Spooky Christmas for a Large Blended Family

Catholic Blended Family Series

How can Christmas ever be spooky? It can be when a couple and their nine children face the cold weather in December to visit 9 cemeteries in their local area on a bright Christmas Day.

Are they planning to give their presents to the dead? Isn't Christmas about spending time with family with lots of cheers, singing carols, and gift-giving? Isn't the true meaning of Christmas about Jesus?

The 9 children wore their winter jackets and jumped into their two vans. The activity is nothing strange to them. Mom and Dad, in separate vans, drove the children to the first cemetery near their neighborhood. For one thing, South Carolina has a seemingly endless number of grave sites per square miles. Since Upstate Greenville is considered a part of the Bible belt, the area is infiltrated with Protestant Churches with cemeteries on their properties.

Dad and Mom pulled out their novena sheets containing 9 prayers for each cemetery that they will visit. The couple passed it to their children and each gathered together in a circle.

The 18-year old teenager boy led the group in the first novena prayer for the "Holy Souls". After the prayers, each child pulled out their list. Each child's list contains people they know in their lives who had passed away. Some were their Great Uncles and Aunts, others were their friends in school, some were relatives that recently died, and others were family friends.

At the end of their intentions, they fervently prayed for the very special personal petition to God. Then, off they ran to their vans and proceeded to go to the cemetery number 2.

There are important Catholic values that are imparted by Dad and Mom in this unique Family Christmas tradition. Christmas has been a gift-giving tradition in our society. Christian children are clear in understanding the Christmas celebration is about the birth of Jesus. What can we give our Lord as a Christmas present? Didn't God give His only Son as His gift to mankind?