Celebrations of the Christmas holiday by InterVarsity chapters vary from campus to campus since it’s an intense time of year for students. For many students it not only marks the birth of Christ, but also the end of the fall semester.
“Some chapters focus on Thanksgivings week celebrations because December is so demanding academically,” says Jim Lundgren, InterVarsity vice president and Director of Collegiate Ministries. “Other chapters do a lot during finals week to foster prayer for each other.” Most student chapters try to have some kind of Christmas party. “Many invite international students or non-Christian friends to come learn about the true meaning of Christmas,” he says.
Tye Parks is an InterVarsity Campus Affiliate in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He was invited to participate in an event called “Recipe for a Meaningful Christmas” at Southeast Missouri State University, organized by Catholic Campus Ministries.
“It is easy to let clever marketing and materialism shape our perceptions of Christmas,” he says, “and forget that Christians can be powerful witnesses during this time as they share the gift of Christ.”
Among the ingredients of a meaningful Christmas:
Memories – Memories are part of what set us apart from the rest of God’s creation. We can think of special things that happened at Christmas, or special people we spent that time with. Use this holiday to make some more memories.
Traditions – Your traditions are what make your Christmas special. I don’t know of many families that have steak on Christmas (something my family did when I was growing up) but I am grateful for that unique tradition that my father passed on to me. I hope to one day to do that with my children. So whatever it is, from crafts to flag football, celebrate the fact that you get to have a unique Christmas experience.
Gifts – It sounds materialistic but gifts are important. They communicate that you care about and love the person you give them to and that you want to do something good for them. Even the time you spend with someone can be a gift. Most importantly Christmas is about the gift God gave us, Jesus. God loves us so much that he decided to give us a gift that would allow us to become His children, rather then just His creation. If you haven’t received the Gift of Jesus, I invite you to make this Christmas really meaningful by doing so.
“Christmas is a stressful time for students with final papers and assignments due,” Tye says. “So it was great to see so many students come out to this event. Thirty students attended. I hope they were challenged to make their Christmas holiday meaningful, but more so I pray that they clearly heard about their need for a relationship with Jesus because only He makes for a truly meaningful Christmas.”
For another perspective on Christmas and traditions, the InterVarsity Link website has a story by a Chinese American staff member celebrating Christmas overseas with Muslims.
