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 Having religious Christmas decorations on display for the holidays reminds people of the true meaning behind the celebration. It’s easy to get lost in the commercialization of the season, making Christmas all about Santa Claus and buying the “perfect gift” for everyone on your list. But even the smallest religious memorabilia will help everyone take a moment to reflect on celebrating Christ’s birth and what that means for each of us.
One of the most common religious Christmas decorations of choice for the Christmas season is the Nativity scene. The Holy Family of Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus in a manger filled with animals. Then there are the three wise men arriving to adore the baby Jesus, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. You can find numerous adaptations of the Nativity scene on the market. There are table top displays, outdoor nativity scenes for your yard and smaller scale nativity’s that only contain the Holy Family. During the holiday season there are many different churches that put up live Nativity scenes for their congregants to come and see. Large and life size decorative figurines come in real handy for this type of larger scale display. Another item that may be of importance in your Nativity choice is a removable Jesus. Some may choose to leave the crib empty until midnight on Christmas eve, or Christmas day when he is supposed to be born.
Another beautiful display of religious Christmas decorations is adding angels in your motif. This doesn’t have too much of a specific religious connotation, like a nativity scene, but it gives a more ecumenical ambiance that can include Hanukkah, if you want to include Jewish coworkers at your place of employment, or at a holiday party for coworkers at your home.
An Advent calendar or Advent wreath are used to count down the season of advent which is what Catholics use to count down the four weeks prior to Christmas. The Advent calendar has since been adapted to involve everyone in the Christmas celebrating community. You can now find calendars that allow families to count down days or receive a treat with little pocket holders. There are many different styles and people who are unaware of the Advent season may have no idea that they are religious Christmas decorations, but it is so much fun to see children’s faces light up as they get to open or mark off each day on their calendar.
Some religious Christmas decorations do not really seem to be religious at all, it’s not until you take time to really think about why you are using it do you realize that it could have some additional meaning behind the product. One thing that comes to my mind is the star. Even though you may not realize it the star displayed is to remember how the Three Wise Men found their way to Bethlehem to adore Jesus. The North Star guided their journey and when you see a star displayed on the top of a tree, remember the significance it carries.
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