Christmas and what it really means: Tips for keeping us rooted in faith
Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy preview the new ‘All American Christmas’ book
Fox News’ Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy debut their holiday book on ‘Fox News Live.’
Christmas decorations have been up for weeks and holiday tunes can be heard everywhere. Yet as the new book "All American Christmas" makes clear, as important as secular traditions are to so many of us all over the country — and as much as they keep us connected with our loved ones — we need to remind ourselves why we're really celebrating this month.
We are wise to focus on "the role that religion plays" in the "celebrations of the Savior’s birth" during the Christmas season, as Fox News Channel's Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy note in the introduction to their new book.
"In our secular culture, it's easy to forget that Jesus is the reason for the season," says Campos-Duffy.
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Check out more of this important inspiration related to Christmas, all drawn from the stories, traditions, and memories that are featured throughout "All American Christmas."
There is, in fact, a blessed and profound reason that Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas. That clear focus — the emphasis on God's great gift — can calm us, cheer us, encourage us, and help us stay rooted in what really matters.
Inspiration from ‘All American Christmas’
"Sean and I share a real passion for Christmas, and we fully embrace the whole holiday season from Advent (the four weeks leading up to Christmas) all the way through to Epiphany, or Three Kings’ Day, which is on January 6, when we celebrate and open gifts again. On January 6, our children put their shoes under our family altar table in the living room. Instead of leaving cookies and milk like they did for Santa, they fill their shoes with sugar for the camels. In the morning, the Three Wise Men have left each of them three gifts, just as they brought the baby Jesus three gifts — frankincense, gold, and myrrh."
—Rachel Campos-Duffy, cohost of "Fox and Friends Weekend," host of "Moms" on Fox Nation, and co-author of the new book
Some of the Duffy children are shown honoring the true meaning of the Christmas season. This sweet photo and many others appear in ‘All American Christmas.’ (Courtesy Duffy family/Jessica Kopecky)
"Christmas plays a large part in our lives. It is the day Jesus was born, and our family enjoys celebrating that very necessary and important holiday. He was born on Christmas and rose from the dead on Easter. His birth, death, and resurrection are the ultimate gift, and God the ultimate giver. We have only to receive with grateful hearts … The way in which we celebrate may be different, but the spirit of Christmas endures forever."
—Ainsley Earhardt, cohost of "Fox & Friends"
GIFTS MEANT TO BE PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE GENERATIONS
"My parents instilled in us the idea that even if you don’t have much, you can still give. Among the meals we prepared at Christmas, many were reserved to help feed the homeless in our church community. My mama became a minister, and for her, one of the most important things you could give, something that didn’t cost you a thing but time, was a prayer or a kind word … The lesson was clear: just get out there and be of service to those in need."
—Lawrence Jones, enterprise reporter at "Fox & Friends"
This beautiful Christmas manger scene shows figurines representing Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men and more. (File)
"God gave us the gift of His son to show us the way toward salvation. That’s why we celebrate Christmas, that’s why we go home to be with family, that’s why we go to God’s house to celebrate with Him. And there, in our homes and in our churches, we lift up our voices in song to Him who is our Savior, our Redeemer."
—Lauren Green, Fox News Channel's chief religion correspondent based in New York
"As a child I would say ‘Merry Christmas’ to everyone, everywhere I went. I liked saying it and I liked seeing people’s reactions. I still do. But as I got older, and as I grew more firm in my Roman Catholic beliefs, it became more and more important to me to try to remember each step of the way what it’s really all about. It’s like Linus says in ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’: ‘I can tell you what Christmas is all about.’ He asks someone to turn on a spotlight. He then launches into Luke’s Gospel of the Nativity story. ‘The angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid …’ Now he’s got all his unruly friends’ attention, and they listen, rapt, to the true meaning of Christmas. Keeping that true meaning the focus is important."
—Martha MacCallum, anchor and executive editor of "The Story with Martha MacCallum"
‘All American Christmas’ by Rachel Campos-Duffy and her husband, Fox News contributor Sean Duffy, is available now.
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Excerpted from the new book All American Christmas by Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy. To purchase your copy, click here.
