Wonder of Christmas: Finding Your Rhythm

Editorial note: At Wonder Voyage, wonder is at the heart of everything we do. That focus doesn’t change during the holidays. This Christmas, we are celebrating wonder by sharing some stories and traditions of the holiday season.

In mid-November, my 7-year-old son began playing Kidz Bop Christmas music. I called a foul ball, but it’s hard to blame him. Everyone in my family is excited as we approach the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. The day after Thanksgiving we’ll transform the house for Christmas and for the next month we’ll be ALL CHRISTMAS, ALL THE TIME.

For our family, the transformation of the household is not only a celebration; it is the start of preparation of our hearts for the coming of Christ. In the Catholic tradition, the season of Advent is also known as “little Lent.” For it is during this time through January 6 (Feast of the Baptism of Christ) that we prepare our home and hearts and celebrate the entrance of Jesus into the world. During this season, we seek to spend more time together, at church, in prayer and reading. This means we avoid the daily distractions that normally eat up our time in favor of reflection, communion, and celebration. During this season, our family is challenged to show more generosity as Christ is the exemplar of kindness, of thinking about others, and not so much about ourselves.

Our Christmas traditions are both the reflection and expression of our love for each other, for God, and for our neighbors. My hope is that you are creating and nurturing your own rhythms during the holiday that foster wonder in the hearts of your family.