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Christmas Articles
As Christmas approached, we asked our children to
research the origins and development of the modern celebration of Christmas as a
home-school research and writing assignment. We often fail to
realize that practices and traditions associated with our Christian faith have
not always been as they are now. For instance, our children learned that exchanging
gifts with each other (as opposed to giving gifts to the needy) was a nineteenth
century invention. They learned how we came to celebrate Christ’s birth on
December 25 instead of in the springtime, when He was most likely born. They
also learned that many of the trappings associated with Christmas have pagan
origins. While we know that idols are nothing (Isaiah 44:9, 1 Corinthians 8:4),
we chose to eliminate some of these customs as a way to help us focus on Christ
at Christmas. With this in mind, I invite you to read their reports among the
articles below.
-Keith
Pursuing Christ at Christmas by Keith Hoffman
Our family's solution to
materialism at Christmas.
Still Pursuing Christ at Christmas by Keith Hoffman
In 2002,
our family began a tradition of exchanging love letters instead of gifts
for Christmas, and giving the money we would have spent on ourselves to others. This article presents a follow-up perspective as we enter our
third non-traditional Christmas observance.
Christmas Letters by Melanie Hoffman
In 2002, we
began a new family tradition of exchanging love letters instead of gifts with each other, and using our gift money to help others. Melanie shares her thoughts and feelings in
this article.
Christmas: How it Changed Through the Years by Melanie
Hoffman
Melanie explores the origins and development of
the modern Christmas celebration .
Yule Log by Benjamin Hoffman
Benjamin reports on the origin and
meaning of the Yule Log.
Christmas Trees and Gifts by Jonathan Hoffman
Jonathan investigates the origins
of the Christmas tree and gift giving at Christmas time, and
reflects on the true meaning of Christmas.
Christmas Bells by Joshua Hoffman
Joshua's poetry on Christmas.
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