The Christophers: Spiritual Roots of Christmas Traditions

Fr. Ed Dougherty,

M.M. Board of Directors

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As a Christian wife and mother of three, TV host and Christopher Award-winning author Megan Alexander noticed that modern celebrations of Christmas could be overly commercial or overlook the holiday’s religious meaning. But when she did a deep dive into the history of our most beloved traditions, she learned that many of them have spiritual roots. Megan shares her discoveries in the book “The True Gifts of Christmas.”

The spark for Megan’s exploration of all things Christmas was ignited when she learned that the inspiration for Santa Claus was the real-life St. Nicholas, “who loved the Lord…dedicated himself to poverty, to serving his community,” she said during a “Christopher Closeup” interview. “I thought, ‘There’s the bridge between the secular and the Christian.’”

The colorful, photo-filled book includes 25 different symbols and traditions that everyone knows in a surface-level way, but not necessarily the meaning behind them. For example, candy canes were created in 1670 by a choirmaster in Germany’s Cologne Cathedral. While teaching children about Christmas, he bent a peppermint stick to look like a shepherd’s hook to represent Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He then turned the hook upside down, making it a “J,” also representing Jesus. In later years, the colors of red and white on the candy cane came to represent both the blood Jesus shed and His purity, respectively. 

Megan also discovered that the classic carol “The 12 Days of Christmas” has more depth to it than French hens and lords-a-leaping might suggest. ”A lot of people believe this traces back to Christians during times of persecution trying to teach the traditions of their faith to their children or to others undercover,” she explained. “So, the 12 days of Christmas became an opportunity to teach, for example, [that a] partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus, the son of God. Christ is presented as a mother partridge, a bird that will die to protect its young. Two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments. Three French hens represent faith, hope, and love. And it goes on. I didn’t know that…And what a cool tool to teach our children!”

Megan’s focus on teaching children about their faith is reflected throughout “The True Gifts of Christmas.” She believes parents can use the entries in the book to ask, “Where is Christ in this part of the holiday season?” This is not just true in terms of material symbols, but also the idea of selfless giving. One of her suggestions is, “Give quietly because the quieter the gift, the happier the heart.”

Megan’s family was recently the recipient of this kind of gift. She was eating brunch at Cracker Barrel with her ten-year-old son and six-year-old daughter when the kids spilled orange juice all over the table. Megan felt embarrassed, but cleaned it up, and they continued with their meal. When Megan asked for the bill, the waitress responded, ”Somebody here in the restaurant took care of it for you.” 

Megan described her and her kids’ reaction as “pleasant shock.” Nothing like this had ever happened to them before. It made them feel so good that they decided to quietly pay it forward one day. Megan was also impressed that this anonymous giver had observed the orange juice mishap and thought, “These people could use a little help.” It inspired Megan to pay closer attention to the people around her to see if anyone needs a little assistance or pick-me-up. That perspective could help her live the Christmas spirit all year round.

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For free copies of the Christopher News Note IMITATING CHRIST’S HUMILITY, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org