A Letter From Santa

Read on December 14

Story provided by Celeste

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” —Matthew 6:33

Finally, the time arrived to see Santa for the all-important Christmas card photo. 

Celeste’s daughter refused to shed her mismatched denim jacket. Her oldest son asked Santa for nothing on the prearranged gift list. Instead, he requested a toy that was completely sold out and impossible to find. 

And, her youngest son, fearing he was on the naughty list (from something Celeste had regretted saying earlier that day), refused to sit on Santa’s lap, alarmed that he would not be receiving any gifts. 

The family returned home exhausted and without the coveted Christmas card photo. That’s the evening Celeste reconsidered the direction their holiday had taken. This was not how she wanted her children to remember the holiday. She wanted her children to celebrate Christmas.

That year, her children received a letter in the mail from Santa. In the letter, Santa explained that the best gift of Christmas was not a gift he would bring. Santa then quoted John 3:16 and wrote, “My gifts will eventually get old and you will tire of them, but God’s gift, Jesus, lasts forever.”

Celeste made a few changes in her Christmas priorities and established some family traditions that focused a little more on Jesus and a lot less on things like getting the perfect photo. Christmas became Christmas as a result.

What do you need to take off your Christmas to-do list this week? 

As you look at your list, do those things matter, or matter eternally? 

It just might free your schedule up to eliminate a few things that don’t matter as much as you first thought.

As soon as the angel told the shepherds where to look for the baby Jesus, they left to go find the newborn king in the manger. They had sheep that needed tending. They’d been awake all night and needed rest. But the Messiah had been born and nothing else mattered. 

The shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us” (Luke 2:15). The shepherds were able to see Jesus.

Chances are, you might have to drop a few things off your to-do list if you want to see Jesus today. 

Does anything else matter more?