Christmas Traditions
How do you focus on Christ, the real gift of Christmas? The stories and traditions here provide ideas that could make Christmas more meaningful for you and your loved ones.
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Ashley; ColoradoMy family could never afford fancy Christmas gifts. I never had the latest toys or most fashionable clothes. As a young child, this sometimes felt like a hardship to me, but now I see that it was the absence of fancy material possessions that allowed my family to grow strong bonds together. We soon began our Christmas tradition, "Homemade Christmas." I never got anything shiny or expensive. I always got something meaningful and made with love. My mother spent hours and hours sewing me a new skirt. Two of my sisters spent a long afternoon together beading jewelry for me. My other sister sewed me a pillow, and my nine-year-old brother used all the pieces in his leather kit to make something special for everyone. They all gave up time and effort to make something special for me. We didn't think about ourselves at all. I never regretted not having money for Christmas, because I learned one of life's most important lessons; family is everything.
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Sarah; IdahoThis might be your traditional "Sub-for-Santa" story, but for me it was a special moment when I really felt Christ's influence in the Christmas giving. Our high school physics class decided we would pick a family in our community that was in need for gifts that Christmas. This family had several small children under the age of six with a full-time working mom; all smashed into a humble home with four bedrooms. I was assigned the four-year-old daughter. All she asked for Christmas was a pair of pink mittens. Our physics class hand-delivered the gifts to the family dressed as elves, but then decided to leave the gifts on the doorstep and hide so that it was anonymous. When the little children found the gifts on the doorstep, they ran to get their mother. The mom knelt on the front stairs and wept aloud, then thanked her Heavenly Father openly for sending angels to watch over her children when she had told them there would be no Christmas that year.
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Megan; ConnecticutTwo experiences come to mind that show the focus of Christ in the Christmas season. Growing up, every year my family and I had this book of Christmas stories my mom compiled that we would read together every night. There was a story for every day of December, up until Christmas day. I really enjoyed it because all of the stories were inspirational and focused a lot on giving and Christ-like attributes. It brought us together as a family, too. Also, when I lived in Japan with my family one Christmas, we decided to go pass out rice balls to the homeless. They appreciated it so much and it made me feel good inside knowing I reached out to feed the hungry like Christ would at a time of year that should be bright and full of hope. Remembering Christ in the Christmas season makes the holidays so much more meaningful.
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Jeff; UtahOn a Christmas Eve, we sit down as a family and read Luke 2 and act out the Nativity with the younger kids. Basically, we spend a lot of time with family talking about Christ's birth and what His life means.
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Kenzi; UtahChrist is no respecter of persons and loves the servant as much as the master; the inmate as much as the guard; and the lamb as much as the lion. I have a friend whose family tradition is to bring gifts and visit the inmates in prison. This takes a lot of preparation. For, the prison has a lot of regulations on what can and cannot be in the inmates' possession. She cries as she sees several stereotypical inmates touched to tears that someone remembered them. We need to be the angels that give tangible love to those around us. How many more people can we touch this season without criticism or judgment just as the Savior did in His mortal body and does everyday through His light and Spirit?
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Chris; IndianaWe do the twelve days of Christmas where we choose either one family or twelve different families and make baskets of homemade treats, which we deliver anonymously.
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Rachel; IllinoisI remember one year, back in high school, I heard a friend of mine from school mention that she probably wasn't going to expect any presents that year. Her family was really struggling and her mother was really struggling to raise three kids and make ends meet by herself. I mentioned what I had heard to my mother and we decided to do something for this family. My family went out and picked out some presents for my friend, her mom, sister, and brother, wrapped them, and left them on her doorstep on Christmas Eve. It really wasn't a lot, or anything big, but after I got back from Christmas break and saw my friend at school, that was the first thing she told me about her break. She had no idea who it was that did it and never suspected that it was my family. That was one of the best things about it – we were able to give service to this family without caring about any reward or recognition – just the blessing of seeing someone's day made a little better.
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Alex; MinnesotaThe spirit of Christ has played a big role in my family's Christmas traditions. I still remember as a young boy reading of Christ's birth on Christmas Eve. My immediate family sat by the tree with Christmas spirit and we'd talk about the reason we celebrate Christmas. As small of a tradition that was, it has stuck with me and makes me remember Christ during these holiday seasons.
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Shandi; VirginiaSomething that my family does every year is take a non-member family up to the Washington DC temple to see the lights, live Nativity, and all the little Nativities they have set up from around the world. After we see all the Nativities, we walk around the temple and then grab milkshakes on our way home.
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Courtney; UtahFor a couple of years my family has done a "Sub for Santa" where we brought Christmas presents for families who otherwise wouldn't have much of anything. My dad asked each of us to find something of our own to give to one of the children, and that was probably the most meaningful thing to me – giving something that I really loved to see the smile on a child's face. I realized that Christmas isn't about getting presents; it's about giving, just as the Savior gave everything he had for us.
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Jessi; EnglandEvery year at midnight on Christmas Eve, my family and I would read the Christmas story from the scriptures. When we were younger, the kids would act out the Nativity story. This reminds me every year at the start of Christmas that this holiday celebrates the birth of Christ. On Christmas day itself, we also read the Easter story and we think about the life of Christ, His atonement, and why it was so necessary for him to come. Bring back Christ on Christmas!
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Amie; UtahLast Christmas I had a friend who was getting ready to serve a mission. We had started a tradition in our family where we collected coins for a year to give someone in need at Christmas time. My friend preparing for his mission had always wanted to pay for it all himself, so we decided to give our coin jar to him. It may not have been tons of money, but I felt like it helped and it felt so good to serve the people I care about. It was a great Christmas experience!
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Jeff; MissouriStarting from when our girls were young, we would invite families with children over to our home for Christmas Eve. We celebrated with treats and small gifts, but the primary focus was to re-enact the Nativity. We would have the children dress for their respective roles, as an adult (or one of the older children) would read the scriptural story of Christ's birth. We have been doing this tradition for 15+ years now and, though our children are older (13, 16, 19, 21), we continue by inviting families with younger children to help us carry on the tradition.
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Tannon; UtahTwo traditions my family has always done. 1) Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus Christ on Christmas morning; 2) Read The Little Drummer Boy on Christmas Eve. The greatest way I think you can put Christ back in Christmas is to do as He did and serve. If we emulate the Savior's life, we will remember Him more.
