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December had come. The house was decorated, most of the presents bought, and Megan and I were driving in the car listening to Christmas carols. Strapped into her car seat and bundled up in her winter coat, Megan did her best to sing along. Then, just as one song ended and another began, Megan said one simple sentence that forever changed the way our family celebrates Christmas. "Mom," she began, "I believe in Santa Claus, and you believe in Jesus Christ."

It was a moment of epiphany. I thought back over all of our holiday preparations and the experiences we had created for our children. We had written letters to Santa, had talked about being good for Santa, and had counted down the days until Santa would come. We had spent the majority of the season teaching our children to believe in the reality of Santa Claus, and because of our efforts they trusted that he really would come. But suddenly I realized that we had not spent the same amount of time teaching them to believe in the reality of the Savior. I thought over all of the traditions that filled our holiday season and realized that none of them strengthened my children's belief in Jesus Christ.