Thoughts on holiday traditions…

It’s the time of year again when children of all ages eagerly anticipate the arrival of a jolly ol’ elf sporting a red suit, long white beard and a bag full of toys for all the good little girls and boys! Kids will be going to bed on December 24th unable to sleep, listening for the sounds of hooves and bells on the roof. 

I remember those days myself. Exciting times! I could actually HEAR the hoofbeats on the roof. I remember sneaking to the window as a child, staring out across a snow covered yard lit by a solitary streetlight, searching for any evidence I might see of ol’ St Nick and his team of gravity-defying reindeer. 

In the days leading up to Christmas all my dreams and beliefs were continuously reinforced by stories from family, carols sung by wandering groups in the street, Christmas music on the radio and preparations for our own Christmas musical performances at elementary school. As children we were continuously bombarded by Christmas tales and music, and stories of ghosts of Christmas convicting and saving a materialistic old mizer from his selfish self.

Alas, with anything man-made, the opposite is usually true. Christmas is now all about commercialism, the desire for the latest and greatest gadgets and gifts, none of which will be remembered the following years. The holidays, (Easter included) are more about what can be attained than what HAS been attained.

What if we raised our kids with the true traditions for the holidays? What if we taught them to believe in the GREATEST of gift-givers, instead of someone we generally outgrow. If we spent as much time pumping children full of Christ’s Mass instead of just Christmas, what would the world look like today?

All of the very things He railed against: money-grubbing, materialism, personal recognition, wealth and status attainment, are the very things many (I would argue most) use Christmas FOR today! There are plenty who speak of “remembering the reason for the season,” while still contributing to the decay of the day. 

I miss the innocent days of childhood. I miss listening for hofbeats and bells. I miss stories of ghosts saving people from themselves. But we have something so much more valuable that we should be teaching and keeping ALL OUR LIVES. We have the greatest gifts given by a true Saviour. We have the Holy Ghost longing to save people from themselves. Why do we not teach this? Even non-believers teach the stories of Santa and the Easter Bunny. That should be a true warning, to those professing Christianity, of the deterioration of this antiquated system of celebration. 

Let us not forget that Christmas and Easter are MANMADE. They are doomed to corruption and failure. Instead, teach DAILY the TRUTH of God and Christ. Build family traditions around those truths. Go ahead and celebrate the holidays. But spend 100% of the time all year long teaching the stories of truth that are even GREATER than the stories of man. Teach about Moses and Pharoah. Teach about the flood. Teach about Noah and the ark. Teach about Father Abraham. Teach about David and Goliath. Teach about Samson and Delilah. Teach ALL THE STORIES OF REDEMPTION. And, of course, teach the greatest truth of all: CHRIST. Build your traditions around these things.