Almost two weeks ago while driving through our neighborhood in the evening, I saw something in a front window of a house we were passing that caused a second look. A Christmas tree already set up – and it was just past the middle of November! The next evening my eyes were immediately drawn to 2 other houses that had their Christmas lights up. Again the following evening, a few more houses were lit up and so on and so on. The Christmas season had begun (well at least in our neck of the woods).

These early birds obviously love this time of year and enjoy extending it out as long as possible. On the other hand, there are also those who find the season stressful and only start to think about Christmas a week before the 25th and then everything is over the day after boxing day.

Christmas can mean different things to different people. For some it’s about snow, pretty lights, decorated christmas trees, gifts, or fun with family and friends. As Christians however, we should never lose sight of the importance and impact of God sending his own son down to earth for us, and then to also die for us so that we would have the privilege to know him, be taught by him, be changed by him, and be loved by him. We should be celebrating Jesus and keeping our thoughts turned towards him and acting out of a heart full of love and thankfulness towards others.

There are many reminders during the Christmas season that help direct our thoughts in the right direction. Our family has a nativity scene in our home that we keep up year round but at Christmas, it gets center stage. There are also many other traditional symbols that most people think are secular but actually have roots in the Christian faith. The Christmas Tree, Stockings and Candy Canes are examples and the traditional legends surrounding them all point to Jesus. They are wonderful stories to tell your children at Christmas time and every time you look at one of them, you can also be reminded of God’s love for you. Do you know the stories? Not to worry, we have them handy here for you and encourage you to print them off or forward them to your friends. How much brighter and happier our Christmas will be this year as our thoughts are focused on Jesus.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

CHRISTIAN PARENTING DAILY

(Recommended book – ages 4 to 8)

THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE started over a thousand years ago when a Monk named Boniface used a small evergreen tree to teach people about God. First God is the creator, he created the tree. Next God is eternal like an evergreen tree is ever green. Also God is three in one, like the one tree forms a triangle and has three points. Soon after that, churches were bringing trees inside to help them teach like Boniface did.

Next during the middle ages, the church celebrated Adam and Eve day on December 24th. They would bring in and decorate evergreen trees with apples and twists of bread and use them to teach about the trees in the Garden of Eden and original sin.

Many centuries later, while walking home one winter night, Martin Luther saw icicles hanging off an evergreen tree and reflecting light. It reminded him that Jesus was the light of the world. So at Christmas time, he put up a tree in his home and put candles on it to represent Jesus.

Soon after that, people in Europe began putting up and decorating beautiful Christmas trees much like we do today to celebrate the wonder of Jesus coming to the earth to rescue us from our sins.

Boniface used the trees to teach about who God is and that he is our creator. The Adam and Eve tree taught about man’s fall in the Garden. Martin Luther went on to use lights to help the tree represent Jesus, the light of the world and complete the story. Then others added more decorations in celebration of all Jesus is and did. The tree is a reminder of God, creation, the fall, Jesus and the celebration of our salvation!

(Recommended book – ages 4 to 8)

THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS STOCKING began in present-day Turkey about 300 hundred years after Jesus was born. The exact details of the story have been lost, but legend tells us that Nicholas anonymously gave three bags of gold to a man whose daughters could not get married because he had no dowry. The last bag of gold reportedly landed in the youngest daughter’s stocking. Thus the tradition of putting gifts in stockings began.

Nicholas served God his entire life. His many generous deeds demonstrated God’s love and inspired people everywhere to give unselfishly.

Slowly over a period of time his name and appearance changed. In England, Saint Nicholas became Father Christmas. Today we call him Santa Claus, which came from the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas. In the early 1800s, the placing of gifts in stockings was moved from Saint Nicholas Eve, December 6, and became part of our Christmas celebration.

Behind the legends that the real Saint Nicholas inspired was the true meaning of Christmas: God gave us his only Son because he loves us. God wants us to show his love by giving to others and caring for them.

(Recommended book – ages 4 to 8)
THE LEGEND OF THE CANDY CANE was born over 350 years ago when mothers used white sugar sticks as pacifiers for their babies. Around 1670, the choirmaster of Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, bent the sticks into canes to represent a shepherd’s staff. He then used these white candy canes to keep the attention of small children during the long Nativity service.

The use of candy canes during the Christmas service spread throughout Europe. In northern Europe, sugar canes decorated with sugar roses were used to brighten the home at Christmas time.

In the mid 1800s, the candy cane arrived in the United States when a German-Swedish immigrant in Wooster, Ohio, decorated his spruce tree with paper ornaments and white sugar canes.

The red stripe was added to the candy cane at the turn of the century, when peppermint and wintergreen were added and became the traditional flavors for the candy cane. Some sources say that a candy maker in Indiana developed the candy cane as a witness of Christ’s love. While we may never know the full history of the candy cane, we can share in the truth behind its symbol, the truth of Christ’s birth and redemption, and the gift of his love.