Moms are usually the ones who set the tone for the holidays at home. We decide on the traditions we want our family to follow and create new ones. With love and intentional efforts, we get our children excited about all the activities and events to celebrate the Christmas season.
Traditions become central to the celebrations, and they can be very fun and special when it comes to making long-lasting memories. However, if there’s not a bigger purpose behind them, they can become stressful and leave us with a sense of emptiness. Expectations around them can become unrealistic and somewhat frustrating. Especially when things don’t turn out the way we planned.
Here’s my take on Christmas traditions and the purpose I have set in bringing them to life every year with my family and friends.
Everything points back to JESUS
While we know he wasn’t born exactly in December, His birth is the fulfillment of a promise of redemption. It was such great news that the Heavens rejoiced, the angels praised and exalted Him when they announced it to the shepherds (Luke 2).
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).
The gospel (which means the good news of salvation for our souls, hope and redemption after humanity’s fall due to our sins) starts with the birth of Jesus–so our main goal behind everything we do in December is to rejoice in Him, the best gift we will ever receive.
The colors, the lights, the music, the tree, the baking, dinner parties, hot chocolate, gathering with family and friends, we do it all intentionally celebrating Him. The advent devotionals center our hearts in celebrating his first coming and expecting and desiring His second one.
That’s how we take focus out of receiving, and center our efforts on giving: praise to the Lord, hope to the lost, help to those in need, thanks to God for everything He has done and for His goodness and love, thanks to our friends because they are a blessing in our life, and so on and so forth.
Family culture and identity
A secondary purpose that has blessed us as we enjoy our holiday traditions is to establish and reinforce our culture and identity as a family. Every activity our family engages in has to have the goal of bringing us closer to the Lord (Jesus-centric) and to each other, strengthening our bonds and helping us grow our love for each other.
Our home combines Brazilian, Venezuelan, and American cultures, so we enjoy a fun mix of music, food, and languages when it comes to celebrating the holidays.
These are the reasons why not all traditions work for our family. Not all commitments are a fit and the activities we embrace have been a blessing and a reason to be joyful. Being intentional, selective and purpose-driven has allowed my family to enjoy Christmas to the fullest. I talk more in-depth about our own traditions here. All the fun stuff, culturally infused with our Brazilian and Venezuelan cultures.
The Why + The Who
If there is something I would love for you to consider (and this is a gentle, much-needed reminder for myself as well), is that there is no need to do it all and burden yourself with the longest to-do list for the holidays. What your children will remember in the future, and what they will carry in their hearts and pass down to their own children is the why (why we are doing all these activities, why we celebrate) and the who (parents’ active presence in anything we do, family and friends). The love, the laughter, the fun, time well spent together and, as the foundation of it all, the reason or purpose behind it.
That’s what I remember from my childhood. That’s where the magic happened at Christmas for me: Mom and Dad with me and my siblings together, enjoying the baking, the music, the little treats, putting up the tree, leftover breakfasts, dinners together, and the devotionals/Bible reading time where my parents helped bring our hearts back to the reason for the season: Jesus.
My desire is that this inspires you to assess your perspective on the season and if necessary, think and define a purpose and intention behind everything you do to celebrate with your loved ones.
