The Tradition Of Christmas
Lights shine through the darkness like stars, leading up a tree that once was believed to be sacred because it could live through the winter, to one larger star at the top. A family that usually watches TV every night now sits around this tree, in a room they rarely go into, reminiscing while flipping through old pictures. The radio sings Christmas songs and even though we can’t stand the cheesy monologs from the radio host Delilah, we listen and make fun of her… every year. The world doesn’t reach past our living room tonight. This is what we do, there is nothing to question, yet this year I find myself picking this tranquility apart.
Where did these traditions come from, what do they symbolize, and why do I find myself so attached to them? Do traditions become such because they have meaning or do we assign the meaning to them?
Tradition: the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation
I have found various stories about the origins of the holiday traditions we follow. The most commonly accepted documentation puts the birth of the Christmas tree in Germany around the 15th century. People would put apples on trees to represent the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden and wafers to represent the body of Christ. Later candles were used to decorate trees to represent the spirit of Christ. The type of evergreen used was selected because of its shape; the triangle was viewed as a representation of the trinity. An evergreen, being a tree that can live through the winter, also represented life. One can see the connection between the selection of this tree and the meaning of the holiday.
I think the simple answer to why the traditions of Christmas are so important to ME is that they all involve the gathering of family. To dig deeper, I think it involves the desire to make my parents happy. As the holiday approaches the excitement from them can fill a room. They want to see us hang ornaments on the tree, stockings from the fireplace, and wake up with an eagerness to see what’s under the tree. It could be because their families instilled the importance of carrying on these traditions, but I think it has more to do with our family staying the same; A way to freeze time in a world that spins too fast too often. The dynamic of our family has changed over the years. Family vacations now involve planning around four people’s schedules instead of two. Doing the things that came natural when we were younger now involve a great deal of planning and sacrifice, however, we all know that when Christmas comes we will be together and happy.
As the years go on and we start our own families we will most likely not be able to spend every holiday together. The desire to make my parents happy will be replaced by the desire to make my children happy. The tradition of being together, no matter how it is executed, will be carried on.
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