Keeping Christ in Christmas

Keeping Christ in Christmas – Poinsettia

A native Mexican plant, the poinsettia, was named after Joel R. Poinsett, U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who brought the plant to America in 1828. Poinsettias were likely used by Mexican Franciscans in their 17th century Christmas celebrations. One legend has it that a young Mexican boy, on his way to visit the village Nativity scene, realized he had no gift for the Christ child. He gathered pretty green branches from along the road and brought them to the church. Though the other children mocked him, when the leaves were laid at the manger, a beautiful star-shaped, red flower appeared on each branch.

The bright red petals, often mistaken for flowers, are actually the upper leaves of the plant that transform from green to red as the days get shorter. The plants need darkness from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. starting Oct. 1 and continuing until color shows around early to mid-December. They turn red just in time for the Christmas season as even nature celebrates the birth of Christ!!

So how do we transform this to make it a reminder of the birth of Jesus Christ?

When you look at your poinsettia, think about Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Let the poinsettia’s transformation of green leaves to scarlet remind you of our transformation from sinner to child of God because of the coming of the Christ Child. Let the red color remind you of His blood He shed for us.

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Keeping Christ in Christmas – Christmas Tree

In 16th-century Germany, fir trees were decorated, both indoors and out, with apples, roses, gilded candies, and colored paper. In a popular religious play in the Middle Ages about Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden, a fir tree was decorated with apples and used to symbolize the Garden of Eden, the Paradise Tree. The play ended with the prophecy of a Savior coming, and so was often performed during the Advent season.

It is held that Protestant reformer Martin Luther first adorned trees with lights. One December evening, the beauty of the stars shining through the branches of a fir tree inspired him to recreate the effect by placing candles on the branches of a small fir tree inside his home.

The Christmas Tree was brought to England by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert from his native Germany. The famous Illustrated News etching in 1848, featuring the Royal Family gathered around a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle, popularized the tree throughout Victorian England. The Christmas tree was brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans and became popular by the late 19th century.

So how do we transform this to make it a reminder of the birth of Jesus Christ?

When putting up your tree, remember the Tree in the Garden of Eden and the sin that took place there. This brought about the need for a Savior to be born. The fact that the fir tree is an evergreen can remind us of our Savior’s everlasting love for us.

When you decorate the tree with lights, think about John 9:5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” But also think about our role after we have been saved: Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden”.

When you look at your decorated tree, remember God did His best work on a tree when He gave His Son to die on a Cross for all of us!

A great children’s book to read is The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt.

To help relate the tree to Christ, sing these verses to “O Christmas Tree”

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Your lights do shine so brightly

Reminding us that the Light of the World

Jesus Christ was born to be.

We were all lost in our sins

Until the Father entered in

And sent to us His only Son

So with Him we’d be as one.

O Jesus Christ, O Jesus Christ

It’s for you we have Christmas.

O Jesus Christ, O Jesus Christ

We’re thankful you were sent to us.

We were all lost in our sins

Until the Father entered in

And sent to us His only Son

So with Him we’d be as one.

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Keeping Christ in Christmas – Holly

In Northern Europe, it was believed that ghosts and demons could be heard howling in the winter winds. Boughs of holly were thought to have magical powers since they remained green through the harsh winter; they were often placed over the doors of homes to drive evil away. Greenery was also brought indoors to freshen the air and brighten the mood during the long, dreary winter.


So how do we transform this to make it a reminder of the birth of Jesus Christ?

When you see the holly, be reminded that Jesus is the one that drives away the Enemy.
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because
He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

When you feel the pain of touching the pointed leaves of the holly which were said to represent the crown of thorns Christ wore while on the cross, remember the humiliation and persecution Christ endured as He wore it, in order to give us the right to boldly come to the most holy God.

When you see the red berries which are said to symbolize the blood that Christ shed, remember
Romans 3:25 (NLT) For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to
satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that
Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us…
It was the blood of Jesus that defeated the Enemy then and now, and has secured our forgiveness of sin.

Take advantage of every opportunity to relate Christ to the traditions of Christmas!
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Keeping Christ in Christmas – Christmas Stockings

Remember – we are trying to use the tangible, traditional symbols of Christmas to teach our children the intangible, true meaning of the season. As you hang your stockings, relate this story. You can read about this in the book by Harold Myra called Santa, Are You For Real? Click on the name to see this available at Amazon.com.

The tradition of hanging Christmas stockings began with a story in ancient days about a kind man who had three daughters. In those days a dowry or money had to be given before a girl could marry. When these girls fell in love and wanted to marry, the poor father could not afford their dowries.

A teenage boy named Nickolas (who later the Church made Saint Nickolas) heard about the plight of the daughters. Because he loved Jesus so much, he wanted to give as Jesus did; one night Nick secretly put a bag of gold in each of the daughters’ stockings that were hung out to dry. The next morning the family found the gold bags and the daughters were married and lived happily ever after. Since then, children have been hanging Christmas stockings.


So how do we transform this to make it a reminder of the birth of Jesus Christ?

The origin of the Christmas stocking shows us how these young girls went from being poor and destitute to being rich. When you look at the Christmas stockings, think about
2 Corinthians 8:9 – For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
Jesus left the riches of heaven in order to give His life on the Cross for us, so we can have the gift of abundant life. This is the greatest message of Christmas!
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Keeping Christ in Christmas – Mistletoe

Take the tangible images and traditions of Christmas and use them to teach the intangible, concepts concerning Christmas. For the next 25 days, this blog will be relating the real meaning of Christmas with traditional seasonal objects so that you and your children can keep Christ in Christmas.

Mistletoe was used by Druid priests in their winter celebrations 200 years before the birth of Christ . They revered the plant because it remained green during the cold months of winter. The ancient Celtics believed mistletoe to have magical healing powers and used it as an antidote for poison, infertility, and to ward off evil spirits. The plant was also seen as a symbol of peace, and it is said that among Romans, enemies who met under mistletoe would lay down their weapons and embrace. Scandinavians associated the plant with Frigga, their goddess of love, and it may be from this that we derive the custom of kissing under the mistletoe. Those who kissed under the mistletoe had the promise of happiness and good luck in the following year.

So how do we transform this to make it a reminder of the birth of Jesus Christ?

First of all, since mistletoe was a symbol of peace in ancient days, it should remind us of the Prince of Peace who was born at Christmas.

Secondly, mistletoe today is the place for a kiss. Among the Arabs, the women and children kiss the beards of their husbands or fathers. The husband or father returns their salute by a kiss on the forehead. In Egypt, an inferior kisses the hand of a superior, generally on the back, but sometimes, as a special favor, on the palm also. To testify abject submission, and in asking favors, the feet are often kissed instead of the hand. In scripture, we have the kiss of Judas as he betrayed Jesus in the garden. We also have the penitent woman who kissed the feet of Jesus. And there was the greeting given in the early church of a ‘holy kiss’.

This Christmas when you see the mistletoe, think about two verses of scripture:

Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. That is, embrace the Son; depend upon Him in all your ways as your Sovereign. To make peace with the Father, kiss the Son.

Song 1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth–for your love is better than wine. The Divine kiss is a metaphor of intimacy with Jesus and the ‘kisses of his mouth’ refers to the ‘words of Jesus’ which is the Word of God. Let the mistletoe remind you that God is pursuing an intimate relationship with you that is developed as we embrace the Word of God! This is why Jesus was born!
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