During these last two days, I just haven't been able to get into the "Christmas Spirit," if you will. I struggle with always thinking ahead to the future (God has been pressing on me to live in the moment, and I'm beginning to do a better job of it), but all I could think about was the fact that someday, I am going to be a father. When that day comes, I don't know if I want to celebrate Christmas with a large tree and Santa Claus, and all the commercialism that comes with Christmas. I'm struggling with whether or not want to continue the tradition of having a pagan symbol (the evergreen tree covered in lights and ornaments), or tell the stories about Santa Claus (even though he is based off of St. Nicolas), or encourage my children to "be good" so that they'll get presents. I don't know if I want any of that in my home. My struggle with this lies in the wonderful memories I have with my own family with those traditions. Those things are always what made the holiday of Christmas so special to me.

The problem is that Christ hasn't been a part of a single Christmas in my entire life until this year. I ignored Christ because of how much I enjoyed all the other "Christmas Traditions." If I am going to commit someday to raising my children to be sons and daughters of Christ, than it's not right for me to carry on traditions that left Christ out of Christmas through my entire young life. But I worry about what my kids lives might be like someday if I choose to celebrate Christmas by serving instead of how I've been celebrating it with my family. All around them, the world will tell them that celebrating Christmas in that manner is wrong, and that Christ shouldn't even be a part of it. What the world will tell them will be a lot more appealing than the image I have of how I might choose to celebrate Christmas, and my kids might feel cheated out of Christmas. I know that I need to celebrate Christmas by serving in ministry instead of the commercial global Christmas. I just don't know how I might go about doing that.

Even before I become a father, I feel called to change how I celebrate Christmas. I honestly didn't even enjoy Christmas this year, not in the slightest. I was sickened by a lot of what I saw. I'm sickened by what I still see. I'm sickened at the thought of what I'm going to see next year.

What's your input?

I dunno, I'm nowhere NEAR becoming a parent yet…

But I would say that it's okay to tell the truth to them when the time comes. I always knew that Santa Claus was not real in the modern sense, but was actually Saint Nicholas long ago.

All I did for Christmas was sing praises to God and goof around on this site. I am still happy despite the lack of presents (although I would still give them presents, mind you… )

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Neither am I...See what I mean about how I think too far ahead?

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For now, I would suggest living in the moment and appreciating the adorable (now interactive) ponies.

I stopped having any joy at Christmas I just can't seem to enjoy it. I know I probably won't have to worry about raising a family it's just not gonna happen for me, besides I can be christian without having a family. It is possible for me to have kids, just not gonna happen. Anyway, I just don't like that it's so commercialized.

Just keep jesus in at all times. Read the christmas story in the bible, take them to a soup kitchen etc etc. You can have that stuff in there as long as it does not tread on jesus's spot in the holiday.

The thing is, the commercialization of Christmas can only affect you as much as you let it. As a fellow beliver, I see no problem in the giving of gifts and the setting up of a tree because I am celebrating the birth of Christ. I do it all not because the world says I should, for believers are not of this world, but because I am celebrating and remembering the great gift of Christ.

As long as you make this the focus and continually remind children of this, they will come to appreciate it for that.

Just remember the real reason for Christmas. Tell your children of the birth of Christ and the REAL story of St.Nicholas. Decorating a Christmas tree is a good way to build a bond with your family, and the Bible does say whatever you do, do for the Glory of God, so you could use that time you decorate the tree with your family to tell them more and more about Christ, and help them comprehend the reason he was born

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As other said, you have to make clear that Christ is the most important thing in Christmas.

Still, you shouldn't worry about things such as the tree or Santa Claus. Even through it's a pagan costume, we have many pagan belief in our culture, for example the wedding rings. Wedding rings were a Roman belief, who believed that the fourth finger had an artery that went straight to the heart. This is why we wear wedding rings on it.

The problem is not with those things, it's when those things become more important than God. As long as we keep our priorities, we Christians are free to celebrate Christmas.

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If you wanna think about be a dad already, think about more serious topics like the teaching and encouraging of the basics of being a good person and a good christian, putting together a college fund for them and figure out a way to scare away their boyfriends/girlfriends. I'm already trying to figure that out and I'm only in the ninth grade. I haven't even been on a date before and I'm thinking about it!