Yet, despite my love of routine, tradition is starting to lose its luster for me. Perhaps it is because with siblings married and cousins moved away, tradition hasn't really been the same the last few years. Or perhaps the foodie in me is just sick and tired of having a menu with few surprises and high tension. Or perhaps the single woman in me is dreading the conversations about my love life (pssh, who am I kidding, I love those conversations.) Whatever the reason, I am thrilled to report this year I am breaking the mold and celebrating Christmas free from tradition! Or am I?
I'll be staying home for Christmas this year. Home, in Philadelphia. My parents will visit and despite having no tree, no garland, no nativity, I am incredibly excited. I'm excited to experience Christmas in a new place; to attend Christmas mass in my church; to see my city lit up with lights. I have often exchanged stories with friends about the different ways we celebrate Christmas. Turns out, how I celebrate it is not how everyone celebrates it! An obvious epiphany, perhaps, but when all one knows of Christmas is one's own tradition, why would one assume another way exists? When I hear about other people's traditions, though, part of me longs to experience Christmas their way. I want to eat Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. I want to watch bonfires on the bayou. I want to bake and eat endless trays of cookies. I want to receive silly gifts in my stocking. As someone who loves learning and loves knowing how people see the world, I grow tired of my tradition because I want to know other traditions more deeply.
This desire to break yet embrace tradition is good, biblical even. I've been saying that a lot lately, but hear me out. The birth of Christ drew kings out of their kingdoms, shepherds out of their fields, Mary and Joseph out of Nazareth - drew all these out of their places and traditions to gather over the mystery of the Incarnation. He didn't need everything in place to come into the world. There was no tree and no lights and no ornaments, but He came nonetheless. Yet the kings, shepherds, Mary, and Joseph do not lose their own identity, history, and traditions by coming to a new place. They embrace the new tradition of Jesus Christ while contributing their own personhood. They share their traditions and gifts with others, while being transformed themselves.
Jesus' ministry, life, and Christmas miracle show that tradition can sometimes trap us. Like the pharisees, we can be so focused on all our self-imposed "laws" and traditions that we forget about the spirit that led us to establish them in the first place. Freeing ourselves of tradition and reordering how we celebrate, gives an opportunity to refocus our attention on what - or rather, Who - really matters. As long as mass is celebrated, Christmas day can be celebrated with or without a tree, with or without presents, with or without everyone you are related to, with or without bing cherry salad. Why not, then, experience it in a new way every so often? Why not, then, experience the universal church and experience how other people and cultures celebrate, to be like a foreign king coming into Bethlehem? Maybe something in their tradition will express the reason for the season in a way your own traditions never have. Maybe, just maybe, you will be transformed.
Yes - this Christmas will be different, but as traditional as can be. This Christmas, I plan to spend it as Jesus did - with my parents, and any strangers that come our way. That's a tradition worth keeping.
This desire to break yet embrace tradition is good, biblical even. I've been saying that a lot lately, but hear me out. The birth of Christ drew kings out of their kingdoms, shepherds out of their fields, Mary and Joseph out of Nazareth - drew all these out of their places and traditions to gather over the mystery of the Incarnation. He didn't need everything in place to come into the world. There was no tree and no lights and no ornaments, but He came nonetheless. Yet the kings, shepherds, Mary, and Joseph do not lose their own identity, history, and traditions by coming to a new place. They embrace the new tradition of Jesus Christ while contributing their own personhood. They share their traditions and gifts with others, while being transformed themselves.
Jesus' ministry, life, and Christmas miracle show that tradition can sometimes trap us. Like the pharisees, we can be so focused on all our self-imposed "laws" and traditions that we forget about the spirit that led us to establish them in the first place. Freeing ourselves of tradition and reordering how we celebrate, gives an opportunity to refocus our attention on what - or rather, Who - really matters. As long as mass is celebrated, Christmas day can be celebrated with or without a tree, with or without presents, with or without everyone you are related to, with or without bing cherry salad. Why not, then, experience it in a new way every so often? Why not, then, experience the universal church and experience how other people and cultures celebrate, to be like a foreign king coming into Bethlehem? Maybe something in their tradition will express the reason for the season in a way your own traditions never have. Maybe, just maybe, you will be transformed.
Yes - this Christmas will be different, but as traditional as can be. This Christmas, I plan to spend it as Jesus did - with my parents, and any strangers that come our way. That's a tradition worth keeping.
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