Kiesha (Bellah) Brainard in 1979 at age 5.

On Christmas Eve at Dann and Michelle Bellah's house, a Nativity scene dominates the living room bookshelf. The family tree is lit and sparkling, and an electric-powered train winds its way between the colorfully wrapped presents. The couple's adult children—sons Andrew and Levi, daughter Kiesha, and son-in-law Rick—settle comfortably on the couch and floor. The house is silent, save for the steady hum of the train and soft Christmas music drifting from the stereo.

In front of each family member sits a pen and blank piece of paper. Quietly, they begin to write Christmas greetings, filling their pages with words of praise and thanks. But the letters they're writing are not addressed to friends or family—not even to Santa.

When they're finished, they fold their letters and deposit them in an aged stocking that hangs on the fireplace mantle. The name on the stocking reads: "Jesus."

Jesus' stocking has been an important part of the Bellahs' Christmas celebration for more than 25 years. Growing up with Santa and his middle-of-the-night present delivery, Michelle realized early on that she wanted something different for her children. "Our kids understood that people celebrate the myth of Santa, but we wanted them to see Christmas for what it really is, the biggest birthday party of the year."

To help their children understand the true importance of Christmas, Dann and Michelle began hanging a stocking for Jesus. Over the years, the practice of placing written or drawn statements of thanks into the stocking also became a part of the tradition. Before their kids could write, the couple remembers, the "letters" for Jesus' stocking were filled with simple stick figures. One year, Kiesha, now 31, proudly added a baby Jesus made from a Popsicle stick. "As a mother, it's been a precious gift to see my kids' letters," Michelle says with a smile. "Even as they've gotten older, there's still a vulnerability and innocence in their thanks and praise."

Over the years, the Bellahs' Jesus stocking has not only received letters from the couple and their children, but from other family members and friends who visit their Reedsport, Oregon, home during the holidays. Guests are always invited to participate in the family's simple way of honoring Jesus, and Michelle believes this is another way that Christians can share the true meaning of the holiday with others. "It has been one of our ways of making Jesus a priority, something that can speak to those who drop by."

Like most American families, the Bellahs aren't immune to the commercialism of the season—the piles of presents under the Christmas tree testify to that. But in the midst of the wrapping paper and bows, the extra stocking on the mantle serves as a reminder that their Christmas joy extends beyond the electronic gadgets and new clothes they exchange with one another. The goal, Michelle explains, is to "keep the focus on the birthday Guest and remember that giving gifts to each other is just a representation of our love for Him."

Kiesha (Bellah) Brainard is a writer based in Salem, Oregon.

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