Scott Couey

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just two days away. I finished my Christmas shopping two days ago and just finished wrapping the gifts a few minutes ago. It’s so easy to focus on the present when it’s really the past that makes Christmas so significant. At a young age we learn that Christmas through the eyes of a child is something to truly experience.

Growing up, one of our family Christmas traditions was to wake up early on Christmas morning and crawl in bed with my parents. My dad would read the Christmas story straight from the Bible while my two younger brothers and I listened. At our young ages, we could in no way truly fathom how Mary and Joseph could travel by donkey to Bethlehem. We really couldn’t understand why Jesus was born in a stable and not in a hospital like each of the three of us.

As my brothers and I grew older and moved out on our own, the family traditions of our childhood were replaced with our own personal traditions. It has been exciting to see how my nieces and nephews have discovered the true meaning of Christmas. This year my youngest nephew is at the age where he is actually starting to understand who Santa Claus is and how presents will be under the Christmas tree. I am excited to one day have children of my own and to be able to start our own family Christmas traditions. It’s with genuine childlike faith (Mark 10:14-15) that we can truly experience the true meaning of Christmas.

What are some Christmas traditions that you and your family participate in every year?