If there’s one word I would associate with Christmas, it is “tradition.”
Maybe it’s because the three oldest kids and I recently attended a high school production of Fiddler on the Roof that this word is stuck in my brain. Around the house these days, we have all been echoing lead character Tevye’s heartfelt cry of “Tradition!” The repetition got me thinking about the traditions surrounding Christmas that we hold so dear.
So much about this special season has to do with tradition, and kids usually won’t let mom and dad forget a single one. In our house, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the annual peanut butter balls, biscotti, bringing up the Christmas books out of the basement (slowly, a few every Sunday of Advent), or sharing a box of chocolates as we decorate the Christmas tree. And, if I ever dreamed of not making monkey bread for Christmas morning breakfast, I would probably be disowned.
The liturgical feast of Christmas, offered by the Church, is itself the greatest tradition. On the first Sunday of Advent this year, my nine-year-old asked when the first Christmas Mass was celebrated. No one knew the answer, so we looked it up.
A quick Google search told us that the first Christmas Mass was celebrated in Rome on Dec. 25 in 336. (This was one year before the death of Emperor Constantine, who was the first Roman ruler to support Christians and eventually converted to Christianity on his deathbed.)
Prior to that, it seems the emphasis was not on Jesus’ birth, but on his baptism, because that was the start of his public ministry.
When it was decided to celebrate the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, Dec. 25 was chosen as his birthday, not because it was historically accurate, but because the Feast of the Annunciation, when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, was already celebrated nine months previous on March 25. Late December was also a popular time for many pagan festivals centred on the winter solstice and was adapted by Christians to focus on, not just the coming of the sun, but the coming of God’s Son.
Traditions ground us. Traditions remind us who we are and why we are. Traditions equal love.
Why do we celebrate Christmas every year? To remind us that our God loves us so much, he sent his only son to live with us, walk with us, teach us, die for us and, by his resurrection, open up the gates of heaven for us. The Christmas traditions each family hold dear should be an expression of love back to Jesus.
If you go to Christmas Eve Mass, you will likely hear the Gospel of Matthew, 1:1-25, which is all about tradition. It’s the recounting of the lineage of Christ, through his foster father St. Joseph. This family line can be traced all the way back to Abraham, the first patriarch of the Jewish people. St. Joseph’s family tree highlights many of the key figures of the Old Testament: Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Ruth, Jesse, David, Solomon, all the way to St. Joseph, “the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.”
What is the point of this seemingly monotonous list of names? The point is that because it’s Jesus’ heritage, it’s also our heritage, by virtue of our baptism, when we became adopted daughters and sons of God.
Each of those names listed by St. Matthew has a great story of faith and covenant promise attached to it. Abraham was eager to do God’s will, even if it meant sacrificing his own son, Isaac. Ruth was a pillar of strength and loyalty when faced with adversity, clinging to the Jewish faith of her mother-in-law. David was a strong, faith-filled king who led the people of God justly and wisely but could not lead them to salvation. Each of these real characters brought the world a step closer to the Messiah, whom God promised from the beginning would redeem his people for all time.
Their stories are our stories and part of our traditions. What better way to celebrate our Lord than with a Christ-Mass – a tradition 2,000 years old that feeds our bodies and souls with eternal life.
Like so many other traditions, our religious customs mirror our family customs. On Christmas, many families go to Mass together, gathered around the table of the altar to hear the word, our shared story, and then feast on the Eucharist, completely nourished by his body and blood – the ultimate expression of love. Then, most families go home and gather around each other, young and old, telling stories and sharing traditions from the past, culminating in a feast of special, meaningful foods that have been created with love and gratitude.
Traditions are wonderful things. Embrace them. If you don’t have any, create them. Start with the Church, especially the Mass. Pick up the Bible, read your story, share it with your family and see the long line of traditions already begun. Make your traditions meaningful for your family and your faith. Make them expressions of love.
And if you don’t have a Christmas breakfast tradition and would like to start one, go to barbarabakes.com and search for “overnight monkey bread” to get the recipe our family uses each year. Fair warning – you’ll be making it for many Christmases to come.
Lazzuri writes from her home in Nova Scotia, where she lives with her husband, six children and her mom. She can be reached at clarelazzuri@gmail.com.
