Christmas Traditions

Winter is upon us. It is the season where Nature slows down. Birds flock down to Florida while our grass turns brown. Animals everywhere go into hibernation as ponds and lakes are covered with an icy glaze. In stark contrast to this end of life for nature, winter seems to breathe a new life into people everywhere. Our calendars are suddenly full of parties to attend and places to go. We have presents to buy and cookies to bake. Christmas seems to make us come alive, giving us a sense of happiness and peace like no other holiday.

While Christmas is December 25^th every year without fail, its celebrations seem to begin much earlier every year. I, however, refuse to start celebrating a moment before those Plaza lights go on Thanksgiving night, and it appears that many others around Kansas City agree with me. There is something very nostalgic about standing on the streets of the Country Club Plaza and counting down the moments until the Christmas season begins with the flick of the switch and thousands of lights twinkling in the night.

Whenever you decide to start celebrating, one thing is certain there is no shortage of ways to celebrate the season around our town. There seems to be a little something for everyone. The little ones will always remember meeting the Fairy Princess at Zona Rosa and good old Santa Claus at Independence Center, and who can forget ice skating at Crown Center and seeing the Mayor’s 100 foot Christmas tree? For those who prefer to remain seated while enjoying the spirit of the holiday there is always Christmas in the Park in Lee’s Summit. The incredible display of lights and animated figures will certainly make your drive through the park enjoyable. For the cultured among us, there are many productions that can be enjoyed this time of year, everything from A Christmas Carol to The Nutcracker Ballet. There are carolers and hot cocoa, Mayors lighting Christmas trees, greens being hung, and Living Nativities. Everywhere you turn, in every city there are Christmas celebrations and traditions that seem to draw families by the hundreds.

Still for many Christmas remains simply about Mary and Joseph. It’s about a crowed inn, a stable, and a baby named Jesus. For others Christmas is a celebration of Jolly Ole Saint Nicholas, his reindeer, and a sled full of the perfect gifts. And still others take both traditions into consideration. The truth is we all have our own way of celebrating.

For many Christmas begins with the Christmas Eve service at their local church, carols sung, and the nativity story told. Others spend Christmas rushing through the malls and shopping centers trying to find the perfect gift that will make their child’s eyes light-up on Christmas morning. For some Christmas is about giving to others, packing shoeboxes with toys for children they don’t know and serving food to those without homes.

To each of us Christmas means something different. To me, Christmas means family. Christmas is about baking sugar cookies with mom and gathering the extended family together to exchange gifts and share memories. Christmas is the time we all slow down and are able to come together to laugh, talk, and simply remember how important family truly is.

Christmas has many meanings to many people, but at the heart of Christmas should always remain the true reason for the season - Christ and His message of love and peace that seem to be visible everywhere you go. Christmas isn’t about how many gifts we receive; it’s about what we all already have. It’s the time of the year where we can come together and be thankful for our blessings and those we love; it’s when we express the gratitude and love we feel all year but too seldom speak of. While traditions change and fade over time the Spirit of Christmas is something that never really seems to change.