Santa Claus. The Tooth Fairy. The Easter Bunny.
Never did I know these subjects were such hot button topics of conversation before I became a parent and saw the side of Christianity where trick or treating can be downright devilish. I have been on every side of the fence and straddled it long enough on all of these subjects to just say that in the end, my child’s salvation will never be in question because we had Easter baskets hidden by some nuclear-disaster-sized rabbit or that a fat jolly old elf came and visited under our Christmas tree.
Yes we do the Easter bunny. And egg hunts. And candy. And coloring eggs. And baskets that are filled with delicious treats that make my dentist very happy. We do the whole gamut of the holiday and we enjoy every minute of it. We have been to the same egg hunt EVERY YEAR since Daly Kay was old enough to toddle around carrying her basket and gathering eggs.
Truthfully, my decision to wallow in all the holidays hold and every aspect of the traditional American Christmas, Easter, Halloween and virtually any other kind of holiday is based on one kid growing up.
Dear old Donald.
I don’t remember Donald’s last name. I sure wish I did. He was an adorable red headed and freckled little boy I had a crush on in second grade. Donald wasn’t allowed to celebrate any holiday or even his birthday because his religion didn’t allow it.
Birthday cake party at school? Donald would have to leave the room and wait in the hallway until we were done.
Easter? No treats for Donald, and when the party came, he was sent to the library.
Christmas? No way. No coloring pages or making handmade ornaments for him.
St. Patrick’s Day? Absolutely no Lucky Charms for Donald.
Halloween? Forgettaboutit.
Donald’s life as a young child was made miserable by parents who intended to hold tightly to some religion that made this poor little guy miss out on so much of the fun of school. I know they had the best of intentions but in reality, I bet Donald grew up and got really ticked. I would have. Never even ONE BIRTHDAY CAKE? Really?
Because of Donald, because of my upbringing and how I managed to go trick-or-treating and have Easter baskets and I am pretty darn solid on who Jesus is and how much He loves us and what all the holidays are about anyhow, we do up our holidays the traditional, rot-your-teeth-out way.
So for those of you that have been asking…yeah…we do get visited by the Easter Bunny. We love every minute of our holiday and we certainly celebrate Jesus in a big, awesome, amazing way that let’s the kiddos know WHO the priority is this holiday season.
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Donnelle Vallejo says
A. MEN.
My family did it all as well (I have the horrendous pictures of me in my nightgown with my late 70s/early 80s hair, to prove it!) And all my siblings and I know the real meaning of Christmas and Easter and none of us are Satan-worshippers because we donned costumes on October 31st and trekked from house to house in Roman Forest, begging for candy. And I still remember the name of the “Donald” that I grew up with.
Lyette Reback says
Donnelle!!!! xoxoxoxoxox!!!!! I am so glad you commented! xoxoxoxo God bless you and your family and I sure hope Donald turned out ok. I can still see his sweet face.
Marilou says
One word…thanks!
Lyette Reback says
You’re welcome!
Gina Marie says
This was very nice to read this morning. Thank You from a mother of 3!
Lyette Reback says
Thank you mama of 3! Happy Easter!
Rachel says
This is perfect
Lyette Reback says
Thank you Rachel! xoxo
Debbie says
I was “Donald ” growing up. No holiday celebrations for our family. We had to either leave school early or go sit in the library on party day. It was humiliating and heartbreaking to not be allowed to be included. We were never really given a good explanation for why we didn’t participate, just told we weren’t allowed. Sadly, my husband was raised the same way, but even more strictly than I was.
Now that I am a mommy of 3, I want to make holidays memorable for my children, a time to celebrate, a time for joy, fun, and family. I want them to remember Jesus as a loving Father and worthy to be celebrated!
Thank you for this post and your ministry!
Lyette Reback says
O Debbie! I am so sorry for your missing so much when you were a child! I know you make it extra special for your kiddos! God bless you and your husband. Sometimes as parents it can be hard to look back over our childhood and see the things we wish would have been different. But it is enough to just makes the necessary changes and better choices for our kiddos. Much much love. Thanks for sharing your experience and commenting. xoxo
Brittany says
Beautifully written!! Our children can celebrate all holidays and still have a strong upbringing with Jesus! 🙂 “in him all things were made good” have a beautiful Good friday! 🙂
Lyette Reback says
SO true Brittany! God bless!
Elspeth says
Thanks so much for this post!
When my husband and I blended our families I realized that his kids had never trick-or-treated. This is one situation where I didn’t really obey him at all; we didn’t even discuss it. I just let him know that my son always had and that he’d continue to and that hubs should join us.
Halloween is a community experience and I always found it to be a great way to get to know your child’s friend’s parents since you are walking around the neighborhood with them for at least a couple of hours! It turns out that for the few years that our youngest was of trick or treating age my husband DID join us and had a great time with all the kids and parents. I’m sad that it’s over now, but look forward to this year when we’ll be hosting a young teenager party at our home. More community, more communication, more opportunity to be a light!