The Christmas Cake: Another way to celebrate Christ

A few years back my sons and I were enjoying lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant on Maui – Taco Bell. My oldest noticed a “live mas” sign and asked what ‘mas’ meant. I told him that it is the Spanish word for more. He thought about it for a minute and said, “Mom, I know what Christmas means. It means ‘more Christ’.” The word Christmas does not derive from Spanish. It is of Greek & Latin origin. And the literal meaning has something to do with the Last Supper and Holy Communion, but I prefer my son’s translation. More Christ. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about? Inviting more Christ in to our lives.

With all the parties and presents, and food and festivities it is easy to forget what it is we are celebrating. I’m always looking for more ways to add more Christ to our Christmas. This Christmas cake is one of my family’s favorite Christ-centered Christmas traditions. And it couldn’t be easier, or tastier. Every year I bake a cake to go along with our annual Christmas feast. The details of the cake don’t matter. The flavor and style of the cake are not important. You can make it from scratch or from a box. You can fuss it up with all sorts of festive decor or keep things simple. The point is to have a cake. A birthday cake, to be specific. This cake is Jesus Christ’s birthday cake. It makes sense when you think about it, we are celebrating His birth & no birthday celebration is complete without a cake.

The Christmas Cake

I like to include my boys in the cake making process. They pick the cake flavor they are currently craving then help with the mixing, baking, and decorating. While we work we talk about who we are making the cake for. We talk about Him. We discuss His birth, His life, and His death; about what He has done for us and how grateful we are for Him. Then after our Christmas feast and before we dig in to our desserts we take a second to gather around the Christmas cake and sing happy birthday to the one we are celebrating. I find this physical reminder helps the little ones remember that Christmas is indeed Jesus Christ’s birthday. We started this tradition when my boys were little and many of the Christmas concepts were beyond their comprehension. This simple ceremony was right at their level. Now, years later my family still looks forward to our Christmas cake.