Christmas Reflections: Die Hard Traditions

There are a couple of Christmas traditions that I have seen people observing lately that I think deserve to be more widely known.

The first is the tradition of reading the entire Christmas narrative from its source – the Bible. I know people who, every year, read through the parts of the book of Luke, and others, which deal with the birth of Jesus. It is surprising what you notice each time and certainly if you haven’t done it for years – it is well worth reading those parts of the bible again.

Secondly, there is the tradition of giving others a gift that keeps on giving. That is, making donations on other people’s behalf – instead of giving them a gift.

This might not work with young children – although that’s not a bad idea once in a while. But for adults who have everything they need – giving in this way at Christmas is a reminder of God’s greatest gift to us. The Lord Jesus.

Happy Christmas.

 I’m Russell Powell for the NSW Council of Churches.