can’t wait to see what you’re up to this week!
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Thanks, Lisa!
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What a beautiful poem Michelle. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year. Thank you for being part of the #DreamTeam
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Thank you, Annette!
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Thank you for sharing at #ThursdayFavoriteThings. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too!
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