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28 DECEMBER 2020 | DENVER CATHOLIC E very family is called to build a culture in their home, with unique traditions and practices. The season of Christmas is a great opportunity to make this a reality and to center it around Christ. Fortunately, Christmas and its preparation already have long-standing and rich traditions that can help us enter into the Mystery of the Nativity as a family. Here we explain some of the Christmas practices along with their Christian meanings. It's important for Christians to recover their religious meanings, as they are palpable signs that can help parents pass on the faith to their children in an engaging way. CH R I S T M A S T R E E A N D L I G H T S One of the most common Christian sym- bols is the Christmas tree: we see it in homes, churches and even public places. While there are different theories of the true origin of the Christmas tree, the most important part of this practice is that it is a symbol that comes from an act of faith and can be used to highlight the true meaning of Christmas. One of the most popular theories for the origin of this symbol has to do with the figure of St. Boniface. The story says that in the eighth century an English monk named Boniface arrived to Germany to preach the Gospel. As it turned out, he had his work of evangelization cut out for him, as the Germans had very different beliefs and rituals, one of which involved a tree. St. Boniface struck down the tree with a blow of his ax and then used it as a sign from God. He decorated it with apples, which represented Transmitting the faith through Christmas traditions CH R I STMA S How to create a family culture through popular practices BY VLADIMIR MAURICIO-PEREZ Managing Editor of El Pueblo Católico BY ROCIO MADERA Communications Specialist