Christmas Traditions: the Good and the Bad

Not all Christmas traditions are good. Growing up, I had a tradition of sneaking a look at my presents before Christmas morning. One Christmas, I went so far as unwrapping my presents and then trying to rewrap them before my parents found out. The results: several days grounded, frustrated parents, and a Christmas morning completely void of surprise. Not all Christmas traditions are good.

The same is true in our worship life. Not all of our traditions are good. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and do the same old thing simply because we always do the same old thing. We forget the meaning and significance that started the tradition in the first place.

Christmas is actually a great time to enjoy good traditions and avoid the bad. Jesus shows up as the fullness of God’s revelation and serves as a sort of measuring stick for traditions. We can hold our traditions up next to Jesus and see which traditions focus us on God and which ones distract us from God.

As you continue through the holiday season, let go of bad traditions. Hold on to the good. Ask the Lord the show you which traditions are helpful and which are not. Study the arrival of the Lord in the scriptures and ask, “How do my Christmas traditions bring my attention to that?” As you do, you will find that the wonderful traditions of Christmas bless your life with Christ. You will also find a renewed focus on the reason for the traditions in the first place.