Christmas Facts:Traditions

When thinking about Christmas facts one cannot overlook the number of traditions that surround the holiday. In fact, Christmas in itself, is a tradition. It is a tradition of celebrating the birth or incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Overtime, the way in which people have celebrated this day has evolved from culture to culture. However, the one thing each unique cultural celebration has in common is tradition. Everything from stocking stuffers to Christmas trees to family gatherings has been passed down from generation to generation. There are two types of tradition that each culture carries when celebrating Christmas; religious and secular. The religious tradition is the core or the root of the holiday’s existence and carries much stronger history and stability than those of its counter part. Christians throughout modern time have worshiped the Lord for His coming to humanity in the form of a babe. Though the actual birth date of Jesus is not known (there are strong opinions, like early spring, but no true confirmation) tradition has led to late December or early January as a common and accepted time period for celebrating the most important moment in human history. Regarding secular traditions one may remember the dilemma of Charlie Brown in the classic Christmas time cartoon by Charles M. Schultz – A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965). His dilemma, answered later by his close friend Linus (as he quoted scripture from Luke Chapter 2), was that the true meaning of Christmas was being diluted by all the commercialization he seemed to find everywhere he looked. What he saw in his world is what we can see in ours every year starting in mid-fall. Over time, Christmas celebrations have grown and become more commercialized and secular. Those in the world who do not connect with the life of Christianity have spurred this on as they continue to observe Christmas for all its joy, togetherness, and tradition; but they simply remove the Christian value and replace it with positive secular imagery and verbalization. They attach no religious value and thus it changes with the whims of every human desire. Christmas’s purpose, despite its timelessness and generational traditions, can only be maintained in the heart of the everyday man or woman. Each tradition represents something revolving around the incarnation or kingship of Christ. However, if an individual does not choose to attach Christ to the celebration the basic heart and idea behind the said traditions and celebrations change to something methodically capricious. Though much joy and heart-felt connection can still be had, the life blood behind the action is no longer flowing. Therefore, it is important to understand and remember that it is Jesus who brings life to traditions. These then are some of the facts of Christmas and the general meaning behind some of the most common or well known traditions of the holiday. Christmas Facts: Each TraditionIt’s a birthday party: Luke chapter two describes the birth of Jesus and the start of His earthly life; a life that would lead to the salvation of all mankind. Today, believers recite this chapter and remember, through vivid celebration, the lThe Christmas Tree: Originating in Germany, a Fir tree was decorated to represent the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. The great reformer Martin Luther is said to be the first to decorate the tree prior to the tradition moving to England by way of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It eventually crossed the Atlantic and became an American tradition; though it took some time as it was considered to be a pagan symbol in the earlier years. Today, according to www.christmastree.org, “There are approximately 30-35 million Real Christmas Trees sold in the U.S. every year.” ife that Christ has brought them. Christmas is the most important birthday party of all time. It is a celebration that brings, joy, gifts, and the singing of traditional worship songs while feasting with joyous connection to family and friends. It is purely about bringing Him honor and loving those who God has blessed us with.