Three Ideas for a Richer Christmas Celebration 

There is a specific virtue of running a household well. For me, discovering it was one of the great fruits of studying ancient and medieval thinking. According to Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, "domestic prudence” arranges everything in one’s home life toward the true happiness of its members. This can really help us in thinking about how to celebrate Christmas.

A key feature of the great virtue of prudence is how it is different from any other know-how, or practical knowledge. The art of carpentry, like other ‘arts,’ is about crafting something needed for human life, in this case wooden things. Prudence, too, is about crafting something, but what it crafts is a certain kind of human life. That is, it crafts specifically human goods, such as moral character, and the relationships rooted in such character. This is the reason that prudence should take precedence and indeed oversee all the other arts.

This gives us an amazing perspective on celebrations of Christmas. As with anything else we do in our homes, there are various ‘arts’ or know-hows involved: cooking, decorating, and making various things. There are also many concrete aspects to arrange: whom to invite to join us, when and where to go to church, what activities to do (or avoid), how much time to spend on this tradition or that. We must ask, then, what gives unity, order, (and beauty!), and direction to our celebrations? The answer is domestic prudence.

There is more here than meets the eye. In short, domestic prudence can give to our life (here, specifically in the home) what is sadly lacking in the lives of far too many people today: hierarchy, unity, and beauty. It is how we bring all ‘other’ practical concerns under the one practical concern that really matters. For Christians, this means that we order all things toward deepening faith, strengthening hope, and growing love—beginning in our family.

So, what might this mean for how we celebrate the Christmas holiday? Three concrete things come to mind.

1. Read the Original Christmas story.

At some appropriate moment in our Christmas Eve/Day celebrations, read aloud St. Luke’s account of the Lord’s birth and the visit of the shepherds. This has a special effect when a father or grandfather calls everyone together for the reading, perhaps around the tree or at the table. After a moment of silence on concluding the reading, he might offer a few simple words of reflection and then ask if anyone else has something to add. This is a great opportunity to do what ideally we would do more often: give ‘public’ voice to the shared beliefs that ground our life together in the home. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem changed everything. Gathered in joy and gratitude at Christmas, we recommit ourselves together to the faith we have received as a gift.

2. Choose traditions that make for rich and enjoyable experiences for all.

Sure, this is easier said than done, but at least we should be clear on the goal. We want people to have the experience of feeling united in a transcendent joy. Such a thing cannot be fabricated, but it can be cultivated. Reading aloud another favorite Christmas story is worth serious consideration: perhaps, A Christmas Carol, The Gift of the Magi, or The Other Wiseman, to name a few favorites. Storytelling by elders or gathering around for caroling are other options. 

We should give ‘public’ voice to the shared beliefs that ground our life together in the home.

3. Finally, let's be more intentional about what we do at our Christmas meal(s).

There is nothing like a meal to give focus to our celebration. Have we let certain traditions slip? Are we making sure this is truly a group effort, where all have a part and all are appreciated? Do we linger to savor the meal and being together, and again give voice to the things we are celebrating and the many reasons for gratitude?

The point in planning each of these three traditions is to consider how to draw people in and together, especially by looking outward and upward as a family. Having an eye for traditions, and for what has and has not worked before, is crucial. Here is something truly worthy of our careful and even prayerful deliberation—asking God to help us craft a celebration that is somewhat worthy, both of that which we celebrate, and of the great life to which He calls us, starting on Christmas day.

Each of these three concrete things can be a kind of natural encouragement and context for growing in faith, hope, and love. For as we gather joyfully in recollection of the wondrous things we believe, we draw closer to one another in love, and we learn to look forward in hope (as one Byzantine prayer has it) to the great banquet at which the sound of those celebrating never ceases.

John Cuddeback writes at LifeCraft, offering principles and encouragement for renewing life in the home. You can find his podcast, “The Intentional Household,” here.