Guest Blogger Cali shares her family's Christ-centered Christmas tradition.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was getting together with my cousins for Christmas Adam. What is Christmas Adam you might ask? It’s the day before Christmas Eve, of course! I guess it’s more of a date than an event… In any case, on Christmas Adam, we gather as a family to reenact the nativity: the children dress up and act out the Christmas story as an adult narrates, we sing carols, eat treats, and enjoy family time. My parents started this tradition over 20 years ago and now I’m passing it on to my own children.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was getting together with my cousins for Christmas Adam. What is Christmas Adam you might ask? It’s the day before Christmas Eve, of course! I guess it’s more of a date than an event… In any case, on Christmas Adam, we gather as a family to reenact the nativity: the children dress up and act out the Christmas story as an adult narrates, we sing carols, eat treats, and enjoy family time. My parents started this tradition over 20 years ago and now I’m passing it on to my own children.
Although we don’t live close to extended family, I continue the tradition by inviting a few friends and neighbors to help fill out the roles. I even sewed costumes a few years ago. Acting out the nativity is fun because it works well with kids of any age. (Although with lots of kids, be prepared for a bit of chaos with your holiday cheer.) You can adjust the narration to be longer or shorter depending on the attention span of your children. Here is an example of a script that I used the last few years – I read from the scriptures, directing the children as we go along, with some group songs interspersed.
My youngest brother Caleb often chose to be the donkey carrying Mary to Bethlehem – he even had a donkey hat to wear. One year when we were choosing parts, my little cousin declared that she wanted to be the star. At first my mom thought she wanted to be the star of the show, but in fact, she wanted to be the star, guiding the wise men to Jesus.
Acting out the story of Jesus’ birth is a fun way to invite the Spirit and an excellent occasion to bring family and friends together. I always feel the Holy Ghost as we read from the scriptures and sing Christmas Carols. One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Joy to the World.” I definitely feel joyful thinking about the birth and life of Jesus Christ.
Reference:
Read: Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 2:1-2, 7-11
By Guest Blogger: Cali
Thank you for sharing this beautiful tradition. It makes me homesick to see these photos of family gathering to celebrate Jesus' birth together. Lovely.
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