Christmas is the best time of the year. It brings along a lot of joy and excitement. It’s the time of giving and sharing, loving and forgiving, family bonding; it’s like a happiness trip. The spirit of Christmas gives us a certain special lingering feeling in which we can revel for a very long time.
No matter how busy our lives get, we can never fathom celebrating Christmas without family and friends. The presence of our loved ones wrapped around each other is the best gifts one can have near the Christmas tree!
On Christmas, every family follows a set of traditions. These traditions vary from country to country.
There are many elements which are common in all the countries. Some of them include decorating a beautiful Christmas tree with angelic wreaths, celestial illuminations, Christmas stockings, singing carols, the creation of some parturition scenes through decorations, where the birth of Jesus is depicted. Stories of Jesus Christ are told to children, exchanging gifts, baking Christmas cakes and organizing a gourmet for a family dinner.
While some families continue to follow these traditions lifelong, there are others who along with these common ones like to make their own family traditions that can be made memorable and followed year on year. Creating and maintaining a meaningful family tradition helps to make beautiful memories, to be cherished forever.
Family traditions and rituals are important during Christmas because it gives us a sense of identity and belongingness. This is an opportunity for children to get an insight into the culture of their families, which plays a very important role in shaping a child’s personality. They get to understand where they come from and that, they are a part of something bigger, this induces a lot of confidence in them inculcating a strong cultural impact.
Have you ever imagined celebrating Christmas without our loved ones?
Amidst the hustle bustle of today’s busy lives, we generally forget about the joys of spending quality time with our loved ones. People travel to various places and settle a far from home, to earn a better livelihood and lifestyle. But they try and make all possible efforts to be with their families at this time of the year. Sometimes our own parents spend the entire year waiting for Christmas time, so they can get to meet us. This is the time when we bond and share some very special moments with our loved ones. We connect with each other and realize the importance of their presence in our lives. The essence of togetherness and the feeling of being loved are unmatched.
India is a multicultural country. Irrespective of the religion one follows we celebrate all our festivals with an equal zeal. I am not a Christian, yet, Christmas has always been an important festival for me, I still remember how, as a child, I used to pester my mother to bake a cake, my friends and I would then decorate a Christmas tree, organize a party, sing jingles and exchange gifts. It used to be a lot of fun. Even today, Christmas parties are as important as they were, then. The only difference being, during childhood, it was all for fun and gifts. But now, it means a lot more now.
The spirit of Christmas brings along a lot of joy and excitement. Happiness, when shared, is doubled. And that’s why, it’s very important to celebrate with our dear ones, bond with them, and understand the blessings of God which continually falls on us in various forms. It’s the time to thank God for all the goodness, which he has bestowed on us and also for all the complications that we deal with. Because without complications, the paramountcy of happiness cannot be realized.
As Richelle E Goodrich rightly puts it together, “Christmas is like candy, it slowly melts in your mouth, sweetening every taste bud, making you wish it could last forever”.
So, if you haven’t planned anything yet, gear up and get going! Enjoy to your fullest. Make memories with your friends and family, to be cherished and last forever.
Merry Christmas!
