Every family has traditions associated with special days: Christmas, birthdays, Easter, etc. One tradition of our family when our children were growing up was celebrating a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas Eve. We generally went to the vigil Mass and then came home to a big dinner: roast beef, mashed potatoes, an assortment of sides, and a big birthday cake. After dinner we would have a procession around the house singing Christmas carols and ending at the nativity scene. The youngest carried Baby Jesus to place in the manger. The other children carried candles. I think we may even have carried the cake. Did we sing Happy Birthday when we reached the stable? I can't remember, but we always sang Away in the Manger as the youngest placed the baby in the crib. What a happy evening that was with candlelight and song, and a big slice of birthday cake.
Christmas Eve for us these days is usually a couple's event. In the past, we went several times to celebrate with our youngest daughter and her family. Their Christmas Eve tradition is to attend the vigil Mass and then go to the Japanese steak house for the dinner "show" with the onion flaming volcano, the flying shrimp, and the egg tossed and caught in the chef's hat. It was lots of fun and the kids love it. But I'm not really a fan of the food and these days we hate driving on the interstate in the dark, so we stopped joining a few years ago. Now have a quiet dinner at home just the two of us, sometimes with a fancy coffee while we enjoy the Christmas lights and listen to carols.
Talking about traditions the other night, my husband and I decided to resurrect our birthday party for Jesus. I'll make a special dinner this year and maybe even set places for Mary and Joseph at the table. Then we'll have our own procession from the Advent wreath in the family room to the dining room to place baby Jesus in the manger and sing a joyful song unto the Lord.
It thrills my heart to think of it. Childish? No. Child-like? Yes. And aren't we all children before the Lord? He recognizes our tantrums and patiently corrects us when we rebel and invites us to become responsible adults accepting our weaknesses and those of others, repenting of our sins, and basking in His never-ending, always-forgiving love. Charity/love above all as St. Paul reminds us. It's the only theological virtue that never ends.
Come, Lord Jesus, come!
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