Hunting for a Savior...or eggs?

Last Friday, Good Friday that is, I (Malinda) used Gracelyn's naptime to work on a cake I thought I would be taking to the Just family Easter celebration. Little did I know that despite greasing and flouring my two 9-inch round cake pans, the cakes would stick and break when I tried to remove them from the pans. The result: I had to invent my own dessert to take. And, I must say, not following a recipe worked out favorably...this time.

It's hard for me to step outside the box, especially when it comes to cooking. I love cookbooks that have photos for every recipe...and I want my finished product to look like the picture. But sometimes something fresh is needed.

Consider two major Christian holidays--Christmas & Easter. The birth of Christ and the death and resurrection of Christ have been pitted against Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. And it seems like the imaginary is winning.

And this has become more apparent to me during the last two years. I long to teach Gracelyn the Truth behind our celebrations. But it doesn't matter how much we focus on Jesus and how little we focus on Santa and the bunny...she still can identify those jolly and fuzzy friends.

And here is where I need innovation. How do other parents handle commercialization vs. Jesus? Is it OK for grandparents to encourage Santa and the Easter Bunny even when the parents don't? I grew up saturated with the make believe. I don't want my kids to downplay Jesus in response to the world. So which is it...hunting for a Savior...or eggs?