For some people, the Christmas holidays are mostly about spending time with family and friends, eating good food, having nice presents, and decorating their home in a fun and pretty way. However, while some people enjoy the more secular aspects for Christmas like Santa Claus and snuggling up to their favorite Christmas movies, for some Christians it can feel like the real religious reason we have a holiday on December 25th has been overshadowed a little. While everybody has their own ideas of what the perfect Christmas is like, if you prefer yours to be about Jesus, then it can be nice to look for things with the more Christian aspects of the holiday at their core, especially when it comes to decorations.
Here are three ways to incorporate things relating to the birth of Jesus into your home’s Christmas décor:
Nativity Scenes
The nativity is the story that the Christmas celebrations stem from, with Jesus being born in a manger in Bethlehem. While more modern stories have now become a part of the image of Christmas, like Santa and his elves, and some things relating to winter festivals that were traditional long before Christmas itself became a holiday, like Yule logs and snowmen, if you want your Christmas decorations to serve as a reminder of Jesus’ birth then a nice nativity scene is a must have. Whether you go for a small, ornate nativity inside your home, or a beautiful more life sized one in your garden, the scene of Mary and baby Jesus in the stable with the animals, shepherds and wise men is a lovely one to use in your festive decorations.
The Star
While a Christmas tree itself is a fairly recent tradition, which originally started in Germany (as did many of the modern things we associate with the holidays – Germany has always been a nation that really loves Christmas!), the star at the top of the tree is a reference to the star that the wise men from the East followed to find baby Jesus in Bethlehem and present him gifts as the newborn king. Some people now choose all kinds of different things for the top of the tree, from dolls that resemble fairies or angels through to abstract decorations that are just meant to add some sparkle and a pretty look, but the star is the traditional tree topper that reminds us of the Christmas story.
Gold
The most used colors in Christmas decorations are red and green, however using gold ornaments is also quite popular. Gold is used as a reminder of the first gift the baby Jesus was given by the wise men, who according to the bible gave him gold because they believed him to be the king that had been prophesized to them. Golden accents on your table setting for your Christmas meal, or in your general home decorations, keep with this part of the story of the first Christmas.
It can be easy to make your Christmas décor one that reminds you more of Jesus’ birth than of more commercial and secular aspects of the day like Santa, snow and gifts!