Jill is literally glowing, she looks so much happier and self confident. The road to healing is difficult but so worth it and I hope she continues to thrive
Isaiah 53:2 Jesus definitely isn't blue of iris and caucasian of skin as portrayed in the pictures I grew up gazing at ... He was brown all around, lol 😆 and ... the most beautiful human being I've EVER met ✝️🥰✝️ Merry Christmas to you and yours, sweet Sister 🎄
@Vicki Davis it’s not being racist they are just pointing out a truth just like you wouldn’t tell a kids the grass is blue and the sky is green they are just pointing out the facts that’s all
@Vicki Davis I get where you are coming from, I realized Jesus doesn't look like the white man in all the paintings etc... But lots of people do not realize He didn't look like the paintings we have grown up with. Actually one of my best friends realized this year that Jesus looked more like her than what she grew up believing and still did till a few weeks ago. That realization helped her relate to Christ in a deeper level. This is why I will no longer brush under the rug (so to speak) the fact that Jesus was born a middle eastern Israeli. Recognizing they are still God's chosen people and regarded as such throughout the entire Bible to the end is important or God wouldn't have continued to prophesy about them in Revelation (the Jews). I understand to not put Jesus in a box, because He came for us all and culture and skin color has no meaning to Him, but to some of us (little humans in our sad state of the fall) it seems it can be a key to opening our understanding of Jesus being completely human while being completely God. Anyhow, I commend Jill and Derrick recognizing while their Nativity set is not culturally correct, it is more important to display the reason for the season. Many blessings sister.
There is a misconception, but so many honestly believe there is white and black, also, which is not true. We are different shades of brown. Anyway, the most important thing is: repent and turn away from sin and give your life to Jesus. It's the most important decision you will ever make in your life. Be blessed ❤
A question for a future q&a: what are you feelings on dancing? Obviously growing up, Jill, your family did not endorse/support dancing as adults. Do you feel the same way? Is certain dancing appropriate, like ballet, ballroom, etc. and others not? Thanks!
I love how much you both grew as a couple and as individuals. And the fact that you acknowledge people are different and can co-exist even if you don’t agree with each other. Just so much love and kindness. Thank you for speaking up!! Sending much love to you and your family.
I am so proud of how the two of you are working out what is best for your little family without pressure/interference from outside parties. I think the two of you are so cute together. Jill I am sure being outside of the bubble that was your past life is freeing. I’m imagine it could have been a touch scary but the wonderment of the experiences you were denied has been a great journey. Sending prayers that your siblings can take blinders and a leap of faith as you have. I laughed at the two of you describing things. Sounded like me and my husband. I’m frank, to the point and my husband talks of the details as I am ready to move to the next thing. Blessings to you and your sweet little family
Jill and Derek I would just like to say that you are a powerhouse of a couple. Jill every time you look at Derek I can see the love you have for him. You both are amazing parents and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Merry Christmas from northern Illinois.
i honestly agree, they don’t let their religious beliefs interfere with others’ lives and they seem to really genuinely care about respecting others’ beliefs even if they don’t share them. something a lot of people haven’t grasped the concept of, even those less religious than jill’s parents
When my kids asked, I told them the same thing. Santa exists within each of us, it's the purpose of giving to others in the spirit of making them happy.
Santa to me is a sense of hope, a sense of “not growing up and believing “ just like Peter Pan. My son was born premie and we went to get pictures with Santa shortly after he was born. He was so tiny and that Santa held him so closely , with his hand laying on him you could tell he was “ not just a guy in a suit” but someone who really had love in his heart. I honestly will never ever forget it. It was really just something more special then I can describe.
A "fantasy" then. Some fictional figure like peter pan. The opposite of Christ who is real. This is were fiction becomes reality to children. Sorry, but as Christians, teaching make believe to children, is not acceptable.
@@janetlovesjesus100 teaching: tolerance, fighting against racism, fighting against sexism, free thinking, letting them believe there's a man in the sky protecting them and so many other crazy thing's is what christians teach. But the spirit of Santa isn't ok? Come on! Just stop.
@@kai82holman69 if we didn't teach what we believe, then our faith means nothing. Either we believe the Bible, or we don't. What non believers teach is up to them, but as believers we cannot be half and half. Friendship with the world is emnity with God.
@@janetlovesjesus100 the bible has nothing to do with Santa. St nicholas was real and that's what Santa is based on. Don't try and put a wierd faith spin on it!
@@kai82holman69 so a fictional man watches to see if children are good and bad, all year, then decides what gifts children get, based on their behaviour, and then comes down the chimney on Christmas eve, to deliver those gifts. Yeah sure, that's not weird at all. Perfectly normal. Santa has nothing whatsoever to do with St Nick. Santa is manmade.
Growing up, Santa was just a Christmas character just like Mickey Mouse is a Disney Character. We still had fun with him, visited him, enjoyed it...we just knew that he really wasn’t bringing gifts. Best of both worlds
I love how respectful you are when you talk about decisions you’ve made. You are really open at acknowledging that you are just trying to figure it out like the rest of us. Even when you discuss why you came to certain decisions, there’s never any judgment. I can see that you are very intentional about that, and I really respect that about you both.
BTW - I’m 36, and my dad is 64. He still won’t admit Santa isn’t real. I play along because Santa still puts $100 bill in my stocking at their house. 😂
I know this has already been said, but saying it again because I know comments/post interaction matters :) Thank you SO much for mentioning/pointing out that Jesus is likely not white. It matters. Also thank you for mentioning that “the iPad is our babysitter” and not editing out the iPad requests from the kids. I know it’s a joke- but is so often an easy point for “mommy shamers” to use even during a pandemic. It made me feel “seen” as a parent struggling with childcare right now. Finally, the tone of this video made my heart happy. It’s so non-confrontational, non-judge mental and casual. I also appreciate you didn’t “condemn” the people who choose celebrate with Santa or comment that it “dilutes the celebration of Jesus” or something similarly judgmental. It was nice to feel like your family understands that all families are different and that it’s important to be respectful of those differences :) Thanks for sharing :)
We’re Christians and my kids believed in Santa. When they learned there was no Santa (which they tend to come to on their own gradually), they never correlated that with whether God was real or not. But like you said, Kids are all different.
How do your little boys react at school when the others are making Christmas things, etc? I feel bad for kids that don't have that excitement of Santa and all associated with it. You can still instill in your kids the solemnity of Christmas and also the fun of Christmas. If done right, it all evens out.
News Flash the Dillard's are alive and well and doing their own thing and adding to Traditions. They do spend time with the Rest of the Family just not on Camera! Let's enjoy them and not tear them down. This is a time for Joy and Remembrance of Jesus' Birth. Derrick &Jill I Love you too. Your Family is Beautiful. Be Blessed.
I appreciate that you ask your kids not to ruin Santa for others. I’m not a huge Santa person but I’ve let my kids have the fairy tale magic of it. I don’t talk about him but let them form conclusions about it and dream about it. But in our christian world their friends are not good at declaring the gospel but they are VERY good at anti Santa evangelism. Lol. My youngest still thinks Santa is fun. My sons never cared about him but my daughters all did. And they are all walking with the Lord 😊
Derek, I respect what you are saying about not wanting to break the children’s trust. And I think it’s neat you both care about being honest in order for the children to be able to trust the things you say and how that relates to them being able to trust you in the future. Plus , I think it was so so touching you talked about representing Jesus’s Middleastern heritage and how he probably really looked. I am so proud of the things you both are voicing and I feel you are giving voice to things in a very brave way.
It’s really great to teach your children about who Saint Nicolas was. He was a wonderful Christian man and is the archetype of why we have Santa today. It really helps children understand the spirit or Saint Nicolas ans gift giving this time of year.
Santa is like a state of mind. A state of winter magic. Santa can be seen as real bc he represents giving, happiness, and calm admiration for the season. Around Christmas you have family, laughter, sharing of food, exchanging gifts....things that at least for my family...represented Santa. Maybe this can help you two with your family’s way of keeping Santa in your Christmas traditions. Merry Christmas!
We have always told our son, that santa is not real we just explained to him what Christmas is really about. Instead of making the santas story exciting and make him believe on a fake character we just rather make baby Jesus story exciting and a great way to celebrate His birthday and fun for the family. His almost 10 now and he did great when he was lil understanding and not spoiling for other kids who really believe in santa. We also do tree and decorations. But he knows Christmas is about God, and about love, etc. He loves celebrating it.
We don’t do Santa either. We also do 3 gifts each. If 3 was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for my kids. All of our children have varying special needs/disabilities, and we decided early on their salvation is more important than believing in make believe characters.
@@grandmamoses6977 Like I said, my children are special needs. They process things differently than average children and will their entire lives. Therefore, it was more important for us to instill the truth of the living God they cannot see over fictional characters they can see. Many families like mine do the exact same thing and have been highly criticized for it, like ensuring our kids know God first and foremost is a bad thing.
My youngest 2 still believe in Santa but my oldest doesn’t anymore. When he found out I explained that Santa is the spirt of giving gifts to others. As well as celebrating Christmas we celebrate Yule. Do to our own beliefs in our family. One of out favourite traditions is giving out gifts/food to those in need.
Growing up, we had these three wise men figurines, and they would should up December 1st, and each day they got closer to the manger scene under the tree..so on Christmas, baby Jesus would show up, and the wise men showed up too! They always moved down the hall every December. It was cool.
Questions Id like to see in another QandA: What is a parenting style/trick/or tool that you have adopted from your parents on both sides? What is a parenting style/trick/or tool that you think wasn't great for you that your parents (both sides) practiced that you will not be doing with your children? Do you wish you had dated more people? (I myself had great dating relationships and can't imagine missing out on that part of my life, I had 3 boyfriends in my lifetime the last being my husband haha) Do you do any fun crafts with your kids? Favorite family tradition you've created for your family? A family vacation you'd love to do with your kids? Do you scrap book or make family photo albums? Whats the most you have ever spent on furniture? Baby names you like but will not be using? Your favorite way to redirect your children when they are doing something they shouldn't but doesn't call for a "punishment", like maybe they are just being crazy and you need them to do something else? What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite type of art? Do you love target? Do you feel pressure to be like your sisters, or other siblings? Do you want to pay for your kids college education? or have them pay out of pocket or try and get scholarships?
Santa ( and St. Nicholas leaving candy in shoes) is just a fun game for the kids. I always told mine that Santa is the spirit of giving. Love your tree! Enjoy this time with the kiddos, they'll be grown before you realize.
I am not religious at all, but I enjoy your content. I feel you both seem very levelheaded and thoughtful in how you parent. That is refreshing to see.💜
Jill seems to want to make sure people don't think they are telling their kids the Christian perspective or reasoning behind it. There is nothing wrong with sharing your faith with your kids and explaining things in a way that they can understand. You shouldn't be ashamed if you put a lot of deep thought into these things. Derrick's reasoning is partly why I do not tell my kids that Santa is real in the sense of bringing gifts to every child. I don't want them to think I am lying about Jesus or other things. They have been told about St. Nick and I tell them that Santa is a character/story that some people like to pretend. I, too, tell them that they don't need to tell their friends that he isn't real. My oldest seems to believe in Santa anyway. Another reason I do not encourage the whole Santa thing is the premise that receiving gifts is based on behavior. I believe gifts are given out of love, just as God gave Jesus because of His love for us. The Bible says salvation is not of works. Yes, we should do good, but you can never be "good enough."
Thank you for sharing your Christmas and Santa Q&A. Loved seeing Sammy pop in for a second too! You both are doing such a great job growing and learning with your children as they grow...throughout your lives, just remember as long as you do what you feel is right for them and the both of you and most importantly the Lord would approve of, you can't be wrong! God bless you and the children along with all of your relatives and friends.
I Loe the fact that they enjoying their family and how authentic they are. Through struggles they will find strength within themselves to build a solid ground for their family
Questions for the future: Do you get to spend time with Jills family? When pictures are posted on social media by jills family and she’s not in them, was Jill there but not in the pictures or not there at all? If you aren’t included in the big family days/game nights, how does that effect you (Jill) personally ?
I as a parent struggled with Christmas and Easter, we ened up teaching our daughters that the reason for both holidays is jesus but Santa and the Easter bunny are a bonus, but we don't focus on it. My kids say Santa was real but they know he lived a long time ago. I dont even get them gifts on Easter, that holiday is about jesus
Favorite family tradition: Each time a baby is born in our family we start their "Christmas Ornament" box. So they have a Baby's First Christmas ornament, we use ornament frames to put their school picture in EACH year, we choose ornaments from our travels, keep all hand made ornaments & they get to choose a new ornament (Usually at Hallmark) each year. So by the time they have their own tree they have a box FULL of memories to decorate with! Memories are PRICELESS! (my kids also LOVE helping to decorate the tree because they get to revisit all their favorite times.) It's always a great conversation among our family as this happens. Many are handmade & very special. :)
My mother always gave us an ornament every year that we put our initials on and the year. Then when I got married, she gave us the box of ornaments that I cherish and use and remember every year. I did the same with my daughters. One just got married and said she doesn’t want any of her ornaments! I was very disappointed but didn’t tell her that. I’ll keep her ornaments and keep using them. If after several years she still doesn’t want them, maybe I’ll pass them on to someone else. We will see. Merry Christmas!
I enjoyed this as well as your other Q & A videos. We did not teach Santa either - for the same reason. I wanted to be honest and hoped they would believe me when I shared with them about Christ
Thanks for sharing with us. One of our traditions is to make a birthday cake for Jesus that we eat on Christmas morning. The kids helped grandma bake it this year. I love how excited they get to make him a cake!!
My family has decided to keep Christmas simple and not do the commercial American Christmas and this has been a huge blessing. Blessing for you family🥰
Questions Id like to see in another QandA (I added a few more haha): What is a parenting style/trick/or tool that you have adopted from your parents on both sides? What is a parenting style/trick/or tool that you think wasn't great for you that your parents (both sides) practiced that you will not be doing with your children? Do you wish you had dated more people? (I myself had great dating relationships and can't imagine missing out on that part of my life, I had 3 boyfriends in my lifetime the last being my husband haha) Do you do any fun crafts with your kids? Favorite family tradition you've created for your family? A family vacation you'd love to do with your kids? Do you scrap book or make family photo albums? Whats the most you have ever spent on furniture? Baby names you like but will not be using? Your favorite way to redirect your children when they are doing something they shouldn't but doesn't call for a "punishment", like maybe they are just being crazy and you need them to do something else? What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite type of art? Do you love target? Do you feel pressure to be like your sisters, or other siblings? Do you want to pay for your kids college education? or have them pay out of pocket or try and get scholarships? Would you start a pod cast? Do you go to an actual church or home style church?
@@kitteekittee4010 Yeah, why not? I loved my dating relationships and im curious. Because I also dated with the intention of marriage. Just more people. You grow up and change your mind about things. not that they regret the way they did it. Just like would they have dated other people now that they are married and know what that's like. Or like would they encourage their kids to date more people than they did. its not even a crazy question. Maybe I could have worded it better.
There is an awesome Christmas game for kids called The Donkey in the Living Room. You hide the different characters from the nativity scene and have your kids search for a different one daily, leading up to Jesus on Christmas Eve. It has a book that goes along with it to explain each animal and person. Our boys love it!
We taught our boys the story of St.Nick. That the true meaning of giving someone a gift is doing without expecting a thank you or praise, its done without selfish actions. That was the gift from God when his only son was born. A gift from God given with the purest love. . That is how we explained the religious celebration. As for the commercial side... We had our boys collect all their toys they were done with or broken and place them in a garbage can decorated with Christmas pictures. Thanksgiving evening we would put the garbage can outside for the elves to pick up to fix or find new kids to play with. In the morning they would find a sock with candy and a note saying Thank You. To help out on Christmas morning each of my boys had their own color. Plain solid color, one Red one Green. Each boy knew his color and there was no confusion. Plus these toys didn't have tags or writing because Santa had too many toys plus he knew what you wanted. These toys were toys found at garage sales, Goodwill and hand me downs, but it didn't matter because they knew their old toys went to somebody else. Now the big gifts and special ones still stayed packaged with pretty wrapping paper that kids see all the time. If a gift is from a grandparent then thats who its from.
We do the whole Santa thing ( because Santa is so short lived most kids stop believing at age 8 or sooner ) but also making sure my kids understood the true meaning of Christmas. Wich ti me is the most important
I think it’s great if every family does what’s best for them as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. I am someone who was not raised in the church at all. Period. I wasn’t baptized, and I’ve never once been to a church service. I love my life like that. We did Christmas, but it never had religious implications. I know that’s touchy for a lot of people, but for us, it was a holiday of getting together and giving gifts and sharing laughs and making the house pretty and loving each other and, yes, also fighting haha (what family doesn’t?). And yes, we did Santa. I held onto belief in Santa longer than I really thought it plausible. I think my parents would’ve been pretty upset if a kid waltzed into my public school declaring that Santa wasn’t real and anyone who believed in him was going to hell (side note: people who don’t do church don’t believe in hell). I very much appreciate that you ask your kids to respect others beliefs.
I really appreciate how Dereck got to talk more and Jill stepped back and didn’t interrupt as much. It makes it much easier to hear and it’s nice to hear both people’s thoughts
she interupts bc she believes she is right not him ,i didnt know Jill was like this till recently .It is terrible how she interupts him ,i doubt michelle dud this with jim bob .All these duggar girls are outspoken i find and kinda rude but they dont see that .Glad those kids are in public school
My parents did the same thing. Their thought process was if you tell your kids that Santa, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Jesus are real when they are young, when they found out all of those are fake except Jesus is very confusing. They didn’t want my sister and I to have those questions so early in life. Or not trust what they said. It worked well for my sister and I. It’s not for everyone but, neither my sister, or I feel like we lost out on anything during Christmas.
Glad to hear from someone who had that experience as a kid! So few kids have parents who take that approach compared to the other. It's the same thought process I have.
We treat Santa as more of a character in my house. He’s just like any other children’s character like Disney princesses for example. They know the spiritual reason for Christmas. But we do a Christmas tree and all the fun stuff that also comes along with the holidays.
I taught my kids that Santa was a real man at one time but he isn’t real now but that it’s ok to pretend as long as they know Jesus is the reason for the season. Merry Christmas
Yes, being told Santa was real, and suddenly finding out one day that He wasn't did actually cast doubt on Jesus with me. Was it all just a pretend thing, also? Thankfully, my faith in Jesus wasn't extinguished in the long run, praise God!
I was a lot more upset when I found out Jesus wasn’t born at Christmas then I found out that Santa wasn’t real that’s my point stop making a big deal out of letting the kids have Santa in their life your only little for such a short period of time
Derrick, I love what you said about being truthful to your kids about Santa. I can remember one Christmas when my mom was really sick. I wrote a letter to Santa and asked him to please make my mom well. I thought Santa had as much (or more) power that God. My parents were devoted Christians but they still "did Santa" with my sister and me. I definitely came to a point where I questioned the truth of the Bible and all of those stories when I found out that Santa wasn't real.
I grew up with Santa, the Easter bunny and all holidays. I really respect your ways wth Santa. You allow them to watch Santa, Frosty and such and consider other kids' beliefs. It's hard to have your kids believe in something you were raised as not believing, but I think you are doing a great job with the kids and the holidays.
The way to explain it to children is that Santa is a character like Cinderella, Dora The Explorer, and Paw Patrol. It's fine to tell them that it's just someone dressed up playing pretend just for fun. You two are great parents.
We did the whole Santa thing when my daughter was very young, but once she started to question things I was not going to lie. I never went overboard with it like some parents do because it just did not feel right. I always felt if you lied about Santa that you lost some respect and honesty with your kids. I never wanted my daughter to think that we could be lying about other things like God and Jesus. Have a very merry Christmas! 🎄
I appreciate your choice to not lie to your kids about Santa. I am 48 and I never quite got over being lied to about it. Felt so so so betrayed by my parents who I otherwise trusted completely. Also, yes, I eventually became an atheist, and part of that was being fed a bunch of lies and having to sift through what I had evidence for and what I didn't.
I very much admire the way you do Santa with your kids. I'm not a parent, but the idea of Santa always felt like lying to children for me. I remember taking it very hard when I learned the truth and lost a little bit of trust in my mother at the time. For years I've tried to come up with an alternative for if I ever have kids, maybe I've been overthinking it haha
I respect your Santa opinion. However, I think it’s important to note the amazing Gospel-like message that Santa gives. Someone who doesn’t know the child gives abundantly and gets nothing in return ❤️💚❤️ Plus, I’d hope any parent would not “teach” about Santa at the same level that they teach Biblical truth 😂 But again, to each their own...just wanted to share my perspective. Merry Christmas!
I totally respect your opinion. Just another thought to add: the reason I chose to not do Santa with my kid is because the Santa thing is works-based. If you're good, you get presents. That's opposite of the gospel that says you've already been given a free gift of salvation and you don't have to be "good" to get it. The gospel says we've all already been bad, so Jesus died for us. It felt wrong to me to teach the gospel 11 months out of the year and then in December teach about Santa rewarding us for our "good works" all year long. With that said, I have Christian friends who don't celebrate Christmas at all because the Bible never even tells us we should celebrate the birth of Christ each year. I guess every family has to choose what is right for them. As long as it glorifies God, that's all that matters. Merry Christmas!🎄
Check out shepherd's treasure. It's like a Christian version of elf on the shelf. A shepherd on his journey to baby Jesus and brings different advent cards each day.
I dunno where y’all are with Santa this year, but I’m so where y’all were last year. Praying for y’all so much this year. What you two have been through - God bless ya, is all I can say.
I’m torn on the whole Santa thing because I feel like Christmas has become less about the birth of Christ and more about Santa, but, on the other hand, I think it’s sort of beautiful to have cultural traditions. The origin of Santa comes from St. Nicholas who is the patron saint of children, sailors, unmarried people and more. You guys have traveled all over the world to spread the message of Jesus. Maybe you can turn Christmas into both a Biblical and cultural lesson for your kids. For example, Santa Claus comes from the Dutch Sinter Klaus which is “Saint” and the nickname for Nicklaus (Nicholas). In Norway and Sweden they make rice pudding and hide an almond inside. The person that finds the almond is said to have good luck or will get married in the next year. Maybe, what you can do, each year is bring in a tradition from another part of the world - how they celebrate Christmas or the Holiday season. It’s a beautiful way to keep cultural traditions alive, which, in my humble opinion-that’s really what Santa is about. It’s not meant to take away from the Biblical meaning of Christmas but was began as a way of venerating St. Nicholas and his giving nature. Honestly, a lot of the Christian holidays and traditions actually have pagan origins, believe it or not. I think it’s beautiful that you celebrate the true meaning of Christmas but maybe you can also turn it into a cultural or historical lesson for your kids by finding fun traditions celebrated globally to make part of your tradition!
I absolutely love you guys and wish we lived by each other because I know that we would be definitely friends...You guys are soo down to earth and sweet. Wishing you and your beautiful family a very Merry Christmas
1. Merry Christmas. 2. We didn't do 'Santa' either with our kids. It was more of a "We believe in Santa's CAUSE" as opposed to a person who sneaks into people's houses. And we focused on making the lives of people outside of our family better through anonymous kindness.
We are Christian but we also do Santa. My family didn’t do Santa but my husband did do Santa. We emphasize Jesus in our celebration and sort of just include Santa as a side note and use him as we use him as a reminder of Jesus being Gods gift to us.
Have you ever read “The Autobiography of St. Nicholas”? That tells you so much about St. Nicholas and the beauty of the man. A wonderful guide as to who he was, and I would imagine it would help you to teach your boys about him. Merry Christmas!
I grew up with Santa/Easter Bunny & Tooth Fairy. Was raised in a religious family (Catholic). My Grandma ALWAYS had cookies made to put out. My brother & I are 4.5 years apart and we tried to tell me the “truth”. Wasn’t until my 4th grade teacher ruined it right before Christmas break...I mean that is something that many of my classmates I’m in touch with still remember that. Just like we celebrate on Christmas Eve vs Day. Eve morning we get an ornament, attend Mass, have dinner & open gifts. Santa always came Christmas morning and brought our big gift. I personally don’t know many who celebrate on Christmas Eve more vs Day. Both sides of my family are this way.
Santa WAS a real Santa. St. Nicholas was his name. My aunt is super religious and tells her kids that they don't get presents from Santa because he's now dead. She associates the gifts given like the Wiseman gave gifts to Jesus. My kids believe in Santa minus my 16 yr old.
I never questioned God after learning Santa wasn't real, if that helps any. And St. Nicholas could fill those stockings. I mean its sort of in between but he was real and it keeps the big focus on Christ. Either way I think its sweet you dont want to ruin anyone else's Christmas. Hope you had a very Merry Christmas!
Parenting is an ever evolving process and it’s refreshing that you acknowledge you are still figuring a lot of things out. One piece of constructive criticism...do your best to eliminate the overuse of the word “like” when you’re conversing. 😉🎄
From a very early age, I knew that Santa was not real, even though presents were put under the tree by Santa and we celebrated. When I finally asked my mom if Santa was real, she said, "We believe in the spirit of Santa." Then she would talk about what she meant by discussing the spirit of giving to others (to family, friends, others), etc. She stuck with that and would never say anything else lol! My parents kept it simple and honest. We as kids knew what she meant and my kids knew the same. We did go to church and participated in holiday events. The holidays, in my opinion, however you celebrate, should be family oriented. My one friend always gave each child a board game and the kids and mom and dad would play board games all day on Christmas. Another tradition you could participate in with your kids would be volunteering with angel tree, helping a family less fortunate, deliver food baskets, etc. It can be fun and valuable lessons are learned. It is all a balancing act, isn't it?
Hi Derrick and Jill, I wanted to say that when I was a child there were hard feelings between my Dad's side of the family and my parents. I didn't know what it was about but that I felt very sad that I wasn't allowed to be near my Grandparents, cousins, etc. Somehow I felt that they must not love me. I have very few memories of them and now that they are gone to be with the Lord it seems such a sad loss of valuable time that we could have shared together. What I guess I'm trying to say is that I hope you patch things up enough so that your sweet boys are able to get time with Lolly and Pops and the rest of that side of their family while they can. Love in Christ, Issy in Shawnee, OK.
A few year ago I kept my tree up year round. I made it the birthday tree. So when family or friends have their bday I would put the gift under the tree. They loved it. ❤
I agree with the Santa topic. I never taught my children about believing in Santa. First, I teach my kids not to lie and then I turn around and lie to them about Santa. Second, I don't think a fat man who doesn't exist should get the credit of gift giving when it's mom and dad who worked hard to get theose gifts to their children. If we are followers of christ we must be real from the beginning.
Jill is literally glowing, she looks so much happier and self confident. The road to healing is difficult but so worth it and I hope she continues to thrive
I appreciate how you pointed out Jesus was probably not as fair skinned and more of a darker skin tone.
Isaiah 53:2
Jesus definitely isn't blue of iris and caucasian of skin as portrayed in the pictures I grew up gazing at ... He was brown all around, lol 😆 and ... the most beautiful human being I've EVER met ✝️🥰✝️
Merry Christmas to you and yours, sweet Sister 🎄
@Vicki Davis it’s not being racist they are just pointing out a truth just like you wouldn’t tell a kids the grass is blue and the sky is green they are just pointing out the facts that’s all
@Vicki Davis I get where you are coming from, I realized Jesus doesn't look like the white man in all the paintings etc... But lots of people do not realize He didn't look like the paintings we have grown up with. Actually one of my best friends realized this year that Jesus looked more like her than what she grew up believing and still did till a few weeks ago. That realization helped her relate to Christ in a deeper level. This is why I will no longer brush under the rug (so to speak) the fact that Jesus was born a middle eastern Israeli. Recognizing they are still God's chosen people and regarded as such throughout the entire Bible to the end is important or God wouldn't have continued to prophesy about them in Revelation (the Jews). I understand to not put Jesus in a box, because He came for us all and culture and skin color has no meaning to Him, but to some of us (little humans in our sad state of the fall) it seems it can be a key to opening our understanding of Jesus being completely human while being completely God. Anyhow, I commend Jill and Derrick recognizing while their Nativity set is not culturally correct, it is more important to display the reason for the season. Many blessings sister.
@Vicki Davis whaaa... racism at its worst? please elaborate
There is a misconception, but so many honestly believe there is white and black, also, which is not true. We are different shades of brown. Anyway, the most important thing is: repent and turn away from sin and give your life to Jesus. It's the most important decision you will ever make in your life. Be blessed ❤
A question for a future q&a: what are you feelings on dancing? Obviously growing up, Jill, your family did not endorse/support dancing as adults. Do you feel the same way? Is certain dancing appropriate, like ballet, ballroom, etc. and others not? Thanks!
I love how much you both grew as a couple and as individuals. And the fact that you acknowledge people are different and can co-exist even if you don’t agree with each other. Just so much love and kindness. Thank you for speaking up!! Sending much love to you and your family.
Thank you for acknowledging that Jesus was a person of color. I’ve come to respect you all more and more through these videos.
I am so proud of how the two of you are working out what is best for your little family without pressure/interference from outside parties. I think the two of you are so cute together. Jill I am sure being outside of the bubble that was your past life is freeing. I’m imagine it could have been a touch scary but the wonderment of the experiences you were denied has been a great journey. Sending prayers that your siblings can take blinders and a leap of faith as you have. I laughed at the two of you describing things. Sounded like me and my husband. I’m frank, to the point and my husband talks of the details as I am ready to move to the next thing. Blessings to you and your sweet little family
I love this couple. I feel like if we actually knew them we'd be friends. Just the vibe they give. Wonderful happy family :)
Yeah ... exactly ... coolest vibage ever
COMPLETELY AGREE!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Jill and Derek I would just like to say that you are a powerhouse of a couple. Jill every time you look at Derek I can see the love you have for him. You both are amazing parents and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Merry Christmas from northern Illinois.
i honestly agree, they don’t let their religious beliefs interfere with others’ lives and they seem to really genuinely care about respecting others’ beliefs even if they don’t share them. something a lot of people haven’t grasped the concept of, even those less religious than jill’s parents
@@molls127 Yes, all one has to do is read Derrick’s thoughts and views about kids like Jazz to know how right you are.
Wow Jill. You look, at peace. Healthy. Glowing and happy. So proud of how far you’ve come.
My mom always told us Santa is the spirit of giving
When my kids asked, I told them the same thing. Santa exists within each of us, it's the purpose of giving to others in the spirit of making them happy.
Santa to me is a sense of hope, a sense of “not growing up and believing “ just like Peter Pan. My son was born premie and we went to get pictures with Santa shortly after he was born. He was so tiny and that Santa held him so closely , with his hand laying on him you could tell he was “ not just a guy in a suit” but someone who really had love in his heart. I honestly will never ever forget it. It was really just something more special then I can describe.
A "fantasy" then. Some fictional figure like peter pan. The opposite of Christ who is real.
This is were fiction becomes reality to children.
Sorry, but as Christians, teaching make believe to children, is not acceptable.
@@janetlovesjesus100 teaching: tolerance, fighting against racism, fighting against sexism, free thinking, letting them believe there's a man in the sky protecting them and so many other crazy thing's is what christians teach. But the spirit of Santa isn't ok? Come on! Just stop.
@@kai82holman69 if we didn't teach what we believe, then our faith means nothing.
Either we believe the Bible, or we don't.
What non believers teach is up to them, but as believers we cannot be half and half.
Friendship with the world is emnity with God.
@@janetlovesjesus100 the bible has nothing to do with Santa. St nicholas was real and that's what Santa is based on. Don't try and put a wierd faith spin on it!
@@kai82holman69 so a fictional man watches to see if children are good and bad, all year, then decides what gifts children get, based on their behaviour, and then comes down the chimney on Christmas eve, to deliver those gifts. Yeah sure, that's not weird at all. Perfectly normal.
Santa has nothing whatsoever to do with St Nick. Santa is manmade.
Growing up, Santa was just a Christmas character just like Mickey Mouse is a Disney Character. We still had fun with him, visited him, enjoyed it...we just knew that he really wasn’t bringing gifts. Best of both worlds
I love how respectful you are when you talk about decisions you’ve made. You are really open at acknowledging that you are just trying to figure it out like the rest of us. Even when you discuss why you came to certain decisions, there’s never any judgment. I can see that you are very intentional about that, and I really respect that about you both.
BTW - I’m 36, and my dad is 64. He still won’t admit Santa isn’t real. I play along because Santa still puts $100 bill in my stocking at their house. 😂
I'm 33 and my Grandma just asked me today, "What did Santa bring you?" I love it.
And you love your grandad It's important to him..so it's important to you.♥️♥️💕
Jill looks so happy and peaceful. I’m so glad she’s working through her past.
I know this has already been said, but saying it again because I know comments/post interaction matters :)
Thank you SO much for mentioning/pointing out that Jesus is likely not white. It matters.
Also thank you for mentioning that “the iPad is our babysitter” and not editing out the iPad requests from the kids. I know it’s a joke- but is so often an easy point for “mommy shamers” to use even during a pandemic. It made me feel “seen” as a parent struggling with childcare right now.
Finally, the tone of this video made my heart happy. It’s so non-confrontational, non-judge mental and casual. I also appreciate you didn’t “condemn” the people who choose celebrate with Santa or comment that it “dilutes the celebration of Jesus” or something similarly judgmental. It was nice to feel like your family understands that all families are different and that it’s important to be respectful of those differences :)
Thanks for sharing :)
We’re Christians and my kids believed in Santa. When they learned there was no Santa (which they tend to come to on their own gradually), they never correlated that with whether God was real or not. But like you said, Kids are all different.
How do your little boys react at school when the others are making Christmas things, etc? I feel bad for kids that don't have that excitement of Santa and all associated with it. You can still instill in your kids the solemnity of Christmas and also the fun of Christmas. If done right, it all evens out.
Exactly♡
I’m 63 and I saw Santa clause Christmas Eve in my living room. He is 100 💯 real 🎅🏻🎄🎅🏻
News Flash the Dillard's are alive and well and doing their own thing and adding to Traditions. They do spend time with the Rest of the Family just not on Camera! Let's enjoy them and not tear them down. This is a time for Joy and Remembrance of Jesus' Birth. Derrick &Jill I Love you too. Your Family is Beautiful. Be Blessed.
You guys should do a video reacting to clips of your time on 19 kids and counting! I think that would be fun for y’all to look back and watch!
I appreciate that you ask your kids not to ruin Santa for others. I’m not a huge Santa person but I’ve let my kids have the fairy tale magic of it. I don’t talk about him but let them form conclusions about it and dream about it. But in our christian world their friends are not good at declaring the gospel but they are VERY good at anti Santa evangelism. Lol. My youngest still thinks Santa is fun. My sons never cared about him but my daughters all did. And they are all walking with the Lord 😊
Derek, I respect what you are saying about not wanting to break the children’s trust. And I think it’s neat you both care about being honest in order for the children to be able to trust the things you say and how that relates to them being able to trust you in the future. Plus , I think it was so so touching you talked about representing Jesus’s Middleastern heritage and how he probably really looked. I am so proud of the things you both are voicing and I feel you are giving voice to things in a very brave way.
It’s really great to teach your children about who Saint Nicolas was. He was a wonderful Christian man and is the archetype of why we have Santa today. It really helps children understand the spirit or Saint Nicolas ans gift giving this time of year.
Santa is like a state of mind. A state of winter magic. Santa can be seen as real bc he represents giving, happiness, and calm admiration for the season. Around Christmas you have family, laughter, sharing of food, exchanging gifts....things that at least for my family...represented Santa. Maybe this can help you two with your family’s way of keeping Santa in your Christmas traditions. Merry Christmas!
Your right Santa is a state of mind. Repent!
We have always told our son, that santa is not real we just explained to him what Christmas is really about. Instead of making the santas story exciting and make him believe on a fake character we just rather make baby Jesus story exciting and a great way to celebrate His birthday and fun for the family. His almost 10 now and he did great when he was lil understanding and not spoiling for other kids who really believe in santa. We also do tree and decorations. But he knows Christmas is about God, and about love, etc. He loves celebrating it.
We don’t do Santa either. We also do 3 gifts each. If 3 was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for my kids. All of our children have varying special needs/disabilities, and we decided early on their salvation is more important than believing in make believe characters.
@@grandmamoses6977 Like I said, my children are special needs. They process things differently than average children and will their entire lives. Therefore, it was more important for us to instill the truth of the living God they cannot see over fictional characters they can see. Many families like mine do the exact same thing and have been highly criticized for it, like ensuring our kids know God first and foremost is a bad thing.
I really like you guys. So honest and just really good people raising beautiful kids. Merry Christmas 🎄
My youngest 2 still believe in Santa but my oldest doesn’t anymore. When he found out I explained that Santa is the spirt of giving gifts to others. As well as celebrating Christmas we celebrate Yule. Do to our own beliefs in our family. One of out favourite traditions is giving out gifts/food to those in need.
Merry Christmas Dillard Family. May the Lord’s blessings continue to rain upon you all.
Growing up, we had these three wise men figurines, and they would should up December 1st, and each day they got closer to the manger scene under the tree..so on Christmas, baby Jesus would show up, and the wise men showed up too! They always moved down the hall every December. It was cool.
Questions Id like to see in another QandA:
What is a parenting style/trick/or tool that you have adopted from your parents on both sides?
What is a parenting style/trick/or tool that you think wasn't great for you that your parents (both sides) practiced that you will not be doing with your children?
Do you wish you had dated more people? (I myself had great dating relationships and can't imagine missing out on that part of my life, I had 3 boyfriends in my lifetime the last being my husband haha)
Do you do any fun crafts with your kids?
Favorite family tradition you've created for your family?
A family vacation you'd love to do with your kids?
Do you scrap book or make family photo albums?
Whats the most you have ever spent on furniture?
Baby names you like but will not be using?
Your favorite way to redirect your children when they are doing something they shouldn't but doesn't call for a "punishment", like maybe they are just being crazy and you need them to do something else?
What is your favorite movie?
What is your favorite type of art?
Do you love target?
Do you feel pressure to be like your sisters, or other siblings?
Do you want to pay for your kids college education? or have them pay out of pocket or try and get scholarships?
These are great questions, I hope they answer!
@@mandycastillo3900 Me too! it'd be a nice long video too. I feel like the longer videos are almost like podcasts and I love that haha
Santa ( and St. Nicholas leaving candy in shoes) is just a fun game for the kids. I always told mine that Santa is the spirit of giving. Love your tree! Enjoy this time with the kiddos, they'll be grown before you realize.
I am not religious at all, but I enjoy your content. I feel you both seem very levelheaded and thoughtful in how you parent. That is refreshing to see.💜
I applaud that you're willing to acknowledge your parenting is still growing. Kids don't think about the Bible and the world the way adults think.
Jill seems to want to make sure people don't think they are telling their kids the Christian perspective or reasoning behind it. There is nothing wrong with sharing your faith with your kids and explaining things in a way that they can understand. You shouldn't be ashamed if you put a lot of deep thought into these things. Derrick's reasoning is partly why I do not tell my kids that Santa is real in the sense of bringing gifts to every child. I don't want them to think I am lying about Jesus or other things. They have been told about St. Nick and I tell them that Santa is a character/story that some people like to pretend. I, too, tell them that they don't need to tell their friends that he isn't real. My oldest seems to believe in Santa anyway. Another reason I do not encourage the whole Santa thing is the premise that receiving gifts is based on behavior. I believe gifts are given out of love, just as God gave Jesus because of His love for us. The Bible says salvation is not of works. Yes, we should do good, but you can never be "good enough."
I love this! I raised mine the same!
Christmas is a evil and ungodly holiday!!
Thank you for sharing your Christmas and Santa Q&A. Loved seeing Sammy pop in for a second too! You both are doing such a great job growing and learning with your children as they grow...throughout your lives, just remember as long as you do what you feel is right for them and the both of you and most importantly the Lord would approve of, you can't be wrong! God bless you and the children along with all of your relatives and friends.
You guys are doing a fantastic job as parenting. I appreciate all your consideration for what your children need for their future
I Loe the fact that they enjoying their family and how authentic they are. Through struggles they will find strength within themselves to build a solid ground for their family
Questions for the future:
Do you get to spend time with Jills family?
When pictures are posted on social media by jills family and she’s not in them, was Jill there but not in the pictures or not there at all?
If you aren’t included in the big family days/game nights, how does that effect you (Jill) personally ?
I love this couple! Jill and Derek seem to be doing their own thing and that's what's important.
I as a parent struggled with Christmas and Easter, we ened up teaching our daughters that the reason for both holidays is jesus but Santa and the Easter bunny are a bonus, but we don't focus on it. My kids say Santa was real but they know he lived a long time ago. I dont even get them gifts on Easter, that holiday is about jesus
Favorite family tradition: Each time a baby is born in our family we start their "Christmas Ornament" box. So they have a Baby's First Christmas ornament, we use ornament frames to put their school picture in EACH year, we choose ornaments from our travels, keep all hand made ornaments & they get to choose a new ornament (Usually at Hallmark) each year. So by the time they have their own tree they have a box FULL of memories to decorate with! Memories are PRICELESS! (my kids also LOVE helping to decorate the tree because they get to revisit all their favorite times.) It's always a great conversation among our family as this happens. Many are handmade & very special. :)
My mother always gave us an ornament every year that we put our initials on and the year. Then when I got married, she gave us the box of ornaments that I cherish and use and remember every year. I did the same with my daughters. One just got married and said she doesn’t want any of her ornaments! I was very disappointed but didn’t tell her that. I’ll keep her ornaments and keep using them. If after several years she still doesn’t want them, maybe I’ll pass them on to someone else. We will see. Merry Christmas!
They have such a Mutual. Respect for each other, you can tell they communicate..
You can tell they have worked together to build their communication and worked a lot on rebuilding their faith for themselves through therapy
Love to see the compromise, open communication, the constant growth and figuring out what works for yous & your family! So important!
I don’t know what the relationship is that you have with your parents but I would be very proud of you and your husband.
LOVE your answer to the first question!! Being a parent is such a learning process for everyone. Y'all are doing AMAZIN!
I enjoyed this as well as your other Q & A videos. We did not teach Santa either - for the same reason. I wanted to be honest and hoped they would believe me when I shared with them about Christ
Thanks for sharing with us. One of our traditions is to make a birthday cake for Jesus that we eat on Christmas morning. The kids helped grandma bake it this year. I love how excited they get to make him a cake!!
We make a cake too! How sweet :)
Merry Christmas Dillard family! 💜🎄
My family has decided to keep Christmas simple and not do the commercial American Christmas and this has been a huge blessing. Blessing for you family🥰
Questions Id like to see in another QandA (I added a few more haha):
What is a parenting style/trick/or tool that you have adopted from your parents on both sides?
What is a parenting style/trick/or tool that you think wasn't great for you that your parents (both sides) practiced that you will not be doing with your children?
Do you wish you had dated more people? (I myself had great dating relationships and can't imagine missing out on that part of my life, I had 3 boyfriends in my lifetime the last being my husband haha)
Do you do any fun crafts with your kids?
Favorite family tradition you've created for your family?
A family vacation you'd love to do with your kids?
Do you scrap book or make family photo albums?
Whats the most you have ever spent on furniture?
Baby names you like but will not be using?
Your favorite way to redirect your children when they are doing something they shouldn't but doesn't call for a "punishment", like maybe they are just being crazy and you need them to do something else?
What is your favorite movie?
What is your favorite type of art?
Do you love target?
Do you feel pressure to be like your sisters, or other siblings?
Do you want to pay for your kids college education? or have them pay out of pocket or try and get scholarships?
Would you start a pod cast?
Do you go to an actual church or home style church?
I'm sorry but to ask them if they wished they dated other people? Really? 🙄
@@kitteekittee4010 Yeah, why not? I loved my dating relationships and im curious. Because I also dated with the intention of marriage. Just more people. You grow up and change your mind about things. not that they regret the way they did it. Just like would they have dated other people now that they are married and know what that's like. Or like would they encourage their kids to date more people than they did. its not even a crazy question. Maybe I could have worded it better.
@@kitteekittee4010 Also it says more. not other.
You both look happy and healthy. It’s a nice change from a few years ago where you always looked tired and stressed.keep doing you
There is an awesome Christmas game for kids called The Donkey in the Living Room. You hide the different characters from the nativity scene and have your kids search for a different one daily, leading up to Jesus on Christmas Eve. It has a book that goes along with it to explain each animal and person. Our boys love it!
Love that Derrick was aware that his nativity is a little pale. 😂
Same! I was surprised by it and delighted at the same time.
And then said "It's what we could find at Wal-Mart" makes sense.
Sadly, a lot of people don't know that Jesus probably looked much different than which He is portrayed today
We taught our boys the story of St.Nick. That the true meaning of giving someone a gift is doing without expecting a thank you or praise, its done without selfish actions. That was the gift from God when his only son was born. A gift from God given with the purest love. . That is how we explained the religious celebration.
As for the commercial side... We had our boys collect all their toys they were done with or broken and place them in a garbage can decorated with Christmas pictures. Thanksgiving evening we would put the garbage can outside for the elves to pick up to fix or find new kids to play with. In the morning they would find a sock with candy and a note saying Thank You.
To help out on Christmas morning each of my boys had their own color. Plain solid color, one Red one Green. Each boy knew his color and there was no confusion. Plus these toys didn't have tags or writing because Santa had too many toys plus he knew what you wanted. These toys were toys found at garage sales, Goodwill and hand me downs, but it didn't matter because they knew their old toys went to somebody else. Now the big gifts and special ones still stayed packaged with pretty wrapping paper that kids see all the time. If a gift is from a grandparent then thats who its from.
"Strange man commuting to our house" lol 😆 😂 🤣 I'm dead.
He said “...strange man coming into our house” lol!
@@lollie87 Oh lol. That's not what heard. Still funny.
We do the whole Santa thing ( because Santa is so short lived most kids stop believing at age 8 or sooner ) but also making sure my kids understood the true meaning of Christmas. Wich ti me is the most important
I think it’s great if every family does what’s best for them as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. I am someone who was not raised in the church at all. Period. I wasn’t baptized, and I’ve never once been to a church service. I love my life like that. We did Christmas, but it never had religious implications. I know that’s touchy for a lot of people, but for us, it was a holiday of getting together and giving gifts and sharing laughs and making the house pretty and loving each other and, yes, also fighting haha (what family doesn’t?). And yes, we did Santa. I held onto belief in Santa longer than I really thought it plausible. I think my parents would’ve been pretty upset if a kid waltzed into my public school declaring that Santa wasn’t real and anyone who believed in him was going to hell (side note: people who don’t do church don’t believe in hell). I very much appreciate that you ask your kids to respect others beliefs.
I really appreciate how Dereck got to talk more and Jill stepped back and didn’t interrupt as much. It makes it much easier to hear and it’s nice to hear both people’s thoughts
she interupts bc she believes she is right not him ,i didnt know Jill was like this till recently .It is terrible how she interupts him ,i doubt michelle dud this with jim bob .All these duggar girls are outspoken i find and kinda rude but they dont see that .Glad those kids are in public school
I totally agree on your views of Santa from a biblical perspective! Jesus is the truth 💓 love you guys!!! God bless you both, Sam & Israel 🙏🏽
My parents did the same thing. Their thought process was if you tell your kids that Santa, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Jesus are real when they are young, when they found out all of those are fake except Jesus is very confusing. They didn’t want my sister and I to have those questions so early in life. Or not trust what they said. It worked well for my sister and I. It’s not for everyone but, neither my sister, or I feel like we lost out on anything during Christmas.
Glad to hear from someone who had that experience as a kid! So few kids have parents who take that approach compared to the other. It's the same thought process I have.
Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your family's traditions. I pray that y'all have a very Merry Christmas! 😍🎄
I’m so happy to hear that you recognise that Jesus wasn’t white and is Middle Eastern! This is so important!
We treat Santa as more of a character in my house. He’s just like any other children’s character like Disney princesses for example. They know the spiritual reason for Christmas. But we do a Christmas tree and all the fun stuff that also comes along with the holidays.
I taught my kids that Santa was a real man at one time but he isn’t real now but that it’s ok to pretend as long as they know Jesus is the reason for the season. Merry Christmas
You can tell there's lots of discussion in the Dillard home 😆 Your hair looks amazing Jill!
I kept noticing it the whole time!
Yes, being told Santa was real, and suddenly finding out one day that He wasn't did actually cast doubt on Jesus with me. Was it all just a pretend thing, also? Thankfully, my faith in Jesus wasn't extinguished in the long run, praise God!
I was a lot more upset when I found out Jesus wasn’t born at Christmas then I found out that Santa wasn’t real that’s my point stop making a big deal out of letting the kids have Santa in their life your only little for such a short period of time
I understand what you're saying about Santa. I grew up with Santa and had Santa for my daughter but I totally understand why you dont.
Derrick, I love what you said about being truthful to your kids about Santa. I can remember one Christmas when my mom was really sick. I wrote a letter to Santa and asked him to please make my mom well. I thought Santa had as much (or more) power that God. My parents were devoted Christians but they still "did Santa" with my sister and me. I definitely came to a point where I questioned the truth of the Bible and all of those stories when I found out that Santa wasn't real.
I love that you are real and admit that you are still figuring it out! I think, as parents, we are always trying to figure it out!!!
We tell our daughter that Santa is as real as paw patrol! We enjoy the entertainment and joy but understand it’s just a character!
I grew up with Santa, the Easter bunny and all holidays. I really respect your ways wth Santa. You allow them to watch Santa, Frosty and such and consider other kids' beliefs. It's hard to have your kids believe in something you were raised as not believing, but I think you are doing a great job with the kids and the holidays.
The way to explain it to children is that Santa is a character like Cinderella, Dora The Explorer, and Paw Patrol. It's fine to tell them that it's just someone dressed up playing pretend just for fun. You two are great parents.
We did the whole Santa thing when my daughter was very young, but once she started to question things I was not going to lie. I never went overboard with it like some parents do because it just did not feel right. I always felt if you lied about Santa that you lost some respect and honesty with your kids. I never wanted my daughter to think that we could be lying about other things like God and Jesus.
Have a very merry Christmas! 🎄
I appreciate your choice to not lie to your kids about Santa. I am 48 and I never quite got over being lied to about it. Felt so so so betrayed by my parents who I otherwise trusted completely. Also, yes, I eventually became an atheist, and part of that was being fed a bunch of lies and having to sift through what I had evidence for and what I didn't.
Never got over it? I knew at 6 but played along to not hurt my moms feelings. It wasn't a big deal, just for fun
@@lillianp8900 For some people it is. I can definitely see how this could happen.
@Lois Miller Nope. It's for real.
@@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr lol it sounds extreme. 48 and still bothers you that santa isn't real... time for therapy
I very much admire the way you do Santa with your kids. I'm not a parent, but the idea of Santa always felt like lying to children for me. I remember taking it very hard when I learned the truth and lost a little bit of trust in my mother at the time. For years I've tried to come up with an alternative for if I ever have kids, maybe I've been overthinking it haha
My nephew was so angry with his parents when he learned about Santa. “I can’t believe you lied to me!”
I respect your Santa opinion. However, I think it’s important to note the amazing Gospel-like message that Santa gives. Someone who doesn’t know the child gives abundantly and gets nothing in return ❤️💚❤️ Plus, I’d hope any parent would not “teach” about Santa at the same level that they teach Biblical truth 😂 But again, to each their own...just wanted to share my perspective.
Merry Christmas!
I totally respect your opinion. Just another thought to add: the reason I chose to not do Santa with my kid is because the Santa thing is works-based. If you're good, you get presents. That's opposite of the gospel that says you've already been given a free gift of salvation and you don't have to be "good" to get it. The gospel says we've all already been bad, so Jesus died for us. It felt wrong to me to teach the gospel 11 months out of the year and then in December teach about Santa rewarding us for our "good works" all year long. With that said, I have Christian friends who don't celebrate Christmas at all because the Bible never even tells us we should celebrate the birth of Christ each year. I guess every family has to choose what is right for them. As long as it glorifies God, that's all that matters. Merry Christmas!🎄
Check out shepherd's treasure. It's like a Christian version of elf on the shelf. A shepherd on his journey to baby Jesus and brings different advent cards each day.
I dunno where y’all are with Santa this year, but I’m so where y’all were last year. Praying for y’all so much this year. What you two have been through - God bless ya, is all I can say.
I’m torn on the whole Santa thing because I feel like Christmas has become less about the birth of Christ and more about Santa, but, on the other hand, I think it’s sort of beautiful to have cultural traditions. The origin of Santa comes from St. Nicholas who is the patron saint of children, sailors, unmarried people and more. You guys have traveled all over the world to spread the message of Jesus. Maybe you can turn Christmas into both a Biblical and cultural lesson for your kids. For example, Santa Claus comes from the Dutch Sinter Klaus which is “Saint” and the nickname for Nicklaus (Nicholas). In Norway and Sweden they make rice pudding and hide an almond inside. The person that finds the almond is said to have good luck or will get married in the next year. Maybe, what you can do, each year is bring in a tradition from another part of the world - how they celebrate Christmas or the Holiday season. It’s a beautiful way to keep cultural traditions alive, which, in my humble opinion-that’s really what Santa is about. It’s not meant to take away from the Biblical meaning of Christmas but was began as a way of venerating St. Nicholas and his giving nature. Honestly, a lot of the Christian holidays and traditions actually have pagan origins, believe it or not. I think it’s beautiful that you celebrate the true meaning of Christmas but maybe you can also turn it into a cultural or historical lesson for your kids by finding fun traditions celebrated globally to make part of your tradition!
Merry Christmas Dillard Family! God bless! 💕🙏🎄
Love you guys....great wisdom....always makes me smile!
I absolutely love you guys and wish we lived by each other because I know that we would be definitely friends...You guys are soo down to earth and sweet. Wishing you and your beautiful family a very Merry Christmas
1. Merry Christmas.
2. We didn't do 'Santa' either with our kids. It was more of a "We believe in Santa's CAUSE" as opposed to a person who sneaks into people's houses. And we focused on making the lives of people outside of our family better through anonymous kindness.
We are Christian but we also do Santa. My family didn’t do Santa but my husband did do Santa. We emphasize Jesus in our celebration and sort of just include Santa as a side note and use him as we use him as a reminder of Jesus being Gods gift to us.
Have you ever read “The Autobiography of St. Nicholas”? That tells you so much about St. Nicholas and the beauty of the man. A wonderful guide as to who he was, and I would imagine it would help you to teach your boys about him.
Merry Christmas!
I grew up with Santa/Easter Bunny & Tooth Fairy. Was raised in a religious family (Catholic). My Grandma ALWAYS had cookies made to put out. My brother & I are 4.5 years apart and we tried to tell me the “truth”. Wasn’t until my 4th grade teacher ruined it right before Christmas break...I mean that is something that many of my classmates I’m in touch with still remember that.
Just like we celebrate on Christmas Eve vs Day. Eve morning we get an ornament, attend Mass, have dinner & open gifts. Santa always came Christmas morning and brought our big gift. I personally don’t know many who celebrate on Christmas Eve more vs Day. Both sides of my family are this way.
Santa WAS a real Santa. St. Nicholas was his name. My aunt is super religious and tells her kids that they don't get presents from Santa because he's now dead.
She associates the gifts given like the Wiseman gave gifts to Jesus.
My kids believe in Santa minus my 16 yr old.
It's great to see how you guys are thinking through things and making decisions according to what you want for your immediate family. Good for you.
I never questioned God after learning Santa wasn't real, if that helps any. And St. Nicholas could fill those stockings. I mean its sort of in between but he was real and it keeps the big focus on Christ. Either way I think its sweet you dont want to ruin anyone else's Christmas. Hope you had a very Merry Christmas!
Wishing your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and blessed new year from N.S. 🇨🇦 🤗 ❤️✝️🎄🎁
I'm sure millions of religious families have kids that aren't scarred for believing in the spirit of Santa
Parenting is an ever evolving process and it’s refreshing that you acknowledge you are still figuring a lot of things out. One piece of constructive criticism...do your best to eliminate the overuse of the word “like” when you’re conversing. 😉🎄
I was a single mother for many years. So in my house I was Santa! The kids knew not to ask for a pony because "Santa" couldn't afford it. Lol
From a very early age, I knew that Santa was not real, even though presents were put under the tree by Santa and we celebrated. When I finally asked my mom if Santa was real, she said, "We believe in the spirit of Santa." Then she would talk about what she meant by discussing the spirit of giving to others (to family, friends, others), etc. She stuck with that and would never say anything else lol! My parents kept it simple and honest. We as kids knew what she meant and my kids knew the same. We did go to church and participated in holiday events. The holidays, in my opinion, however you celebrate, should be family oriented. My one friend always gave each child a board game and the kids and mom and dad would play board games all day on Christmas. Another tradition you could participate in with your kids would be volunteering with angel tree, helping a family less fortunate, deliver food baskets, etc. It can be fun and valuable lessons are learned. It is all a balancing act, isn't it?
Hi Derrick and Jill, I wanted to say that when I was a child there were hard feelings between my Dad's side of the family and my parents. I didn't know what it was about but that I felt very sad that I wasn't allowed to be near my Grandparents, cousins, etc. Somehow I felt that they must not love me. I have very few memories of them and now that they are gone to be with the Lord it seems such a sad loss of valuable time that we could have shared together. What I guess I'm trying to say is that I hope you patch things up enough so that your sweet boys are able to get time with Lolly and Pops and the rest of that side of their family while they can. Love in Christ, Issy in Shawnee, OK.
A few year ago I kept my tree up year round. I made it the birthday tree. So when family or friends have their bday I would put the gift under the tree. They loved it. ❤
My mothers birthday was January 6th Derick.Thank you for answering all these questions.Merry Christmas Dillards
Merry Christmas to your precious family! Lots of love x
I agree with the Santa topic. I never taught my children about believing in Santa. First, I teach my kids not to lie and then I turn around and lie to them about Santa. Second, I don't think a fat man who doesn't exist should get the credit of gift giving when it's mom and dad who worked hard to get theose gifts to their children. If we are followers of christ we must be real from the beginning.
Yes!!!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the Dillard family I love watching your videos so I hope you guys have a wonderful blessed blessed day