Ask Chuck your money question
Dear Chuck,
I am weary of the commercialization of Christmas. My family is hosting Christmas this year, and I want to prioritize the real meaning of our celebration, not money or stuff. I long to simply focus on the birth of Christ. How can I do that when friends and family expect more?
Making Christmas About Christ
Dear Making Christmas About Christ,
In a letter to his parents dated December 17, 1943, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from prison:
“I don’t have to tell you how greatly I long for freedom, and for all of you. But for decades you gave us such incomparably beautiful Christmases that my grateful memory of them is strong enough to outshine even this rather dark one. It is times like these that show what it really means to have a past and an inner legacy independent of the change of times and conditions. The awareness of being borne up by a spiritual tradition that lasts for decades gives one a strong sense of security in the face of all transitory distress …”
Christ-centered traditions
Family traditions are priceless. Money cannot buy them. Repeated over time, they will imprint the hearts and minds of those you hold dear. Precious memories will be recalled throughout life, just like Bonhoeffer said. Traditions rooted in Christ will build a legacy of faith, security, and strong family bonds.
This is your year to winsomely steward the real meaning of Christmas! Be intentional about building traditions rooted in the Word of God. Read aloud about the birth of Christ from Luke 2:1-19, and encourage your family to memorize it for next year. I still love the King James Version. Fill your home with beautiful holiday music and sing Christmas carols together. One of our daughters-in-law continues her family tradition of putting an empty box with a blanket under the tree on Christmas eve. It represents the manger and the anticipation of the birth of Christ. On Christmas morning, the children awake to a doll wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in the manger. My wife’s siblings and cousins acted out the Christmas story every Christmas eve.
These things do not cost money, but they plant Truth within the hearts of family and friends. This kind of investment is a deposit in eternity. If you know the Lord, then you have been entrusted with the Gospel. Prioritize the celebration and wonder of God becoming man! It is the best gift we could ever share with anyone.