3 kinds of tradition during Christmas

Not all customs during Christmas season are Christmas tradition. For example, St. Claus or St. Nicholas is not Christmas tradition, instead, supplementary tradition. The customs can be broken into 3 categories:

1. Christmas tradition
2. Supplementary tradition
3. Anti-Christmas tradition

Discriminating these traditions is critical to prevent us from confusing them.

A. Christmas tradition

Christmas tradition is the heart of Christmas tradition. It includes:

1. Singing Christmas song (Luke 2: 13-14, 20)
2. Christmas story (Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-3)
3. Meditating and remembering Christmas story in Bible (2 Timothy 2: 8, Luke 2: 19)
4. Christmas light festival (originated in Hanukkah and John 1: 9)
5. Christmas week (traditional time frame in Bible to observe biblical festivals)
6. Christmas service or Christmas mass (follow example of the angels in Luke 2: 13-14)
7. Christmas gift as The GOD gave His gift —Jesus — to the world (John 3:16). For example, social service to the poors.
8. Pray
9. Heavenly joyful moment (Luke 2: 13-14, 20)
10. Peace greetings (Luke 2: 14)

Christmas tradition is about Christ born in this world.

B. Supplementary Tradition

Supplementary tradition includes any custom attached to Christmas under various motives. This often refers as “Secular Christmas”, including:

1. Popular kid toys, such as Christmas tree (originated in Paradise Play, part of Christmas Play)
2. St. Nicholas/ St. Claus (originated in St. Nicholas, bishop Myra)
3. Christmas food and beverage.
4. Christmas fashion, such as, white-red night cap, pajama, and boots.
5. Christmas arts, such as Christmas poetry.
6. Folk festival
7. Christmas discount
8. Christmas shopping
9. Christmas allowance
10. Local positive customs to welcome Christmas
11. Christmas parade (Alert, it easily and potentially slip into category C! )

Supplementary tradition should be managed in order to avoid it from migrating to C group.

C. Anti-Christmas Tradition

Anti-Christmas tradition includes any tradition aiming at destroying Christmas tradition (point A). It includes:

1. Sex party
2. Binge drinking
3. Getting drunk
4. Prostitution along with Christmas season
5. Gambling, such as, carding, dicing, etc
6. “Christmas” fashion exploiting physical body.
7. Extortion in the name of Christmas
8. Any criminal acts
9. Initiating war
10. Immorality
11. Disinformation against Christmas and anti-Christmas arguments