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November 05, 2004
Preparing for the Holiday Season
It's that time of the year when we begin focusing our attention on the holiday season...planning menus, inviting family and friends over, buying gifts, etc. In our modern world, the holidays have become a very materialistic and secular time. We seem to have lost our understanding of the "real reason of the season". Here are a few suggestions on how to make the primary focus on God. Understand that I am a realist, I know that kids will be kids, presents are presents, yet I do believe that with the proper steps the spiritual aspects of the holidays can become important to your children as well. So let's consider each holiday individually.
Thanksgiving - I love Thanksgiving...turkey, football, family...it's a wonderful time. So how do we make this a time for God.
1. Holy Mass - most parishes have a Thanksgiving Day Mass. Make it a point to attend Mass on Thanksgiving Day, reminding your children that it is God who has blessed this nation of ours and that the Pilgrims, themselves, were thanking God for His many blessings on that First Thanksgiving.
2. Grace Before the Meal - this may seem obvious but, at times, families avoid this due to the presence of friends and family that are not Catholic or Christian. All the more reason to say Grace. Not only are you blessing your food and thanking God for His blessings, you are also witnessing to your non-Catholic friends and family.
3. The Rosary - I recommend that after the feasting and football, the family come together and pray the rosary. Pray the rosary in thanksgiving for the blessings of the past year, for our nation, and for the needs of those less fortune.
Christmas
1. Do Not Over-Materialize Christmas - this might be one of the hardest things to do in our modern culture. We tend to focus on the material gifts of Christmas by spending days shopping, talking about presents, etc. This is really the holiday of want - by that I mean the poverty of that first Christmas. St. Joseph and Mary had no place to stay, having to resort to spending the night in a stable. Jesus was "wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger" ?(Lk 2:12). Jesus was laid in the food bin for animals! It is the poverty of this great solemnity of the Church that we need to keep in mind. The giving of gifts comes from the Three Kings (or Wisemen) who brought Jesus gifts. So the giving of gifts is appropriate and a tradition in both our faith and in our culture.
2. Celebrate Advent - the time of Advent is one of anticipation and preparation. Liturgically speaking it is very similar to the season of Lent. We are to spent those four weeks leading up to Christmas preparing ourselves to welcome our Lord's coming. We should focus on our own spiritual journey over the past year, making any necessary changes. Advent is the perfect time to incorporate a family prayer time. Make it fun by getting an Advent wreath. Each night when you come together to prayer and/or read Scripture, light the appropriate candle for that week. It is important for children to have that time to think about Jesus' coming to the world.
3. Read as a family the first two chapters of Luke's Gospel. These first chapters beautifully portray the events surrounding that first Christmas.
4. Give to the Poor Giving to the those in need is a practical, real way to teach your children the "real meaning" of giving. Have your family go through their personal things - toys, clothes, etc. - and choose things to give to your local parish's St. Vincent de Paul Society.
5. Choose Advent Angels - this was a hit in my family. We drew names and did nice things for that person throughout the Advent season. We might make their bed, clean their room, help them with chores, etc. Then on Christmas day we revealed whose Advent angel we were and gave them a small gift. This teaches your children to do charitable things for one another.
6. Pray the Rosary - This is a wonderful practice any time of the year, but especially at Christmas time. It reminds us, at the beginning of the liturgical year, to pray and especially to meditate on the Gospels.
7. Have an Advent Calendar - this creates a spirit of anticipation in your children by letting them open that particular day's window each day.
8. Have a Nativity Set - this is a beautiful way to make visible to your family the events of that first Christmas. Make it fun...slowly move the figures of the Kings closer to the stable, don't put Baby Jesus in the crib until Christmas morning.
What is most important is that we take appropriate steps to remain focused on the "real meaning of the season" and to teach our children the same. In order to counter our materialistic, secular culture we must foster genuine Catholic traditions.
May the Holy Family continue to bless and guide you and your family. Amen.
Posted by HolyFamily at November 5, 2004 11:54 AM
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Comments
My old parish in Los Angeles had a neat tradition for Thanksgiving - we were asked to bring in the bread and wine (or something similarly non-refrigerated) with us to Mass in the morning - and after Mass Father blessed the food and asked us to remember that we are blessed by God to be able to have Thansgiving feasts. A collection was also taken up for the food pantry.
My Parish in Oregon had a tradition on the feast of Christ the King. After mass we would go over to the Parish Hall and make our advent wreaths from fresh NorthWest greenery. There were also tables with handouts about various family devotions, the scripture readings for the day, etc. Donations were requested to cover the costs, but not required, and it was low-key and fun.
I have always loved the real Advent Calendars - the one with scripture verses or Ikons behind each window. The chocolate ones are stupid.
Posted by: alicia at November 6, 2004 03:34 PM
