Merry Christmas!
IN ONE OF DOUG WILSON’S ARTICLES ON CHRISTMAS, HE WRITES: “Celebrate the stuff. Use fudge and eggnog and wine and roast beef. Use presents and wrapping paper. Embedded in many of the common complaints you hear about the holidays (consumerism, shopping, gluttony, etc.) are false assumptions about the point of the celebration. You do not prepare for a real celebration of the Incarnation through thirty days of Advent Gnosticism.
At the same time, remembering your Puritan fathers, you must hate the sin while loving the stuff. Sin [is] not resident in the stuff. Sin is found in the human heart—in the hearts of both true gluttons and true scrooges—both those who drink much wine and those who drink much prune juice. If you are called up to the front of the class, and you get the problem all wrong, it would be bad form to blame the blackboard. That is just where you registered your error. In the same way, we register our sin on the stuff. But—because Jesus was born in this material world, that is where we register our piety as well. If your godliness won’t imprint on fudge, then it is not true godliness.”
Christmas can be a difficult time of year for many if not most! It’s the time of year where a lot of sin and bitterness can creep in; from familial issues, loss, to financial struggles, it can end up causing much more stress than one realizes. It is also a time of year where Christians tend to struggle on finding a balance on “how much is too much?” when giving gifts, celebrating, etc. It is very easy to associate “materials” with sin, but as Doug Wilson summarizes it well, sin comes from the heart. A wise question to ask ourselves is not “is it ok to have things” but “do things have us?”
Christians should be known for their unwavering joy, Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Joy is not just an option, it is a command!
We want to be careful that we are looking at our hearts when making decisions on how to celebrate Christmas. Do we give freely without expecting anything in return? Do we open our homes to the poor, the needy, and the lonely? Do we count all these things as joy?
This year, Anna and I both have young children and our focus is to build a Christian culture in our homes that radiates the sacrificial love of Christ. What does this look like practically in our homes?
First, we must start with the foundation. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 gives us the clear instruction that we must raise our children up in the Word of the Lord: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
One of our favorite quotes by Doug Wilson comes from his book “The Auburn Avenue Chronicles” where he states, “I am fond of saying that your theology comes out of your fingertips, and whatever it is that is coming out of your fingertips is your theology. Therefore, orthodox Reformed theology means loving your wife as Christ loved the church. Orthodox Reformed theology means bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” So, our inspiration behind the culture and environment we are building in our homes should always be built on the Word of God. Our traditions should be determined by what God calls us to do and a great place to start is the fruits of the Spirit! Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control should be radiating from our homes.
Advent season can be a great time to try new culture-building techniques as well as traditions that your family may subscribe to for generations to come. Since we are both only a few years married with small children, a great place to start for inspiration can be with your husband! What traditions does he remember having a child that he may want his own children to experience? One tradition that we had growing up was that Christmas Eve was always spent with our dad’s side of the family and we got to open one present that night. The next morning, we would open stockings together, the rest of the presents, enjoy coffee and morning snacks (oranges and treats), and then have a big family brunch with our mom’s side of the family mid-morning. These traditions have created so much joy around the Christmas season and always cause great expectation and joy for us as we look forward to them.
Our favorite Christmas Recipe Traditions:
Norwegian Christmas Bread (Julekaka)
Toffee
Lefse
Granola
Christmas casserole
Other Christmas Traditions:
Bailey’s in our coffee Christmas morning 😀
Sharing homemade gifts between cousins (granola, nut mixes, homemade chex mix, handmade ornaments)
Sleepover at mom and dad’s Christmas Eve!
Watching Little Women, White Christmas, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer & Santa Claus (old claymation versions!)
Oyster Stew on Christmas Eve
Potato Sausage and Norwegian Potato dumplings (Krub) on Christmas Eve