5 minute read

By Bethany Rees

Christmas is about and should always be focused on the greatest gift of all: the birth of Jesus Christ as our savior. 

But a Christmas traditional meal of ham or turkey...now that is something to be played with. 

Is your family stuck in a rut with Christmas get-togethers? If so, here’s an idea to help you think outside of the  “turkey box.” 

Back in 2006 my husband's family had a rather large discussion about being bored with hosting a traditional Christmas dinner of turkey. Everyone agreed that we needed to spice up what we were eating, but I don’t think any of us were prepared for what opening this door to change in tradition would do to CHANGE how we view the world.

Thank You Football

It all began with football and John Madden's description of what a Turducken was (a chicken stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turkey). Back in 2006, the family was watching football and learned about the amazing turducken and it’s New Orleans flair. The family had a lot of ties to and time spent in New Orleans through their employer, so right then and there we decided that the turducken was the answer to spicing up our Christmas dinner. 

But we didn’t stop with the turducken. You see, I have the most amazing and fun in-laws anyone could ask for. Their openness to new and different ideas is unmatched. Through much family brainstorming, the turducken led to a full out 5 alarm Cajun Christmas filled with red beans and rice, jambalaya, bread pudding dessert, and the book Cajun Night Before Christmas. 

From this one different holiday where our family became open to changing what we had always known: turkey, hash brown casserole, green bean casserole, corn, cranberry sauce (that nobody ate), and rolls - what we were really doing is opening up our minds to the freedom that there were other ways to celebrate the Christmas meal beyond our own country Arkansas folk traditions. 

A New Tradition is Born

The 2006 Cajun Christmas led to 12 years of a multicultural Christmas where our family would choose various countries/regions and research their culture and Christmas traditions. We learned about the history of Christmas celebrations in their country/region, famous food dishes, and special activities. We had matching t-shirts made that showcased country/region symbols and their flag. We also learned how to say Merry Christmas in their native language. 

Here’s a list of what countries/regions we celebrated: 

Remember those matching t-shirts I told you about? Here is a quilt my mother-in-law had made to honor our years of a multicultural Christmas. 

About the food...

Remember how the thought of boring turkey started the new tradition? As we researched food dishes, tried new cultural grocery markets and restaurants (thank you Houston for being so diverse!), we became amazed at the cultural favorites of each country/region.

While researching and taste testing in markets was fun, on the day of our big feast, we took pride in making the cultural dishes ourselves. And let’s just say that the results of yumminess varied (totally our fault as the inexperienced chefs). Each couple was responsible for a recipe and we often used ingredients we had never heard of before. There were many taste tests with eyes squinting and a gag to follow as we failed forward in making and honoring each dish. The end result though was always a beautifully set table, a great learning experience and a fun time with family. 

Christmas 2017 was our last multicultural Christmas as we looked to honor the heritage of the matron of the family, our Meme. Her parents were Polish but lived in the Chicago area. So in honor of our Meme, it wasn't Polish symbols we had on our shirts that year...nope! It was a picture of Meme herself. 

During these twelve years our family learned about and celebrated cultures that differed from our own. This experience expanded our knowledge, opened our minds, stretched our taste buds, and grew our cultural competency (ability to understand, appreciate and interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from one's own). 

We even had some special visitors through the years like a real live gnome from Sweden who brought presents, a wonderful family from Benin dressed in beautiful African fashion, and amazing Polish chefs to teach us the proper way to make perogies.  I am so proud that my children have not just been exposed to, but experienced a multicultural Christmas to help lay the foundation for cultural competency, and to learn the answer to the question: “who is my neighbor?” (See Luke 10:25-37)

Our Newest Family Tradition

Just because we no longer research various countries or cook large ethnic Christmas meals doesn’t mean we’ve stopped honoring other cultures. We now celebrate with local cultures in various regions of the USA. We have switched from a multicultural Christmas to a Christmas experience. We do not exchange presents but save that money to go somewhere “different” and experience the great outdoors in various locations as well as to experience the main street areas of local communities. Since 2017 we have experienced a dude ranch where we rode horses and learned how to lasso, whip, and dance. We have hiked part of the Appalachian in northern Georgia and the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. And this year we will enjoy Christmas on the beach. 

Every time the family gets together we spend most of our time either outdoors enjoying the region or playing games (cards, dominoes, and a homemade marble game that’s like Sorry, Trouble, or Wahoo). To say it is fun, is a total understatement to how it really feels spending time with family. 

So as you go into this Christmas season remember that Christmas is not about gifts or things from a store. It is first and foremost about celebrating the birth of our Savior who came to die for the sins of every person (no matter their sin, background, birthplace, or ethnicity). And second, it is about spending quality time with the ones you love. 

If you feel like you or your family is stuck in a rut in how you celebrate, start the conversation this year to brainstorm how you can spice up your family gatherings all while still honoring the birth of Christ, and maybe even learning about your neighbors around the world.  

Know Better. Do Better. Live Better. Learn About Your Neighbors.

Rocks before Sand!

Scripture: 

“And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

~Luke 10:27

Theme Song: 

Christmas Time by Sammy Davis Junior

Reference Used:

• DeAngelis, Tori.  “In search of cultural competence.” American Psychological Association. March 2015. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/03/cultural-competence 
• The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.