Traditions of Christmas. Part 1

As we enter this time of December, we are surrounded by the hustle and bustle of shopping, decorating, planning, driving, giving and receiving. We are consumed with making this time of year feel like Christmas. We bake cookies. We light a fire. We buy airline tickets. We purchase gift cards. We hang stockings by the chimney with care. Well, you know how it goes. We are engulfed by traditions of long ago. Why? They provide stability. They provide nostalgia. And they place a sense of Christmas in the air. But can they also remind us of the real reason for Christmas?

The wreath is found in homes year round; however, during the holidays, they become more prominent. Decorative wreaths find their way onto front doors, and advent wreaths become the centerpiece on many tables around the world. The wreath dates back to the ancient Persian Empire. They were originally called “diadems” and were used to crown the victors of the Olympic Games. The diadems were initially made from laurel leaves, but once the Olympics began to move to different towns, they would be made from the branches of local trees. These crowns were then hung on walls in remembrance of their victory won.

The origin of the Advent wreath dates back to the pre-Christian Germanic people who would gather evergreen branches and light fires during the cold winters of Eastern Europe as a symbol of their hope for the coming spring. Christians maintained this tradition, and by the 16th century, both Catholics and Protestants alike, used this custom to celebrate their true Hope in Christ Jesus—the eternal Light.

This ringed symbol reminds us of another emblem of hope. However, this one wasn’t given after the victory; it was worn during the battle. It wasn’t meant for glory, but for shame. It wasn’t donned by an Olympic champion, but by a King—the Eternal King—during His darkest hour. It was a symbol of agony, embarrassment, torture, and ridicule.

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” Matthew 27:28-29 NIV

While they mocked Him, He persisted. While Satan delighted in his potential conquest over “the Christ,” Jesus endured. While He was being crowned as a powerless king, Jesus showed them exactly what a King should do. A king rules. A king triumphs. But most importantly, a king protects his kingdom. This King did just that. He knew the only way to win was if He fought the battle. Satan handed Him death, and the Creator of the universe, created life once again—eternal Life.

This holiday season, as you scamper from mall to mall and visit home after home, notice the wreaths hanging on the doors. Acknowledge their beauty. Remember the victory and hope this decoration originally symbolizes. And be empowered by the victory and the hope we have today given to us by our King. Not a king to be mocked, but a King to be worshipped and loved.