I picked her up from her babysitter and it was starting to get dark and the neighbors in the neighborhood started turning on their Christmas lights which quickly got her attention as I was buckling her into her carseat. As I got in the car and we started driving away, she said "Mom, how come if it's Jesus's birthday, how come we get presents and Jesus don't get any anymore?" I told her "That is because it gives Jesus a lot of joy to see us giving to others. It makes him very happy!" The questioning didn't stop. "Mom, why do we give Santa milk and cookies and we don't make Jesus a Birthday Cake?" I said, "You know what honey, we should make Jesus a birthday cake! I think he would like that!" I was already so amazed at how much thought she had put into Jesus and his special day! But it didn't stop there!
She said, "Mom, I want to get Jesus a birthday present!" I said, "OK, what would you give Jesus?" She went into deep thinking and it got quiet and then she said, "Do you think he'd like what him's dad likes?" I said , "Yes, I'm sure what God likes Jesus does too!" Then she said so excitedly, "I know the PERFECT present! It's an Apple!" I said, "Well, I'm sure he'll like an apple but why an apple?" She said, "Mom, don't you 'member God told Adam and Eve they could eat anything from him's garden except the apple and then they ate him's apple and He was really really upset about it so I figured him was mad because apples are his favorite fruit and he didn't want all of us to be eating his favorite so if God likes apples then Jesus prolly does too! So can we get Jesus an apple for Christmas! Please Please!"
That year I took her shopping for her very special gift. She closely inspected each apple and was so proud when she found the perfect one for Jesus! Then we headed to the cake mixes and picked out a funfetti birthday cake mix to make for Jesus's Birthday Cake! That Christmas Eve, before we opened presents we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and had our birthday cake. And before we went to bed that night, she put out milk and cookies for Santa and an apple for Jesus with a nothe that said "For Jesus not Santa" but then decided we should also leave a piece of cake for Jesus!
The next morning there were cookie crumbs, an empty milk glass, cake crumbs and an apple core sitting on the fireplace with a note that said, "Thank you for the apple! It was perfect! Love Jesus!"
Now each year, we make Jesus a Birthday Cake! Leaving the apple was a one time thing for us but I still can't look at an apple this time of year without getting misty-eyed about how well a 3 year old could understand the true meaning of Christmas and how she started a tradition within our family and how that helped her brother understand the true meaning too!
