I'm finally starting to excited about this impending Christmas! Matt and I've been talking a lot about the traditions we want to implement in our family, especially since this is Mcclellan's first Christmas. What traditions, specific things, practices do you and your family (I mean your "new" families, not the one you grew up in) have around the holidays? What makes the holidays so...special (for lack of a creative word) every year? Why do people gather close to family during this time?
I have a hard time with the whole "most wonderful time of the year" thing that America projects Christmas to be. Family, travel, food, trees, lights, shopping, presents. While all these things are fun and not necessarily a bad thing, I reject the idea that they're the focus of this season. Matt and I have boycotted travel this and last year and I'm hoping that's becoming a tradition for us: to stay home, the 3 (or however many) of us, go to church and just revel in Jesus' birth. Not madness, travel, visiting a hundred people, etc. We decided, just this morning, that we aren't going to open any presents until Epiphany, because that's when the kings brought Jesus his gifts. I mean, that whole concept is why we do presents every Christmas anyway, right? So we're holding off til 1/6.
I want to spend time with friends baking, meeting, drinking coffee, having dinners. Since our family lives so far away from us, I want to leave the travel and visits out until after Christmas Day. We are planning on going to Colby after Christmas this year. Its like we take this big deep breath on the day after Thanksgiving and don't let it out until after December 25. Once we've exhaled, it makes things like travels and family get-togethers (which, no matter how fun they are, are stressful) a lot easier. We'll see how it goes this year.
I think I was really disillusioned by all the hype of Christmas this year so much that only recently I feel like I'm starting to accept the Truth of Christmas. To turn off the TV, avoid the crowds, and just quietly worship the King that was born so long ago, humbly, quietly. I wonder, what would Jesus think about the generally accepted way to celebrate his birthday? What about those who celebrate without even knowing what/why they're celebrating?
(While we're at it, what are you girls going to do about Santa? This has been a question I've been mulling over in my mind but not really deciding about, mostly because Mcclellan can't say "Mama" yet, let alone "Santa." I have some ideas but it seems like no matter what you decide some cultural toes are going to be stepped on or lies will be told. I like Santa. A lot. So I do want to incorporate him into Christmas somehow. We'll see how he takes shape amongst our Christmas traditions.)
But back to Jesus, mostly because I like talking about him :) I really want to let go of all the craziness of the season (whether its fun crazy or stressful crazy) and teach our family to be still this season and focus on the birth. I want to abandon all hopes of opening presents on Christmas Day being the focus of Jesus' birthday. I want to attend Advent services (which, sadly we haven't done at all this year!) and Christmas Eve and Day services. I mean Christmas is one of the biggest and most important celebrations that makes up the church year. The other of course, is Easter, which is my personal favorite holiday. But I want Christmas to be up there too. I want to celebrate the birth because we have the death for and of our sins and Jesus' resurrection to look forward to. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how Jesus' birth was unknown to the world, save a few shepherds and kings. About Jesus nursing with Mary. About him being a baby and growing up in this world. Did he know he was the Savior of our race as a 1-year-old toddling around? Maybe all these questions are trite, and I'm sure they're mostly in light of my own son's development. But nonetheless, these kinds of thoughts have helped me to focus on Jesus birth and life and its culmination in his death. These are the kinds of things we should be pondering at Christmas. Not the fact that Macy's is open for 24 hours until Christmas Eve. That's just crazy.
-sigh- Anyway! Traditions, yeah. Write your own post about your Christmas Traditions or you can comment on mine, but I was just curious how you involve your family in the madness of the holiday season. How involved do you get? How much time do you spend with family, near or far? Any special recipes or meals just for this time of year? How do you decorate? Do you love or hate (or both!) "the most wonderful time of the year"?
Merry Christmas, and I hope you find peace in reconciling the expectations and traditions of the holidays with the incontrovertable truth that Jesus was born to save the world from sin! Its a tough thing to do!
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3 comments:
Its funny that you mention opening gifts on the day that the kings brought Jesus his gifts. Jose tells me that when he was in Mexico, thats when they opened gifts. He says that instead of leaving stockings out for St. Nick, they would leave their shoes out for the kings. I guess when he and his family came here they just adapted to this American culture which pretty much takes away the whole meaning of Christmas. I think Mexico tends to not make holidays this big excuse for the stores to profit. He tells me that Easter is yet another holiday that is not made up of the Easter bunny and candy. In Mexico its more sacred....going to church is pretty much the only thing you do on that day. I thought about trying to do something like this with our family...opening the gifts later to try and teach Evan the true meaning of Christmas. Its hard though when friends and family are all used to the other way.
Branden and I are planning to do gifts on 1/6 too! I got the idea from my Mexican friends. Christmas day is just the start of the Christmas season, so why not celebrate from now until January (why not celebrate our Saviour all year long?)
We are from Puerto Rico and for Epiphany we leave a box with straw in it at the foot of the bed for the hungry camels that the 3 Kings are riding on their way to see Jesus. The straw disappears at night, replaced by a toy or two. The 3 Wise Men don't leave tons of toys like Santa does.
good luck with new traditions.
Yvonne
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