Traditions

 

I’ve been seeing a lot about “The Elf on the Shelf” tradition lately, and I just can’t stop from commenting. FYI: I’m a Grinch when it comes to many commonly excepted holiday traditions because of what they communicate and how much they distract – so be forewarned.  For the sake of brevity…I’m gonna stick to the Elf for this post. According to Wikipedia,

A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society…the word “tradition” itself derives from the Latin tradere or traderer literally meaning to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping. While it is commonly assumed that traditions have ancient history, many traditions have been invented on purpose, whether that be political or cultural, over short periods of time.

In other words, traditions are meant to teach or transmit important truths to future generations. The Elf on the Shelf is one of those traditions more recently invented. So the question becomes, “for what purpose was this ritual created?” One answer might be: to generate consumers of a particular product (that is, the Elf merchandise). A more generous answer might be: to facilitate family “play” and teach us something special about Christmas…but what, exactly, does the Elf teach? Here’s what the product website says,

The tradition begins when Santa sends his scout elves out to Elf Adoption Centers. … Once named, each scout elf will receive its Christmas magic and become a part of the family’s Christmas each and every year. Excellent listeners and even better observers, these scout elves are the eyes and ears of Santa Claus…Each night, after the family goes to bed, the scout elf uses his magical Christmas powers to fly back to the North Pole. Once there, the elf will make his or her daily report to Santa…On Christmas Eve, the scout elf will listen for Santa’s bell and then fly back to the North Pole until the next season, wishing every girl and each boy a Christmas of peace and a year full of joy.

Let’s recap the “truths” that this tradition is meant to communicate (in my cynical opinion):

• Santa Claus, not God the Father, desires us to be “good” and watches our behavior from a distance using magical Elf spies.

• The level of satisfaction we get out of Christmas (i.e. how many presents we get) depends on our being “good” for a few weeks so that our Elf will give a decent report to Big Brother Santa.

• When we anticipate Christmas Day, we are looking forward to Santa’s arrival/the Elf’s departure NOT the commemoration of Jesus’ birth.

Some might argue that such traditions don’t displace the Christian story, but, rather, compliment…or at least, parallel it. Others might contend that its all in good fun. However, when your child thinks back to Christmases past,  what will he or she recall? When November comes around next year, what tradition will your child get the most excited about resurrecting in the coming month? Will it be the reading of the gospel story, the singing of hymns, the making of chrismons? Or will it be a sneaky little toy elf who did silly things in the weeks before opening presents?

I know this may seem harsh or extreme to most, but the truth is, what we do with our children matters. They remember these traditions that we erect. They learn from them. Traditions communicate something…and as Christians, we are called to train our children up in the Lord. What we teach them at Christmas (or any other time), they will also pass on to their children:

Psalm 7:2-7

I will open my mouth in a parable;

    I will utter dark sayings from of old,

³ things that we have heard and known,

    that our fathers have told us.

⁴ We will not hide them from their children,

    but tell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,

    and the wonders that he has done.

⁵ He established a testimony in Jacob

    and appointed a law in Israel,

which he commanded our fathers

    to teach to their children,

⁶ that the next generation might know them,

    the children yet unborn,

and arise and tell them to their children,

⁷     so that they should set their hope in God

and not forget the works of God,

    but keep his commandments;

Certainly, it’s okay to have fun and goofy traditions that are simply meant to make us laugh. (My family plays “White Elephant” every year on Christmas Eve – and it’s hilarious!) The key is that these rituals don’t distract from the truth of Christmas or the focus on Christ’s incarnation. With everything that we do, we must ask ourselves: What does this tradition communicate or teach to my child/children? What am I passing down to them for safekeeping, and is it the truth of the gospel? Will is help or hinder them from setting their hope in God, remembering His works, and keeping his commandments?

Instead of taking our traditions from the larger secular culture (and often spending lots of money doing it), why not make up ones of our own? What about a game or tradition where we hide a baby Jesus figurine so that the kids have to search for him each day leading up to Christmas? Then we have an adequate tool to explain and remind our children about searching for God through his Son, Emmanuel (God with us). Or why not create a scavenger hunt using images from the gospels…have the children dress us like wise men who are following a distant star to find a distant king? The possibilities are endless, and they can be just as fun as a plastic elf…if we only invest a little thought and effort.