The True Symbols of Christmas: Finding Jesus inHoliday Traditions

Christmas is filled with traditions and symbols that many of us embrace without fully understanding their deeper meaning. While some dismiss Christmas decorations as pagan or complain about commercialization, there's a beautiful opportunity to use these familiar symbols to teach the true meaning of Christmas to our children and grandchildren.

Why Do We Need to Teach the Real Meaning of Christmas?

If you want your children and grandchildren to know the real meaning of Christmas, you must actively teach them what that meaning is. We can't assume they'll figure it out on their own. Instead of dismissing Christmas symbols, we can use them as powerful teaching tools to point to Jesus Christ.

The Christmas Tree: From Death to Life

What Does the Christmas Tree Represent?

The Christmas tree beautifully symbolizes the role trees have played in our eternal destiny. In the Garden of Eden, God placed two special trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. As long as Adam and Eve obeyed God by avoiding the forbidden tree, they had access to the Tree of Life and could live forever.

How Sin Changed Everything

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they lost access to the Tree of Life. God placed cherubims and a flaming sword to guard the way back. This wasn't cruelty - it was justice. God cannot overlook disobedience because it goes against His holy nature.

God's Solution Through Another Tree

Because God wanted mankind to have eternal life, He stepped out of heaven to be born in Bethlehem. But Jesus didn't just come to be born - He came to die on another tree: the cross of Calvary. Through that tree, our access to the Tree of Life was restored. When you put up your Christmas tree, explain to your children how it represents both the tree that brought death through disobedience and the tree that brought life through Jesus' sacrifice.

The Christmas Wreath: A Symbol of Eternity

Why Are Wreaths Always Circular?

Every Christmas wreath is circular - no beginning, no ending. Ancient thinkers considered the circle the perfect shape, which is why wedding rings are circular, symbolizing the perpetual union between husband and wife.

Jesus Christ Has No Beginning or End

The wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:8 declares, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is and which was and which is to come, the Almighty."

John 1:1-3 reminds us that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made."

Jesus Christ has always been and will always be - He is the eternal Word of God. When hanging your Christmas wreath, explain how it represents the eternal nature of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who has no beginning and no end.

Christmas Lights: Jesus as the Light of the World

Why Do We Love Christmas Lights?

There's something magical about Christmas lights - the brighter and more colorful, the better. But these lights represent something far more significant than decoration.

Jesus Is the Light That Overcomes Darkness

Christmas lights symbolize Jesus Christ as the light of the world. John 1:4-5 says, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." It is the light of Jesus Christ that keeps evil subdued in our world. Every good thing you do as a Christian is because of the light of God in your life. As Christians, we are called to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

Light Always Overcomes Darkness

Even in pitch-black darkness, one small flashlight changes everything. It's no longer completely dark. The same is true spiritually - a little light from Christ can shine through the darkest circumstances. When you look at Christmas lights, explain to your children that they represent Jesus as the light of the world and our calling to let His light shine through us.

Christmas Gifts: God's Ultimate Gift

Is Christmas Really About Gifts?

Some people complain that Christmas has become too focused on gifts, but the entire Christmas story is built upon giving and receiving gifts. The wise men brought expensive gifts to baby Jesus, and Joseph and Mary accepted them.

The Most Expensive Gift Ever Given

The greatest and most expensive gift ever given was when God gave Jesus to mankind on that first Christmas. This wasn't easy for God - forgiving sins was actually difficult for Him because of His holy nature. God couldn't simply overlook sin and say "it's okay this time." His Word required that "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22). Since no human could provide the perfect sacrifice needed, God had to give His own Son.

Salvation Is a Gift That Must Be Received

The Bible repeatedly refers to salvation as God's gift:

• "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8)

• "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"(Romans 6:23)

• "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

But here's the crucial point: no gift is yours until you receive it and open it. God's gift of salvation requires you to receive it by faith.

Don't Let the Gift Go Unopened

The tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 left many Christmas presents unopened - gifts that loving parents and grandparents had carefully chosen would never be enjoyed. But there's a far greater tragedy: people who leave God's gift of salvation unopened.

If you haven't received Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have the most valuable gift ever offered sitting right in front of you. But that gift requires you to receive it and open it through faith.

Life Application

This Christmas season, commit to using these familiar symbols as teaching opportunities. Whether you're decorating a tree, hanging a wreath, enjoying Christmas lights, or exchanging gifts, take time to explain their deeper spiritual significance to your children and grandchildren.

Don't let another Christmas pass without helping the next generation understand what these symbols really represent. Instead of dismissing Christmas traditions, embrace them as powerful tools to point others to Jesus Christ.

Questions for Reflection:

• How can you use Christmas decorations in your home as opportunities to share the gospel?

• What Christmas traditions in your family could be enhanced by explaining their spiritual significance?

• If you haven't received God's gift of salvation, what's preventing you from opening that gift today?

• How can you let the light of Christ shine more brightly through your life this Christmas season?