JUPITER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL – As we all know, Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus through the many traditions that we develop.  

Seeing how these traditions can affect others, it is important that they are what keep people connected to God throughout the holiday. Looking into the many different Christmas traditions around the world, my family shares some unique yearly traditions that have been brought from Poland and into the US.  

Giving insight on this topic, Miki Trzesniowski, who is my brother, talked about how, “Every year our family travels to Poland for Christmas, and we spend time with our grandparents and cousins.” Our traditions are greatly influenced by the rest of our Catholic family. These include things like sharing Christmas wafers or leaving an empty seat at the table for people who are coming by and have nowhere to go.  

During Christmas Eve, he explained how, “We pray and do not eat red meat according to Catholic tradition.” Our family eats many different traditional Polish dishes during Christmas. These include barszcz, pierogi, fish, bigos, and many more. Miki talked about how almost every year we go skiing in Zakopane which is a popular destination amongst Poles during the Christmas season.  

All these traditions reflect the true meaning of Christmas, and as Miki says, “It is all about your direction with Jesus and celebrating Him for coming into this world to die for us.” Seeing all the different ways people celebrate this wonderful holiday today, there is no doubt that these traditions draw God’s people closer to Him.