‘In this room: everything I loved about Christmas’

By Kelly Donnelly
Contributing writer

Advent is here and with it, my love for the entire Advent and Christmas seasons.  I absolutely love Christmas.  I didn’t think my love for Christmas was anything out of the ordinary, but as many people have commented that I love Christmas more than anyone they know, perhaps it is.

I love the music, the lights, the baked goodies, and the willingness for strangers and neighbors alike to go out of their ways to help one another.  I love the joy, the wonder and awe, and the genuine sentiments of peace and goodwill that are readily expressed.  But I think more than anything, I love the profound realization of Christ's humility and love for us.

God’s love for us is reflected in His willingness to become man, a humble man, humble from His birth in a manger to His death on a cross.  This is a realization that strikes me each year, and each year, it is just as poignant as the last.

When I was a yearlong fulltime volunteer through Franciscan Volunteer Ministry in Wilmington, Delaware my first year out of college (’09-’10), I explicitly saw this humility reflected.  One of the ministries I was involved with as a volunteer was working with migrant workers, horse groomers at a racetrack, who were Hispanic, predominately Mexican.  Their living and working conditions were unlike anything most of us can imagine.  They work difficult, manual labor jobs for incredibly long hours for low wages, living in very basic housing.

Oftentimes they were separated from loved ones for long periods of time, and had witnessed many tragedies. 
My volunteer work with the migrant workers was primarily a ministry of presence.  Weekly, I would go to Mass with them, and after Mass, provide or help serve some snacks, and we would converse with the migrant workers. 

Despite the language barriers, I came to know and love them, continually amazed by their joy and faith amidst hardships I couldn’t imagine.   

December brought a change in our normal routine as I was exposed to Las Posadas. A Mexican tradition which is traditionally celebrated during the nine days preceding Christmas, Posadas involves going to a different person’s house each night.  It begins with half of the people going  inside the house and half staying outside the house, singing a special song back and forth to each other, those on the inside representing the Innkeeper and those on the outside, Mary and Joseph. 

Eventually everyone ends up inside, a figure of the Christ child is placed in a Nativity, and the celebration continues with singing, praying, and enjoying one another’s company.  The person hosting the evening’s Posadas provides food and goodies, such as tamales, tostadas, and atole (a hot drink). 

The first Posadas that I attended was in a little house that was filled with more people than I dreamt was possible to fit.  Despite having very little, the hosts went out of their way to provide food and drink for all.  People jumped in with their individual talents, singing or playing the guitar.  Young and old alike, people who had just come to the US and some who had been here for quite some time, everyone was joyfully gathered in this moment. As I looked around the living room at that first Posadas that I attended, I realized that in this room was everything I truly love about Christmas. People were gathered to remember and rejoice in the gift of Christ.  People who, similar to Christ, were willing to humbly give all that they have.  People who were not consumed with the next big deal or accomplishing everything on a long list of to-dos, but instead focused on God’s love for us and reflecting that love to those they were surrounded with. In that room, I saw what Christmas is really about expressed beautifully.

Looking over my journal entry shortly after that night I wrote, “Sometimes something is just so meaningful, so perfect, that you know it means more than just that moment.  Posadas was like that for me.”

Indeed, it was more than that moment.  It was, and will continue to be, a reminder of what I love about Christmas.