Holiday: Christmas- December 24th though January 12th (Christmas Eve through the feast of Jesus' baptism)
Celebration: The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him…including the fact that he was born to die for us.
Historical background:
For an in depth look at the history of Christmas, please see this article. I will paste the parts that I thought were most notable below.
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=643
It is necessary, furthermore, before offering suggestions for the celebration of Christmas in our cities and homes, to note some of the historical developments of a truly Christian conception of the holiday season. A readily available source of information for families concerning the history of Christmas and its tradition is to be found in The Christmas Bookby Francis X. Weiser, S.J. There is no historical record nor even a well-founded tradition which gives the date of the birth of Christ. The date of December 25 was established about the year 320, and the Popes seem to have chosen the twenty-fifth day of December principally to divert the attention of the people from the celebration of a pagan feast of the Mithras cult which was called the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun" (Natalis Solis Invicti). This does not in any manner indicate that Christmas is merely a "christianized" pagan feast, for Christians of that time realized with St. John Chrysostom: "The pagans call December 25 the Birthday of the Unconquered. Who is indeed so unconquered as Our Lord? . . . or, if they say that it is the birthday of the Sun, He is the Sun of Justice."
Throughout the Middle Ages, Christmas came to be celebrated more and more. Especially during the period from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries all the arts and crafts of the Christian nations were made serviceable to the festivities associated with the Nativity of the Saviour. Plays and songs, carols and dances, spices and flowers, images and statues — all creation was made to serve the celebration of the feast. The foundation of all these customs and traditions was always Holy Mass — the Christ-Mass — the Divine Office and the sacramentals. In many countries of Europe a sharp change in the Christmas solemnities came with the Reformation during the sixteenth century. The spiritual and scriptural foundation of the liturgy, including the Mass itself, was ridiculed and forbidden. The Calvinists and Puritans in particular condemned all religious celebration of the feast, and when the "new" method of celebrating Christmas was revived it tended to become only a more or less pagan feast of good-natured and humanitarian reveling. The attempt was particularly successful in England, and post-Reformation English attitudes concerning Christmas have affected most of our own notions concerning the celebration of the holidays.
When the Puritans came to political power in England, they immediately proceeded to outlaw Christmas. It was their contention that no feast of human institution should ever outrank the Sabbath (Sunday). Since Christmas was the most important of the non-Sunday festivals, it was abolished altogether. The first ordinances issued forbidding church services and civic festivities on Christmas came in 1642, finally, on June 3, 1647, Parliament enacted a ruling that the feast should no longer be observed under pain of punishment. Riots and strife broke out among the people, but the government stood firm and even broke up celebrations by force of arms, though the punishments were not too severely inflicted. With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the observance of the "old" Christmas returned with a "new" attitude. The religious observance of Christmas was almost entirely replaced by amusement and reveling over plum pudding, goose, capon, minced pie and roast beef, with decorations of mistletoe, holly and ivy, and the yule log. Two of the best exemplifications of this "new Christmas without Christ" are to be found in the Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens, and the Sketch Book of Washington Irving. We must admit that our present-day celebration of Christmas is greatly affected by these works. The only thing that may be said in favor of these well-written books is that they do contain interesting stories upholding a spirit of good will to men and of generosity to the poor. Christ the Saviour and the King of Kings is indeed very remote in the background.
The unfortunate zeal of the Puritans has certainly influenced the American celebration of Christmas. It is very difficult in our day to realize that Christmas was outlawed in New England until the second half of the last century. As late as 1870, classes were held in the public schools of Boston on Christmas day, and any truant pupil was gravely punished or even publicly dismissed from school. Through the influx of German, Irish and French immigrants, together with the multiple immigrations from all the European nations, Christmas has been more fully restored within the last seventy years in this country. Two currents are now manifest: the pagan, good-natured humanitarian sort of celebration represented upon Christmas cards by sleigh bells, Santa Claus, peppermint sticks and the like; and the Christian spiritual and traditional customs originating from medieval Christian Europe. In view of the objective principles found in the liturgy of Holy Mass, the Divine Office and the sacramentals, we shall try to outline certain ancient and modern customs which are truly Christian in foundation and based upon Christian Doctrine and practice.
Biblical basis:
Luke 2:1-20
The Birth of Jesus Christ
2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Birth of Jesus Christ
2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 Andthis will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Ways to Celebrate:
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 Andthis will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**So many crafts! If you type in "religious Christmas crafts" on Pinterest, you will get lots of great ideas! Here are some of my favorites!!
-Fun family ideas:
**So many crafts! If you type in "religious Christmas crafts" on Pinterest, you will get lots of great ideas! Here are some of my favorites!!
-Fun family ideas:
**Don't light the Christmas tree or put a star on top until Christmas eve! Such practices increase the sense of expectation, especially among young children, and make Christmas Day all the more joyful. The fir tree is an evergreen--it does not die or fade away or lose its needles in the winter. In this sense it has soon come to represent the immortality of the resurrected Christ. The lights in the Christmas tree also have a deeper meaning. Originally the lights used were candles, of course. The candles too were meant to symbolize Christ, specifically his self-giving love and gift of life to us. As many of us know, the candle provides light and warmth as it consumes its own substance, the wax. So, too, did Jesus give of his own substance--his life--so that we might find divine light. And when we have found divine light for ourselves, we too are enabled through the power of the Holy Spirit to give of ourselves to others. After all, Christmas is the feast of love, where we share gifts with each other as Christ shared the gift of life with us.
**The empty manger: Each child may have his own individual manger, or there may be one manger for the whole family. The idea is that when acts of service, sacrifice, or kindness are done in honor of Baby Jesus as a birthday present, the child receives a piece of straw to put into the manger. Then, on Christmas morning, “Baby Jesus” is placed in the manger. Encourage your children to make Jesus’ bed as “comfortable” as possible through their good deeds. In the process, explain Christ’s incomparable self-gift at Christmas and Easter that enables us to be part of God’s family.
**Celebrate the 12 days of Christmas as the time from Christmas to the Epiphany of our Lord! This can be done in a variety of ways. Families could create a Christmas calendar, similar to an Advent calendar, full of special ways to remember and honor the season. This year, I made "Aaron on a shelf," similar to "Elf on a shelf," and hid him somewhere with a special surprise for the 12 days of Christmas.
**The 12 days of love and searching game! I came up with this idea after reading through some other people's ideas and suggestions regarding Christmas. The board should consist of 12 squares that the wise men must travel through to get to the manger. Each day should have a different act of love that we can do for others to help bring us closer to Jesus in our personal lives. Just as the wise men are getting closer to Jesus, so too are we by the way we are focusing on bringing His love into our lives. Once the family completes the act of love, then they can choose something fun to do together as a family. These ideas can be put on handmade ornaments during the season of advent and put on a special tree. Kind of modeled this idea after the idea this woman had http://www.iheartnaptime.net/25-days-of-service/.
-Religious traditions:
**Attend mass together on Christmas Eve to properly kick off the season
**The 12 days of love and searching game! I came up with this idea after reading through some other people's ideas and suggestions regarding Christmas. The board should consist of 12 squares that the wise men must travel through to get to the manger. Each day should have a different act of love that we can do for others to help bring us closer to Jesus in our personal lives. Just as the wise men are getting closer to Jesus, so too are we by the way we are focusing on bringing His love into our lives. Once the family completes the act of love, then they can choose something fun to do together as a family. These ideas can be put on handmade ornaments during the season of advent and put on a special tree. Kind of modeled this idea after the idea this woman had http://www.iheartnaptime.net/25-days-of-service/.
-Religious traditions:
**Attend mass together on Christmas Eve to properly kick off the season
**Use this online guide to continue the season and the celebrating...
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-resources/christmas/
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-resources/christmas/
**Consider purchasing a little blue book (see link below). This helps you have a daily focus on the season and really gets your heart in the right spirit, and it continues throughout the entire season of Christmas! http://littlebooks.us/
**Celebrate Epiphany! On the Feast day of the Epiphany, January 6, the Church celebrates the event where the Magi, also called the Three Wise Men or Three Kings, traveled from the East to pay homage to the newborn King, Jesus Christ. Host a party and hide a figurine of a baby inside a cake for dessert representing the Kings' search for the baby Jesus. The person who finds the baby in their piece is announced the "king" for the evening and gets three wishes granted. See my original post on Epiphany http://greatandholyadventure.blogspot.com/2013_02_01_archive.html which will be updated after celebrating this year.
How We Celebrated:
Aaron and I went to be with my family for Christmas this year. We got there on Monday and stayed until Friday. It was a crazy few days, but so much fun! We went to dinner on Christmas Eve to usher in the holiday as a family and attended the beautiful Midnight Mass at St. Joseph's (where we got married!). On Christmas morning, we all made a delicious breakfast and spent the whole day with family and friends at my parents house and my grandparents house. In the evening, we ventured back to my parents house and the kids got to open their gifts and we all exchanged our secret santa presents. It was a very fun day, but I do hope that Aaron and I can establish more traditions that bring about the emphasis of Christ's birth. In the 12 days following Christmas, Aaron and I continued to read from our little blue book and I made "Aaron on a shelf" similar to "Elf on a shelf" to leave a surprise for Aaron for each day of the 12 days of Christmas. We kicked off our Epiphany celebration today and will continue it tomorrow (more to come on that). I am excited to try and incorporate some of the traditions I thought more about as I wrote above in years to come. The best part was that we were together celebrating this beautiful season.
Aaron and I went to be with my family for Christmas this year. We got there on Monday and stayed until Friday. It was a crazy few days, but so much fun! We went to dinner on Christmas Eve to usher in the holiday as a family and attended the beautiful Midnight Mass at St. Joseph's (where we got married!). On Christmas morning, we all made a delicious breakfast and spent the whole day with family and friends at my parents house and my grandparents house. In the evening, we ventured back to my parents house and the kids got to open their gifts and we all exchanged our secret santa presents. It was a very fun day, but I do hope that Aaron and I can establish more traditions that bring about the emphasis of Christ's birth. In the 12 days following Christmas, Aaron and I continued to read from our little blue book and I made "Aaron on a shelf" similar to "Elf on a shelf" to leave a surprise for Aaron for each day of the 12 days of Christmas. We kicked off our Epiphany celebration today and will continue it tomorrow (more to come on that). I am excited to try and incorporate some of the traditions I thought more about as I wrote above in years to come. The best part was that we were together celebrating this beautiful season.
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| Christmas Eve dinner before Midnight Mass |
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| Making bagels for breakfast Christmas morning |
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| The egg man |
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| Sooooooooo delicious |
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| Suzy in charge of the cheese |
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| Sweet Hope and Michael (and Piper on the way) |
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| It's Christmas |
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| We went to see White Christmas at the Music Hall the day after Christmas |
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| Aaron on a shelf really helped me get into the spirit of the 12 days of Christmas- sneaky elf Aaron was hiding somewhere each day to present Aaron with different festive coupons |
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