American Families Embrace Joy in Traditional and Simple Christmas Celebrations

Each year, the holiday season’s intensity escalated. Advertisements appeared earlier and lawn decorations grew larger and more vibrant. Consumerism—the insatiable desire to buy, spend, and incur debt—became overwhelming.

Quality family time started to fade away, contrary to what parents wished for themselves and their children. A shift was necessary.

This narrative about Christmas resonates with many Americans who feel fatigued by the numerous social and financial pressures that come with the holiday.

This frustration was humorously captured in a social media meme: “The War on Christmas cannot cease until Christmas ceases its illegal occupation of November. I urge the Claus regime to revert to the boundaries established in the Black Friday Agreement.”

However, the mounting pressures of the holiday season can take a toll on both financial stability and emotional health.

More than 40% of adults in the U.S. report experiencing stress during the holidays, as stated by the American Psychological Association. About a third feel that the holidays have turned into a competition.

Premium Picks

In the face of overwhelming holiday obligations, some families have discovered strategies to reduce expectations and cultivate meaningful, joy-filled Christmas celebrations.

While they emphasize their fondness for the Christmas season, they prioritize managing their schedules, establishing financial limits, and concentrating on religious customs.

Anticipation

The holiday season has been extending since 1939 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November. Previously, Thanksgiving occurred on the final Thursday of November, which landed on the 30th that year.

Roosevelt, concerned that a shortened shopping season would hinder the nation’s recovery from the Great Depression, moved Thanksgiving a week earlier. Congress made this change permanent in 1941.

This marked the initiation of Black Friday and what would ultimately be termed “Christmas creep,” the slow elongation of the holiday season. Christmas marketing and store decor have become commonplace by October.

A recurring theme among families that have adjusted their holiday customs is delaying Christmas celebrations until much closer to the actual day. For many, this includes observing Advent—the four weeks leading up to Christmas, as practiced by Roman Catholics and numerous Protestant denominations. The goal is to enhance one’s spiritual life in preparation for celebrating Jesus’s birth.

For Rebecca Teti, 56, from Hyattsville, Maryland, Advent serves as a means to counteract the increasing social and financial burdens of the holiday.

Raised in a household with both Jewish and evangelical Christian influences, which celebrated cultural elements of the season, Teti embraced Catholicism as an adult. After experiencing her oldest child’s first Christmas with extended family, she and her husband, Dennis, reached a pivotal moment.

“We went to the grandparents’ house, and here’s this poor little toddler who would have been perfectly content playing with a tube of cardboard, yet he had to continuously open presents. It felt like way too much,” Teti shared.

Thus, Teti and her husband initiated the Advent tradition with their children. Though the children are now grown, the couple still dedicates the four weeks leading up to Christmas to prayer and reflection, rather than festivities or decorating.

“We abstain from parties, lights, and decorations until closer to Christmas,” Teti said. “If I allow myself to get too caught up in all the preparation, it can detract from the celebration.”

Delayed gratification is challenging for our culture to embrace, according to Tracy Hilts, pastor of Living Hope Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Nonetheless, many individuals find joy in the experience of waiting.

Sherry and Nathaniel Binversie from Fort Wayne, Indiana, enhance the anticipation of Christmas by displaying an Advent wreath and candles on their dining room table.

A traditional Advent wreath usually consists of four candles, with one being lit each week of the Advent season.

“We light the candles at every meal,” Sherry Binversie, 32, explained to The Epoch Times. “It helps us mark the time as we await the light of Christ.”

The Teti and Binversie households also wait until Epiphany to exchange gifts within their immediate families. This holiday, celebrated on Jan. 6, commemorates the visit of the three wise men, who brought gifts to Jesus, following the traditional 12 Days of Christmas that symbolize the Magi’s journey.

“This practice has worked wonderfully for us because it shifts the focus of Christmas morning away from gifts and toward the joy of Christ’s arrival and the pleasure of being with loved ones,” Teti shared.

The children enjoyed the freedom to choose what they wanted to eat from Christmas until New Year’s Day—ice cream on a Monday? Absolutely, it’s Christmas!

Families we encountered find their Christmases richer and more enjoyable when they emphasize its spiritual significance. This tends to involve traditional religious practices—while many attend church services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, most of their celebrations occur at home and include the entire family.

Kathleen and Vincent Birch of Fort Wayne, Indiana, utilize an Advent calendar to countdown the days to Christmas with their eldest child. This calendar features a series of numbered openings or compartments hiding a treat or item.

“Our Advent calendar doesn’t just have sweets,” Kathleen Birch, 30, shared with The Epoch Times. “It contains Scripture verses, and we work to discuss it with our son—who is 3.”

Other families, like Carla and Cory Gonyo from the Quad Cities area of Iowa, have utilized a Jesse Tree to convey the significance of Christmas to their children. A Jesse Tree is decorated with ornaments symbolizing various aspects of Jesus’s coming, from ancient prophecy to his birth in Bethlehem. The name comes from Jesse, the father of King David, who is an ancestor of Jesus.

“I still possess it,” Carla Gonyo, 52, reminisced about the tree she used when her children were young. “Each ornament signifies a different part of Jesus’s chronological story.”

Many of these families strive for a daily devotional time, often including Advent-themed songs, children’s literature, or movies. Some choose a combination of biblical narratives and secular Christmas tales or films.

Giving

For numerous Americans, gift-giving is the essence of Christmas and brings joy to children. Although these families indulge in this tradition, they remain cautious not to let the presents overshadow what they believe to be the true Christmas gift: God’s love for humanity and affection toward one another.

Carla Gonyo remarked that her time spent in a developing country, where minimal gifts engendered immense gratitude, heightened her awareness of the gifts’ expectations around Christmas.

While she cherishes giving presents, especially to her grandchildren, she opts for fewer, more thoughtful gifts.

Last year, Gonyo presented her adult children with recipe boxes filled with handwritten family recipes. “That’s what my mom did for me when I got married,” Gonyo reflected. “And I love seeing her handwriting because it connects me to her.”

Some families have chosen to make serving others part of their tradition, whether by volunteering at a soup kitchen or donating to charity during the holiday season.

Jessica and Kolby DeWitt from Sioux City, Iowa, kick off their season with a representation of an empty manger, used for feeding animals.

Every time one of their six children, aged 1 to 10, performs a kind act—like aiding a sibling or tidying up the house unprompted—they add a piece of straw to the manger, symbolically preparing it for baby Jesus, who was laid in a manger at his birth.

“They are practicing small acts of self-denial and focusing on how they can assist others,” shared Jessica DeWitt, 32. “I’ve been emphasizing that our focus should be more on Jesus. How can we support others in doing the same?”

Christmas is also a joyous occasion for children, including gift exchanges, even if they are simpler or lesser in quantity.

Birch indicated that she and her husband plan to limit their children’s gifts following a tradition learned from family members.

“We’re aiming to give him three gifts, inspired by the three gifts of the Wise Men,” she said. “Each gift will have a meaning connected to the birth of Christ.”

The gifts from the Wise Men included gold (a valuable item), frankincense (used in prayers), and myrrh (a medicinal balm). Many families have adopted this idea, gifting their children one cherished item, a spiritual gift like a book, and a practical present, such as clothing.

Simplicity

Overall, these Christmas celebrations emphasize less activity, not more, to create what they deem a special holiday. This approach extends to their religious traditions.

“We understand there are numerous beautiful, wonderful, and rich traditions available,” Binversie stated. “However, if we attempt to fulfill them all, it would feel more like a checklist.”

Gonyo added: “We still exchange gifts and enjoy the holidays. It’s crucial that the celebration centers around what truly matters for our family.”

“It’s genuinely about love,” she explained. “Loving God, embracing truth, and honoring Him in our lives and hearts.”

Many traditional holiday activities remain common among these families, such as festive gatherings, gift exchanges, beloved Christmas tunes and films, and favorite dishes. This frequently involves attending church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, followed by quality family time.

“We make a conscious effort to do nothing on Christmas Day—purely rest and enjoy family time,” stated Birch, who alternates Christmas Day between her parents and in-laws. “We’ll enjoy a special meal and simply hang out, play games, and relax.”

“We have fruitcake,” added Gonyo, whose mother-in-law bakes numerous batches yearly. “The world may be divisive over fruitcake, but I must say, if you dislike it, you just haven’t tried hers.”

What sets these observances apart is the absence of the stress that frequently overwhelms individuals during the holidays.

“I approach Christmas without dread from not completing my shopping list,” Binversie reflected. “We can join together in singing Christmas carols, have dance celebrations in the living room, or simply savor hot cocoa while taking in the Christmas lights.”

DeWitt expressed: “I feel a greater sense of calm during the holiday period. I haven’t experienced the Christmas blues.”

For Teti, that serenity encapsulates the essence of Christmas.

“If we can grasp the fears of a flawed world and truly recognize our limitation to mend things, there’s profound joy in understanding that a savior exists,” she said. “And that’s the uplifting message we’re commemorating.”