December 1st is our official kick-off of Christmas as we gather together, each drawing a name to see which family member we will ‘Secret Santa’. The trick is to make sure no one draws their own name. This was much harder to pull off when our children weren’t of reading age. With a name in hand, each person in our family takes on the role of being a ‘Secret Santa’ for that person. This commitment continues from December 1st until Christmas Eve. 

 

In our home, the role of a ‘Secret Santa’ is three-fold.

1. Keep your identity a secret

2. Serve the person your picked on a daily basis

3. Fill their stocking, which includes a handwritten note from you

 

Our children loved the concept of being Santa; especially one that was covert. I loved having service at the center of our Christmas holiday. With 5 Secret Santas, service was popping up everywhere in our home. Discreetly, lunches were made, laundry was put away, pajamas were laid out and, at times, toothbrushes were even found prepasted. Our children were naturals when it came to seeking out ways to serve. My heart was touched every time I stumbled upon Secret Santa evidence. Even more touching was hearing family members share what their Secret Santa did for them that day. It was eye-opening when our children realized that while they were serving someone else, someone else was serving them. 

 

To better illustrate the amount of service that was taking place in our home, I enlisted the help of a wooden manger that was part of an antique nativity set, which included Mary and Joseph. If any of us learned of service that was done, in or out of our family, we would put a piece of straw in the  manger. The straw became a visual representation for each act of service. Before long, the pieces of straw became a pile of straw. Our intent was to fill the manger with straw in preparation for the baby Jesus, which would be placed in the manger on Christmas Eve. 

 

The Saturday before Christmas, our entire family would go to the store to complete the final mission of  being a Secret Santa, filling the stocking. Each person was responsible to fill the stocking for the name they drew. We began this tradition when our children were very young, which meant they had no car and no money. Giving each person a budget, we secretly navigated the aisles, trying hard not to bump into each other. That alone could compromise the entire Secret Santa mission. Dodging one another at the store was almost as much fun as finding the perfect items to fill a stocking. I was amazed at how well our children knew their family members. I was also amazed by their savvy shopping skills. They almost always came in under budget. 

 

Later that afternoon, our house was a live as everyone slipped away to wrap the items they bought. After the wrapping was complete, each Secret Santa wrote a note to the person they’d served the entire month. In the beginning, we helped our children with their notes. At times, they simply drew what they wanted to say. Either way, these notes expressed what was in their hearts. With wrapping and writing complete, Santas scurried to the fireplace to put their gifts & notes in the proper stocking. 

 

As the sun set on Christmas Eve, we’d gather in our living room to read some of our favorite Christmas stories. At the top of the list were classics like The Gift of the Magi, An Orange for Frankie and Teach the Children, which has been handed down in my family. Then we’d have a shepherd’s meal as my husband reverently read the account of Christ’s birth from the Bible. I’d reference the wooden manger, now overflowing with straw. As we emphasized the service they’d shown to one another, we passed out the stockings. With excitement and exhaustion equally evident in our children, they’d dump out the contents of their stockings and begin to unwrap their gifts. Laughter filled the air. Among the scraps of wrapping paper and stocking stuffers, notes were discovered and read. Smiles and nods broke out as everyone finally learned who their Secret Santa was. Faces are softened by tenderness, and at times tears, as the sweet words are read from each note. Love fills the air.

 

As Christmas morning arrived, our tree was surrounded by piles of beautifully wrapped gifts. Within the soft glow of the Christmas lights, baby Jesus could be found lying in our wooden manger, filled with the straw we lovingly collected as we learned to serve others as He did.