By Samantha Almanza
Director, Diocese of Salt Lake City
Youth and Young Adult Ministry @YouthMin_SLC
What do you think of when you think of Christmas? Is it a jolly chubby man who brings you the latest technological gadgets? Or a courageous red-nosed reindeer that flies around the world in one night? Or maybe you rejoice because you have a few weeks off from school with no homework to do?
When I think of Christmas, I think of my favorite family tradition: singing Christmas carols on Christmas Eve. After my family has attended the vigil Mass and shared a large meal, but before we are allowed to open presents, we have to sing at least five Christmas carols. This is a mandatory part of the evening that was established by my mother.
When I was younger, I hated that we had to sing, because it prolonged the time that I had to wait to open my Christmas presents! But as I got older, I realized how much fun this tradition is, not because my family sings beautifully together in harmony, but because our singing sounds absolutely terrible! None of us are singing the same note, we are all on our own beat, and half of us are making up new words to treasured Christmas carols, but the beautiful part about it is that we are all trying our hardest and we truly enjoy being in each other’s company.
Christmas is the celebration of the coming of the Savior, it is a time of great happiness and rejoicing in all of the things that God has provided. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate that joy than singing off key, with all my heart, surrounded by the wonderful people that God put in my life. My Christmas prayer for all of you is that you find joy in the time you spend with your loved ones and delight in your family’s Christmas traditions. Merry Christmas!
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