A Season of Connection: The Power of Christmas Traditions
Long after the gifts are opened and the wrapping paper is gone, you and your family will remember the traditions that you took time to create and participate in. A tradition is handing down customs from generation to generation by word or practice, evoking memories and reinforcing belonging. These traditions help us connect ourselves not only to the past but to each other. They often bring families together, offering moments to make lasting, one-of-a-kind memories. The holiday season, from Thanksgiving to the New Year, can be stressful and overwhelming. Taking time for traditions brings the real meaning of the season into focus. They offer a reprieve from busyness.
Whether you notice it or not, you take part in traditions. Two examples include decorating a Christmas tree and sending Christmas cards. Have you ever wondered how those two traditions were started? Let’s take a look at their origins.
The modern Christmas tree tradition began in the 8th century, when St. Boniface, an English missionary to Germany, was working to convert Germanic tribes. The tribes worshipped oak trees and decorated them for the winter solstice. St. Boniface cut down an enormous oak tree that was central to the worship of a particular tribe. A fir tree grew in its place. He told the people this evergreen, with its branches pointing to heaven, was a holy tree, the tree of the Christ Child, and a symbol of His promise of eternal life. The newly converted Germans began decorating fir trees for Christmas. Prince Albert, born in Germany, introduced the Christmas tree to England after his marriage to Queen Victoria in 1840. Christmas trees first became a part of American culture when German immigrants brought the tradition to Pennsylvania.
The tradition of sending Christmas cards is a Victorian creation. People had written Christmas letters before this, but the task took much time and effort. In 1843, the first card was produced by Sir Henry Cole, who worked for the British Postal Service, and John Horsley, an artist he hired. One thousand cards were printed in black and white and then colored by hand. This early card was a Christmas scene framed in three panels. In the center panel was a table scene of children, parents, and grandparents seated, some of them raising their glasses for a toast. The side panels depicted acts of Christmas charity. Underneath these panels was the now familiar phrase "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You." Several years later, in 1851, Richard Pease, a variety store owner, commissioned the first printed Christmas card in America. Charles Goodall & Sons, a printing company in London, became the first to mass-produce Christmas cards.
Traditions don’t have to be complicated, costly, or time-consuming. In fact, given all the other demands of the season, it’s best to keep these simple. Here are different ideas for Christmas. Drive around your neighborhood viewing the Christmas lights and singing carols. Attend the Christmas Eve service at church together. Decorate your house and Christmas tree while your favorite Christmas music plays in the background. Create a Christmas memory book each year. Take small gifts to patients in a local nursing home on Christmas morning. Write a letter about what God has done in your life during the year to include in your Christmas card.
From our first Christmas until now, my wife and I celebrate what we call the twelve days of Christmas. We begin this season of celebration on December 14 and continue until Christmas Day. On each of these twelve days, we either give a small gift, such as a homemade ornament, or attend a Christmas event, such as driving through the local Christmas lights display, or serve a local charitable organization. We look forward to this time each holiday season.
Resist the temptation to skip holiday traditions; make them a priority. If sacrifice is needed due to a lack of time, give up activities not centered on the family. Holiday traditions worth repeating allow for spending rich time with family, sharing God’s love with others by serving them, and focusing on the true meaning of the season. Young or old, with a house full of children or an empty nest, holiday traditions are a must.
With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, why would we want to do more? Isn’t the holiday season busy enough? Actually, Christmas traditions help us slow down and reconnect with what matters: family, community, and the feeling of being part of something larger than ourselves. Whether it’s decorating a tree, exchanging gifts, baking old family recipes, or gathering for a shared meal, these rituals become markers of time—threads that tie one year to the next. They turn ordinary moments into symbols of belonging, warmth, and hope. In a world that changes quickly, these traditions offer a comforting rhythm and a reminder of shared hope, generosity, and togetherness.
Copyright © 2025 Kyle Cravens
CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
Turn ordinary moments into the magic we look forward to every Christmas.