December Twenty-Fifth

As I got more and more overdue waiting for Jaxon to arrive, the one day I really hoped he would not be born was December 25th. Christmas Day. As the day drew nearer and things were really starting to progress, I started to care less about what day it was and just wanted him OUT! When people hear what day he was born, the most common answer is "What a Christmas present!", followed by "How special to share a birthday with Jesus!". A few people have said "Oh, the poor guy. He's going to hate that." Truth is, he probably will. I appreciate the thoughtful sentiments expressed by our friends and family, but we are already realizing the big task of taking extra measures to make sure that his birthday feels special to him, especially through his adolescence and teen years. Yes, it was indeed a memorable Christmas, but it almost feels like it wasn't even Christmas at all. We don't want it to be that way EVERY YEAR for Jaxon, feeling like it wasn't really his birthday. I'll never forget watching Paul stand by the hospital window holding Jaxon, watching the thick heavy snow fall at dawn on Christmas Day. That will always hold a special place in my heart, but from here on (well, maybe after a few years) it will be about Jaxon.

Jaxon snuggled in his Christmas stocking, made by our family friend, "Grandma Sandy".
We've talked to several people who have their birthday on or very near to Christmas, and have already learned a few things we can do to make sure his birthday doesn't get lost or forgotten in the busy-ness. The first thing is one we already started the day before he was born. Knowing that I would likely be otherwise occupied on Christmas morning, we let the big boys open their presents on Christmas Eve. This will be an easy tradition for me as it's what we always did as I was growing up. We did all the presents on Christmas Eve after church and a big dinner, and then opened stockings on Christmas morning. A good idea I heard from a friend to make sure we do all we can to keep the two celebrations separate is ... no birthday presents in Christmas wrapping paper. Little stuff like that.


Another idea we'll definitely pursue will be to have a "half-birthday" for him. This would mean throwing a birthday party for him at the end of June. (Hhmmm, that's right when school gets out and people start going on summer holidays. Let's go with mid-June.) This will put his celebration right between Marty's in May and Max's in July. We would still do something special to acknowledge his real birthday, but the big "hoorah" will likely be at another time.

Max ~ admiring his "Christmas Boy".
And the bit about sharing a birthday with Jesus? It's actually not so. I'll definitely be doing some research on the actual time of year that Jesus was born, according to the Jewish calendar. I haven't looked it up, but from what I understand so far, Jesus was likely born closer to Easter on our calendar. We're looking forward to this being a great opportunity to teach our boys about the real history of Christmas, steering them away from the traditions that have changed the true story. I had purchased a DVD for the boys that I had seen clips of - a very cute cartoon story about Christmas. After I looked closer at the story-line, I returned it to the store. We don't intend to teach our kids that the "three wise men" or "three kings" or whoever or how many they were, followed a star that led them to the baby Jesus in the manger (in a stable, one that was more likely a cave). That's just not how the story goes.


We've already noticed the novelty, romanticism, nostalgia, and even pity that people feel when they hear his birthday. We will do our very best to celebrate him well and good at a time when we, and much of our world around us, are celebrating Jesus' birthday.

When asked when Jaxon's birthday is, I will always answer, "December 25th". I'll leave it up to them to figure out that's also Christmas Day.  One preschool mom exclaimed, when I told her the date he was born "Oh my, that's close to Christmas!". Yes, it is very close to Christmas. :)