by Janet Dittmer
We all know what Christmas is really about. It is a time to commemorate the birth of the Savior, reflect on His perfect life, and express gratitude for the gift of the Atonement.
The dilemma comes with everything else associated with the Christmas season – decorating, shopping, baking, sending cards, attending parties. These things tend to take over. Yet, we love the joy, the fun, and the traditions. What are we to do?
For many years, I observed a Christmas holiday where the Savior had one part, and I valiantly tried to keep the other traditions from overshadowing Him. Recently, I have come to realize that when I seek for Christ in every aspect of the celebration, I find Him.
Lost sheep return to the fold by the sound of a bell. Seeing or hearing bells at Christmas can remind us that Christ said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. . . . I know my sheep, and am known of mine.” (John 10:11, 14)
Bells also remind us of how churches through the centuries have called people to worship. The words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the carol I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day give this message of hope:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail; the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.
Bows on wreaths, packages, and other decorations remind us that as the bow is tied, we should also be tied together in bonds of friendship, love, compassion, and good will. “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men . . .” (1 Thessalonians 3:12).
When we see ribbons and bows, we can also think of how we can be tied or bound to the Lord through covenants. “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him” (Timothy 1:12).
Candles add a decorative accent, but they also bring light into our homes. Candles can remind us that Christ said:
I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)
Also, candles can bring to mind our duty as Christians:
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)
Candy canes are a simple and traditional treat that appear only during the Christmas season. We often hear that their shape is like a shepherd's crook, reminding us of those who were the first to be told of the Savior's birth.
However, there is more about this candy that recalls Christ. Turn it the other way and it makes a “J” for Jesus. Its stripes of red and white remind us of the Savior's suffering – red symbolizing the blood Christ shed and white giving us hope that through Him our sins can be forgiven, making us clean and pure:
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Thus, the candy cane is a symbol of the Good Shepherd and our need for a Savior because “. . . all we like sheep have gone astray. . .” Isaiah 53:6.
It can also remind us that we are to bring others back into the fold by following Jesus' commandment to “feed my sheep”
(John 21:16).
Christmas trees are everywhere at this time of year – in homes, offices, stores, and even on the tops of buildings. The origins of this custom may be from pagan celebrations, or it may have come from Medieval church plays where a prominent piece of scenery was a fir tree that symbolized the Garden of Eden, often hung with apples and sometimes decorated with ribbons and lights. Whatever its origins, the Christmas tree today can remind us of Christ.
Every tree we see first speaks of Christ as creator of the earth and all things on it. “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made . . .” (John 1:3).
These trees, which are green throughout the year, also symbolize everlasting life. Their overall shape, like an arrow, points upward towards the heavens. When we see each tree, we can remember these words:
This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)
Each beautifully wrapped gift at Christmas is a symbol of the greatest gift ever given:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting Life. John 3:16
How grateful we should be: “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15), not only for God's greatest gift, but for all His gifts: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above . . .” (James 1:17).
Lights are everywhere at Christmas – around doors and windows, on our decorated trees, outside on bushes. The Savior used light to identify Himself:
I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
The scriptures tell us that the Lord “shall be unto thee an everlasting light” (Isaiah 60:19), “shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14), and “hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
When we see Santa Claus at Christmas, we often think of the kindly Saint Nicholas who patterned his life after Christ's by generously giving to those in need. We can also look for the ways Santa Claus can point us to Christ. For example:
• Santa comes at night. Christ was born on a holy night, and will come again “as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2).
• Santa loves children. Christ showed His love for children: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. . . . And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them”
(Mark 10:14, 16).
• Santa wants children to be good so he can bring gifts to them. Christ entreats us to “cleave to that which is good” (Romans 12:9), and to “. . . eschew evil, and do good . . . for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers . . .” (1 Peter 3:11-12).
• Santa wants children to come to him with their wishes. Christ invites all: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11: 28).
• Santa brings gifts. Christ gave his greatest gift to us when “being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation . . .” (Hebrews 5:9) “. . . after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever” (10:12).
(For a children’s book presenting the comparison of Santa Claus and Christ, see I Believe in Santa Claus, by Diane G. Adamson, illustrated by M. Chad Randall, North Star Publications, 1998, available at thisbooks4u.com.)
Snow has become a symbol of Christmas – we hope for a “white Christmas” and see snowflakes and snowmen everywhere in the decorations of the season.
The resurrected Lord has been described using snow: “His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow” ( Matthew 28:3).
Just as each snowflake is unique, each of us has been created in the image of God, and we are loved and valued for ourselves: “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine . . . and go after that which is lost, until he find it? . . . I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:4,10).
The star hearkens back to the star which announced the birth of the Savior. The wise men said to Herod, “Where is he that is born King, of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). Then they followed the star, “and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was” (Matthew 2:9).
We can be like the wise men, who, when they saw the star, “rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (Matthew 2:10).
The star brought them to the new King, and when we see stars during the holiday season, we can increase our desire to come to Christ.
The poinsettia is a plant native to Mexico and Central America , with green leaves and bright red bracts (leaf-like flower parts) which resemble the petals of a flower. The plant was discovered in 1828 by Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, a doctor of religious theology and a diplomat, then serving as minister to Mexico . He was shown the plant by the Mexican people who called it “Flor de la Noche Buena,” meaning “Flower of the Holy Night.” It was introduced to the United States in 1836 and named after Dr. Poinsett.
The poinsettia also reminds us of the star that announced the birth of the Savior. The plant's traditional colors of red and green additionally remind us of the blood of Christ and of His everlasting Gospel.
Ornaments, defined as objects “that decorate or adorn,” are typically hung on Christmas trees to adorn the evergreen which points to heaven. Their many shapes and styles include the Christmas symbols we have been discussing: bells, candles, candy canes, trees, gifts, Santa Claus, snowflakes and snowmen, and stars.
We adorn our tree with ornaments that may not be the most beautiful or valuable, but they have meaning to us and our families. We, likewise, should not “. . . let it be that outward adorning . . . But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (1 Peter 3:3-4).
The decorating of our homes during the Christmas season can thus be an activity in which all the meanings of Christmas come together. Along with Nativity sets depicting the birth of Christ, we fill our homes with many symbols of Christ, like bells, bows, candles, candy canes, Christmas trees, gifts, lights, Santa Claus, snow, stars, poinsettias, and ornaments.
Our homes become reminders of Christ – Christ as a newborn babe, as the Creator of the world, as our perfect example, as the suffering and atoning Savior, as the resurrected Lord, as the King of kings yet to reign on the earth. By finding Christ in all of Christmas, we can have His presence in our home:
If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)
Janet Dittmer is a mother of seven who grew up in Michigan and now lives in Indiana . She earned both a BS from Michigan State and an MA at Oregon State in Clothing and Textiles. As a younger mother, she co-founded a national support group for mothers called Mothers At Home. With a friend, she also helped to institute a strings and orchestra program in her local public schools that now involves over 300 students. She recently began her 10th year as a docent at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. One of her hobbies is reading and teaching on the subject of home organization and time management.
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