Hey everyone, I hope you are keeping well. Today I want to touch on a topic that one of you actually brought up in the recent survey I conducted to get your feedback on The Growing Seed (if you haven’t yet filled it in, you can still do so here). The question asked was:

Now, I feel like this question came at a very relevant time. Not only because we are a week away from this day but also because this year in particular I have been asking myself this very question.

If you don’t know me, I am usually a very big fan of Christmas. I love anything Christmas related and creating that cozy, loving, joyful atmosphere that this season typically represents. I want to set up the tree early in November and count down the days until the 25th of December. I want to decorate everything and bake scrumptious festive cookies. This year I haven’t done any of it. I haven’t done any advent calendars or Bible reading plans, I haven’t set up any Christmas decorations, haven’t found a good playlist of Christmas songs to listen to and no gifts are under the tree. This isn’t all intentional but it is just the way things turned out this year.

I think it is safe to say God is doing some intentional work here to get me to truly ask this exact question. With this in mind and after a conversation about how Christmas trees actually originate from a Roman winter festival I have spent some time looking into the meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate the way we do.

There is still a lot of research, journaling and learning I want to do on this topic and feel like it will be one that circles around again in the future. For now I want to share what I have learned so far and one of the tradition I do think is a worthy celebration of the occasion.

I think the general meaning of Christmas is quite well known - to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ into this earth. It is a reminder of the joy, love, peace and hope that Jesus brought into the world.

Unfortunately, this true meaning of Christmas is often diluted by tales of Santa Claus and fun family movies like The Grinch. Christmas has become commercialised and a time to gain material possessions. I think this culture leaves room for us to be a lot more intentional about bringing Jesus back into the center of this celebration. Which is what I want to start doing.

After doing research on where our usual traditions come from like Christmas trees, Christmas crackers, the representation of Santa Claus and Christmas hats I discovered how few of them actually have anything to do with the birth of Jesus. There is no evidence that the 25th of December was even the day Jesus was born. Here is article about some of the origins of these traditions.

So how can we celebrate Christmas then?

The one tradition I have come across and personally feel is a worthwhile form of celebration (besides advent reading plans, church services and carols events) is the Shepherds’ Dinner. This is typically a very simple, charcuterie-style meal eaten on Christmas Eve to be reminded of the shepherds’ lifestyle and experience when finding out about Jesus’ birth (Luke 2). This is a time to chat about what it would’ve been like to discover this news and have conversations around what Jesus did for us. It is tradition that aims to turn the attention away from elaborate gifts and all the clutter we have added around Christmas and be reminded of the nativity story.

Since my boyfriend and I are not spending the 25th of December together, we decided to do our version of this meal earlier this week with his family. Despite it not being the official day of Christmas, we could all feel the impact and the authenticity of this meal as a celebration of Jesus’ birth.

Although this is the first year I have done this tradition I definitely think it will continue to be one of the most significant ways I will be celebrating Christmas going forth and encourage you to try it out with your family too.

Note:

This newsletter is not to say all the traditions our families hold should be scrapped. It is more so to encourage you to do some research and ask more questions about why we do the things we do as well as see where you can make this season more focused on Christ.

Can the Christmas ornaments on your tree be changed out from elves to angels and Father Christmas to images of Jesus?

Can the gifts you give be given with more intentionality and be items that highlight the name of God?

Can you listen to more carols that sing about the nativity story rather than reindeers and romantic relationships?

Thank you for reading today’s newsletter, sorry that is was posted so late today.
I hope this has inspired you to ask a couple of questions about why you do the things you do for Christmas and what you can do to bring Jesus more to the center of your celebrations.

If you want to receive these newsletters on WhatsApp and receive additional tips and information you are welcome to join this WhatsApp group.

Keep well and we will chat again soon x