Christ + Mass = Christmas by Nina Faye Morey

I remember how amazed I was when I was making cards and my teacher told me how to spell Christmas. Until I was eight years old, I had no idea that the first five letters spelled the title of the King of Kings. ~ Bruce Atchison

While Bruce had no idea as a youngster that the “Christ” in Christmas referred to the King of Kings, I was a young adult before I realized that the “mas” referred to the word, “Mass.” Having grown up in a family that was nominally Protestant, I wasn’t familiar with either the word “Mass” or “Eucharist” until I married into a devout Roman Catholic family.

I still remember how stunned I felt when I heard my husband explaining to our little ones what the word “Christmas” meant. It was one of those “slap the forehead” moments for me. I had never given any thought to the meaning of the “mas” part of the word. Now that it had been pointed out, it seemed so obvious it referred to “Christ’s Mass.” Of course, I knew that it was a commemoration of Christ’s birth, but my family’s holiday celebrations focused more on the secular aspects. I decided to look up the meaning of some of the other words associated with this celebration. I discovered that “Nativity” was derived from the Latin word, nātīvitās, meaning “birth.” Another familiar seasonal word, “Noel,” from the Old French word, noël, is also derived from this Latin word.

As a youngster, I never attended any Christmas religious services with my family. However, I do recall attending regular church services a couple of times with my dad. I fondly remember enjoying stories and colouring pictures in Sunday School on those occasions. In my early teens, I sometimes attended a church service while visiting a devout aunt. A classmate invited me to summer Bible camp one year and, occasionally, to some of her church’s youth activities. But Christmas mainly consisted of Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, Christmas presents, Christmas stories, and, of course, Christmas dinner with family when I was young.

After I was married, Christmas came to mean so much more. A major part of the celebrations was attending Midnight Mass with my husband and his family. Then my mother-in-law would have all the family members present over to her house for a late-night snack. To her, a “snack” was no meager amount of food, even at this late hour. I enjoyed this whole Christmas Eve tradition immensely. It carried on for many years, despite the increase in her family’s size through marriage and grandchildren, until she no longer felt able to continue. I cherish those memories and still miss her contribution to our Christmas celebrations.

As a young mom, I wanted to provide a different Christmas experience for my children. Sure, we had the usual festivities associated with Christmas: Christmas baking, decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping Christmas presents, watching Christmas movies, and reading children’s stories like “The Night before Christmas.” But a miniature Nativity scene was added to our holiday decorations, and I enjoyed reading them the biblical story of Jesus’s birth. And, of course, we always attended Christmas Mass—just not the midnight one until they were old enough.

Having discovered both the “Christ” and the “Mass” in Christmas, I now enjoy the full meaning, spirit, and blessings of the season. All those precious Christmas gifts and colourful Christmas lights pale in comparison to the One who is the true gift and light of Christmas:

Every good and perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows.

~ James 1:17 (NIV)

Merry Christmas, everyone! May you experience the peace and joy of Christ in your hearts and souls this Christmas.

Photo Credit: © 2017 Nina Faye Morey