I remember the first Christmas I found out Santa wasn’t real. My little brother was still young enough to believe and I suddenly found myself confused on how to react as I opened my presents. I caught myself repeatedly yelling, “Thanks, Maa—I mean, Santa Claus!” I didn’t want to ruin it for my brother, yet felt awkward in my reaction.
Reflecting on these childhood memories of Christmas draws me back to the present, especially as I enter the Christmas season with my husband and our future family in mind. I can’t help but wonder about the traditions we will start with our family. I try thinking of ways we can celebrate the magic of Christmas I felt as a child, while also making sure to keep Christ at the center of it all.
As I ponder the various Christmas traditions I had become accustomed to as a child, I find myself thinking, “Why do we do that for Christmas anyway? Why do we have Christmas trees and lights? If we’re celebrating Jesus’ birth, why do we all receive gifts? Why do we bake yummy goodies during the season?”
There are a variety of traditions we have all grown up with—but do you know why we do them? With Christmas upon us, I did some digging to understand the true reason for the traditions of the season, and here’s what I found…
- WHAT’S UP WITH SANTA CLAUS? A jolly man wearing a red suit that flies in the sky with a sled pulled by reindeer donning gifts for children around the world in one night… How did we even get here? Santa Claus actually originates from St. Nicholas, who lived in the third and fourth centuries. St. Nicholas was a bishop who was anything but fat and jolly. He was known for staunchly defending the faith in the midst of persecution. He is the patron of many people—bakers, brides, grooms, children, Greece, sailors, and travelers—which helped him rise to fame. But the story he is most known for is intervening when a family forced three girls into prostitution to help their financial situation. Bishop Nicholas heard of this and, as the legend goes, he secretly delivered three bags of gold to their father so they would no longer have to “work.” People around the world celebrated St. Nick’s feast day on December 6 with St. Nick being the gift-giver, but slowly this tradition has been moved to December 25 to celebrate Christ’s birth. Because of the secret gift-giving he did, St. Nicholas has spun into who we now know as Santa Claus. (You can read more about the history here).
- THE SEASON OF GIVING: Which leads me to my second point: It’s Jesus’ birthday, so why do we receive the gifts? If you recall in the story of the Nativity, the three magi brought Jesus gold, frankincense, and myrrh as offerings of worship to the new King. Our tradition of exchanging gifts more than likely started from this occasion. But we can also remember that through the Nativity, we received the greatest gift of all in Jesus! So in giving gifts to others, we can remind them of God’s Love for them!
- O CHRISTMAS TREE, O CHRISTMAS TREE: And what about the cherished tree the gifts are housed under? Honestly, I found a few mixed reviews on the exact origins, but everything pointed back to the early Germans as the first ones to bring trees into their homes. The evergreen tree had long been a symbol of hope for the good weather that returns after winter. Similarly, Christians viewed evergreens as a symbolic reminder of the hope in the eternal life Jesus brought us on the first Christmas. St. Boniface can be credited for making the evergreen tree a symbol for Christmas. Legend has it that the Germans were originally using oak trees as pagan worship. St. Boniface cut down an oak tree and pointed them to the evergreen that represented eternal life and peace—thus leading them to gather around evergreens to commemorate the Nativity of Our Lord, which carries on to this day.
- LIGHT IT UP! Decorating the tree with lights has been happening ever since the fifteenth century. You may notice more candles are used around Christmas time than any other time of year—this originates from Christ being the light in the midst of the cold, dark winters. While it’s uncertain who exactly began placing candles on the tree as decorations, it began in the Christian world as that reminder. Since you can imagine the fire hazard candles created on a tree, a friend of Thomas Edison invented the string of Christmas lights in the 1800s that we still use today. (Read more about it in this article.)
- ALL THE BAKED GOODIES: Lastly, your fondest memories could be walking into a kitchen to smell the most delicious baked goods and food cooking. Celebrating feasts with banquets has been common since the beginning of time—it is all over Scripture. The delightful smells and savory tastes can remind us even more of the glory of Christmas at hand!
These are just a few of the numerous traditions many families take part in around Christmas. As you celebrate with your own family traditions this holiday season, I encourage you to look into the origin of those traditions. However you choose to celebrate this beautiful season, I pray you can be surrounded by Truth, Beauty, and Goodness that points to the ultimate Gift—receiving Jesus Christ in your heart! Merry Christmas, my friends! Christ has come!!
All my love,
