A Mother's Role in Christmas
Categories: Holidays, Religion & Spirituality
In the story of Christmas, the baby Jesus is the star, as he should be. But no less pivotal to the event is the role of his mother, Mary, without whom it could not have happened the way it did.
I think this is an interesting analogy for the way Christmas is celebrated in our own homes. Regardless of our faith, moms are pivotal to the way families experience and remember the holidays, and without them it just wouldn't be the same. Moms are the bearers of a family's traditions. They the ones who notice the details and who's touches create the anticipation, the smells, the decorations, the music, and the warmth that leave indelible imprints on our hearts. That's why each of us is reminded at Christmas time of our own mother, because now, as grown-ups, we finally understand the thoughtfulness and love that went into the way she prepared the holidays for us.
Often it is the smallest details -- the smell of pine from the mantel boughs, the frosted cookie, the candles on the dinner table, Christmas hand towels in the bathroom. These touches are not so much noticed as they are felt.
In our family, we have a tradition to encourage kindness during advent, the four weeks leading to Christmas. A baby Jesus doll is placed in a basket and whenever someone does a nice deed for another family member, they place a piece of straw under the doll, in order to create a softer place for the baby.
This holiday, mothers will also make our homes a little softer by doing many, many little (and important) acts of kindness for their families. It's my prayer that these acts of love will be an opportunity for all mothers to reflect on the universal meaning of the season and to appreciate the pivotal ways mothers bring this message into their homes and, thus into the world.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chere 12-22-2008 @ 12:56PM
Thank you Rachel for a wonderful blog. Mothers are so very precious and this is a wonderful time of the year to reflect on all of the many things our mothers and grandmothers have done for us. I know that the best thing by far that has ever happened to me is being blessed with a child. I have a different appreciation for my own mother now. Since my grandma passed away last year on December 26th, I find myself trying to make this holiday special for my mother, to add the little touches that may bring some joy to her heart as we miss my grandmother and her mother this holiday season.
I wish you and your family a beautiful Christmas, enjoy one another and savor the moments that make the holidays special!
Merry Christmas
Chere
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Katty 12-22-2008 @ 2:35PM
In other words, mommys work their butts off during the holiday season :-) while daddys gain five pounds.
No, but seriously, I take pride in making the house very festive, even to changing the ring on my phone to ring "we wish you a merry christmas". I totally look at the details, towels, candles, music, etc. I really enjoy taking my kids to the store and fulfiling an angel tree request every year and we make cards for special people in our lives and just try to remember that it is all about spending time with family.
I love Christmas and even though I am exhausted aftewords, the smiles are totally worth it.
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Nicola 12-23-2008 @ 1:04PM
Its a lot of pressure and always makes me miss my own mom! You're right though. My husband takes no interest in the festive season, though he enjoys all of my hard work. The decorating, preparations, baking, gift buying, social planning, and all the rest. All me. And all of those presents stacked under the tree now. The funny part is that my son actually noticed this year that while he and daddy have lots of gifts, I only have one. Yep, and that's why they call me "Mom".
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cookingfordads 12-25-2008 @ 9:37PM
I love the idea with the baby Jesus and adding the straw for acts of kindness. Thanks for the great post.
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Sifrina 12-26-2008 @ 8:20PM
Very poignant and very universal post - to ALL the mothers out there who lovingly embrace their roles as the main person to pass on the family's values, traditions, and in many cases, the faith, to their children, who in turn give these gifts to the rest of the world. The straw tradition is a beautiful illustration of this.
The role of a mother in this regard holds special meaning to me personally. I am Jewish and under ancient Jewish law, the child's religion is determined by the mother's - if the mother is Jewish, so is the child, and if she is not, he is not. While I do not accept this legal absolute 100% (we have a blended family and my son is therefore the sum of many wonderful parts, some Jewish and some not, but all wonderful nonetheless), and while my husband is ALSO responsible for the many meaningful teachings we provide to our son, I truly treasure MY role - and responsibility - for showing our young son how our family celebrates this and other important holiday seasons and traditions. I only hope with all my heart he feels 100% of the love, softness, and joy I intend for him to experience this time of year. If so, this will be my greatest success.
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Jodi 12-31-2008 @ 5:23PM
Rachel, I would love for you to talk more about the organic food you purchase. I am just starting to get into buying organic (basically just fruits/veggies and milk) and trying to manage the additional costs into my budget. Any tips would be appreciated.
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