Christmas is just a few weeks away and we are so excited! It’s the season we look forward to the most as a family, because we get to celebrate our Lord Jesus Christ’s birth and we do so through our beloved Christmas traditions. Beloved because it isn’t just me, mom, who enjoys them! Our girls look for, ask and share their excitement about our traditions every single year.
What exactly are Christmas traditions though?
Well, simply put, they are activities we do every Christmas, centered on the birth of Jesus and its significance in our lives — with the intent and hope of imparting these truths to our children.
They are a way of passing on our love for and faith in the Lord to the next generation. Through these traditions, we have built in our family a culture of excitement and anticipation for the season.
No one is too cool to participate! Everyone reverts to being like a child, giddy with delight, hearts overflowing with gratitude.
And most importantly, hopefully, making our love for Jesus grow even more.
“‘TWAS UPON THE TREE”
The old-school hymn rings true for our first tradition, “‘Twas Jesus, our Savior, who died on the tree (the cross)” — a fitting reminder of what this season is all about.
The birth of our Savior.
And so it begins for our family. The first tradition that ushers in the Christmas feels in our home is tree trimming.
It really sets the tone at home and somehow causes a shift in us, as anticipation starts building up for the celebration of Jesus’ birthday.
After the lights are set, everyone goes to town hanging ornaments that we’ve collected over the years, while the hubby plays his Christmas playlist.
Yet another reason why we started our traditions — to make happy, meaningful memories with our children that they will carry with them as they grow older.
Christmas tree trimming brings families together, not just physically, but also by reminding us of the ultimate sacrifice born that first Christmas day.
FOUR SPECIAL SUNDAYS
Next on our list of traditions is the Advent Wreath! This tradition begins on the last Sunday of November and ends on Christmas Day. Through the years, we’ve probably had 3 or 4 wreaths that we’ve DIY-ed.
We start with a plain wreath, add some Christmas-y elements, and place the 5 candles.
The heart of the advent wreath to us is to remember.
It’s a mindful remembrance of what happened over 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem, and again building that eager anticipation for the coming of our Lord Jesus.
We light one candle on the first Sunday, and then depending on what material we choose for the year — we read Christmas books or discuss particular verses from the Bible and sing Christmas carols — and then pray before blowing out the candle.
The kids love this, by the way.
Our girls have not outgrown candle blowing. Sometimes we have to light some up again just so they each get a turn.
We light up an additional candle every Sunday after, until we light up all the candles including the last candle (the Christ candle) on Christmas Day.
We’ve been doing this every year since I learned it from friends years ago.
And it’s definitely not exclusive for the family. We have done this with friends too.
It’s so easy to get lost in the busyness and consumerism associated with the holidays, but this tradition grounds us, always pointing us back to Jesus, the true reason for the season.
MAKING EVERY DAY COUNT
By December first, we begin our Advent Calendar tradition. We count down to Christmas by doing an activity every single day.
I don’t normally prepare the whole calendar because things do unexpectedly come up. I don’t want to be stuck with a pre-planned activity that’s not doable due to certain constraints.
I want it to be a joy, not a burden.
So I prepare only about a day or two ahead, we also keep in mind other schedules — such as the advent wreath on Sundays, Christmas parties, or playdates — and incorporate these as part of our line-up of activities for the month.
We also take the opportunity to share the love of God, by preparing meals for the guards, buying food for homeless children we see on the street, buying presents for one another, making cards, and encouraging others with our words and prayers.
The sky is the limit for this!
It can be as simple as giving a friend a call, or as grand as preparing dinner for the family or friends at home, or as fun as driving around to see the lights in the city, or as meaningful as writing a list of things we are grateful for.
This tradition is another way we build the anticipation for Jesus’ birthday, while exercising generosity, kindness, and faith.
CELEBRATING THE TRUE CELEBRANT
Then, of course, we have our Happy Birthday, Jesus party!
Our family started this tradition with our friends, with the simple reason of instilling in all of us the reason we celebrate Christmas.
We have a program that usually includes gift giving, a talent show and games, which everybody loves of course.
But the most important part of the party is when we gather the kids and talk about Jesus.
We’ve done different retellings of the Christmas story, we’ve shared the Gospel, we’ve talked about our value and identity in Christ, we’ve talked about a legacy of faith. The whole thing is packaged in a super fun party, but the true gift is the message of hope that we have in Jesus, and the love that He enables us to give to one another.
Afterwhich, we sing the birthday song for our birthday Celebrant and blow the candles together!
It’s true that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. The lights, the lanterns, the Christmas trees, wreaths, decors, music all contribute to the overall vibe.
These traditions, however, remind us that there is a bigger, deeper, truer reason why we celebrate Christmas.
We celebrate because our Savior was born.
