Growing up I did not celebrate Christmas with any great meaning. We were not a religious family; Christmas had no significance for us. We merely enjoyed 2 weeks off school and a few presents from relatives. My parents, pragmatic Chinese parents that they were, did not give us presents. (“We give you room and board, what more do you want?”) There were no meaningful traditions in our family that I can remember, which means any tradition we did have made no impact on me.
When I got married, I decided that as a Christian, I want my children to grow up knowing that Christmas reflect the significance of the birth of Christ. I went to an Emily Barnes Christmas seminar where she talked about how to have meaningful Christmas traditions to pass on to our children. I implemented many of her suggestions, and even bought a wooden nativity scene from her store.
When my children were young, we made decorations for the house, read Luke 2, baked cookies, lit the advent candle everyday, opened a window in the advent calendar each day until the 25th, etc, etc. Those were all the things I would’ve wanted as a child. Now I get to experience them, albeit from a different perspective.
In the last couple of years, it’s been a challenge to continue our traditions since my two older children are away in college. They are not home to decorate the house; they are not home to open the windows of the advent calendar each day. My youngest daughter at home felt lonely and unmotivated to continue our traditions without the other siblings.
But still, I strive to keep some of our traditions. This year, we started a new way of doing advent – using this Jesse tree idea that I found on a website. We still went together to buy the Christmas tree, but I put up the decorations myself, leaving much of our decorations in the boxes.
It’s a little sad for me that as my children get older, the fun and excitement of Christmas is not the same. But I think this is not a bad thing.
Christmas has to “mature”. The “Christmas spirit” is not just about the fun and glitz. In fact, the traditions we followed each year are not an end in themselves. They are to point to the deeper meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ. We give at Christmas because God first gave himself to us. As the children are older, it has been easier to focus on that true meaning.
I no longer have to steer the children away from commercialism. Being old enough to pretty much buy things for themselves allow them to find much more joy in giving. Focusing on relationships and reflecting on the Savior has become easier as the focus is no longer on the presents under the tree.
I think that with each passing year, I will have to develop new traditions. My family, while the most important to me, do not need my full attention anymore. I should start to focus on others. Maybe next year, we will branch out to do more outreach during the Christmas season.