A Special Christmas Tradition
By Rev. James L. Snyder

As far as I was concerned, one tree looked like another. I could never tell the difference.But my father always assured me,” Son, we’ll know it when we see it.” He was always right. I didn’t know what we were looking for but when we found it, we always recognized it. At least, dad said so and he would not lie about something so important.

A tradition, a friend of mine used to opine, is anything done more than once. He just may have something there. I love tradition, however, many people turn their noses up at the word as though it was a bad thing. I’ve never thought that way. I have always believed tradition is the glue holding families together. This being so, it is important to have the right tradition.

Many important traditions focus on the Christmas season. One tradition in our family centered on the annual Christmas tree. Nobody in our family can remember how this tradition started or even why. I have my suspicions, but some suspicions are better kept to themselves.

Through the years, our Christmas ritual seemed to grow. Each year seemed better than the previous. Of course, it could have been my imagination but what is life without a vivid and expanding imagination. According to my father, no self-respecting family would allow an artificial Christmas tree to invade their home. In his mind, it was sacrilegious and he went to great pains to make sure our Christmas tree each year was worthy of our family celebration.

Our Christmas tree ritual had three primary elements to it.

The first element was cutting our own Christmas tree. This called for finding the right tree for our living room. One year, I remember, my father brought a tree home and could not get it through the front door. He ended up cutting off the top of the tree. The top alone became our Christmas tree that year. Most years, it took my father several months before he found just the right tree for our Christmas celebration. He started his Christmas tree quest around the first of September. Years later I discovered this was just his excuse for getting out of the house and walking the fields. As I got older, I was allowed to join him in this all-important pursuit for the right Christmas tree.

“What are we looking for?” I queried my father.

“The best looking Christmas tree in the world,” he replied.

As far as I was concerned, one tree looked like another. I could never tell the difference. But my father always assured me,” Son, we’ll know it when we see it.” He was always right. I didn’t know what we were looking for but when we found it, we always recognized it. At least, dad said so and he would not lie about something so important.

When we did find the right tree, Dad and I always shared a moment of admiration, teaching me the importance of admiring God’s creation. Whether my father was manipulating my imagination or not I probably will never know All I know is, every year we had the perfect Christmas tree. Once found, the tree had to be cut. And not just any old way would do for dear old dad. “There’s a right way and there’s a wrong way to cut a Christmas tree,” he instructed me.

The second element of our Christmas tree tradition was setting it up in our living room. This according to my father, was men’s work. Not set properly, the tree could tip over and potentially ruin our Christmas. Dad and I worked the good part of an afternoon making sure the tree was properly set. I can still smell the fragrance of those freshly cut trees.

Decorating the tree was a different matter, which was mother and my sister’s job. Once the tree was set, we would leave it in their capable hands.

The last element of our Christmas tree tradition was disposing of the tree in the dignity it deserved. Dad and I, after my mother and sister had removed all of the decorations, would remove the tree out into the backyard. There we would set it up for the birds that chose to winter in our backyard. We would put all kinds of things on the tree for the birds, everything from seeds to peanut butter. I asked about the peanut butter once and he smiled, “It’s for the squirrels.”

The importance of family traditions is not what a family does, but that a family does it together.

The Reverend James L. Snyder is an author whose writings have appeared in more than 80 periodicals, including Guideposts. In Pursuit of God: The Life of A.W. Tozer, Snyder’s first book, won the Reader’s Choice Award in 1992 from Christianity Today. Snyder has authored nine books altogether. Through 30 years of ministry, he and his wife Martha have been involved in three church-planting projects prior to their current ministry at the Family of God Fellowship in Ocala, Florida. The Snyders have three children and four grandchildren.