Christmas Cake, Cards, And Carols… How Some Christmas Traditions Began
By DONAL ANTHONY FOLEY The main focus for our Advent preparations for Christmas, should, of course, be on the Gospel accounts of the Nativity of our Lord. But there are also numerous traditions which have grown up around Christmas, which, while not essential, do encourage a Christmas spirit and contribute toward the celebrations. The word “Christmas” goes back almost a thousand years, and is an abbreviation of “Christ’s Mass.” This name, with its focus on the birth of Christ and the Eucharist, is partly a reflection of the fact that there are strong Eucharistic overtones in the Nativity accounts — Bethlehem means “House of Bread,” and Jesus was laid in a manger, a receptacle which was designed to hold fodder…Continue Reading