The Pastor’s Piece – Pastor Kevin Cernek, FCFI Chaplain

FCFI

December 14, 2025

Christmas Traditions

When I was a child, we never opened presents before Christmas morning. Some of my friends got to open theirs on Christmas Eve, but we always had to wait that extra sleepless night. Actually, we did open one present on Christmas Eve – a homemade one that we wrapped in old newspaper or brown paper bag wrapping. That may well be one of my most cherished traditions of all. There were 8 of us children in the family who exchanged gifts of all kinds, the only requirement was that it could not be a store bought gift. For weeks, even months before Christmas we would be thinking about what we wanted to get rid of from our junk drawers and who would get what. We would carefully conceal whatever it was we were giving and wrap it up tight and put it under the tree. On Christmas Eve we each got to open those gifts. I can’t ever remember what I received or gave in those homemade gifts, but I remember the fun we had in giving and receiving. They say one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. That was so true back then. It was always good to clean out my junk drawer once a year, and it was even better to give it away instead of throw it away. With any luck at all, I would get it back again next year. Even so, it was still hard to let it go at all.  Of course, my mother was never the happiest about this arrangement, as nothing ever got tossed out, only rearranged among the family members all the time. Maybe that’s why stores like St. Vincents are so popular today, people don’t actually have to throw anything away, you just give all the stuff you’re tired of to someone else. The added plus is you get to feel all good about yourself in the process.

As a child growing up on a dairy farm, each Christmas morning meant we all got up extra early to get the chores done. We gave the animals extra feed and bedding on Christmas – even though they didn’t know what was going on, we felt they needed to celebrate the day as well. There’s nothing like seeing your livestock belly deep in straw, munching contentedly on hay in the predawn hours of Christmas morning. Dad had the added benefit of not being the first one out of the house in the morning for once. 

Once back in the house, we would clean up a little and then all gather around the tree – and wait for the others. The younger ones were always more anxious than the older. The older siblings would purposely delay so as to keep the torture going. Not wanting to be left out, Dad and Mom would make us sit tight while Dad slowly and deliberately read through the Christmas story from the Bible from Luke, chapter two.  “In those days, Caesar Augustus sent out a decree that all the world should be taxed…”  And Mary and Joseph made the trip to Bethlehem on a donkey, had the baby and laid Him in a manger, the angels, the shepherds and finally, “Mary pondered these things in her heart.”  Can we open our presents now? Eventually, when the anticipation could reach no higher, we began opening gifts – never to be disappointed. 

After putting our new toys together and trying everything out, we began to feel the pangs of hunger.  Breakfast on Christmas day was an orange.  Of course, we heard the story year after year, how when dad was a child, the only time of year they ever got to eat an orange was on Christmas morning.  It was so good and so cherished that they even ate the white stuff on the back side of the peel.  They also had to walk to school in the snow, uphill both ways, and study by fire light at night and do their math on the ashes of the furnace shovel – oh wait – that was Abe Lincoln.  At any rate, breakfast was an orange, but we didn’t complain. That afternoon we all traveled to Grandma’s house and enjoyed a huge meal, and we each got to open one more present.

I suppose our Christmas traditions are much the same today. On Christmas Eve we always go to Grandma’s house for food and fun. We eat and laugh and enjoy the gift exchange and the children. At 4:00 p.m. we all travel to church for a candle light service of Christmas carols and the reading of the Christmas story from the Bible.  We then all stand in a circle around the sanctuary, each holding a lit candle and sing Silent Night.  We travel home and climb into bed, anticipating the joy of tomorrow. 

On Christmas morning we open the gifts, then have a breakfast of eggballs, cinnamon rolls, and an orange. We spend much of the time assembling gifts and learning how to use them.

The day after Christmas it’s back to the same old, same old.  But at least for one day, we focus on the birth of our Savior and celebrate His life. I suppose in heaven, it will be Christmas everyday.

(Kevin Cernek is Lead Pastor of Martintown Community Church in Martintown, Wisconsin)