Decorations: We Keep It Rustic
Decorations Related to Humility
The reason we have avoided fancy Christmas decorations is because we wanted to teach our children about the way Jesus “humbled Himself” (Phil. 2:8). He didn’t arrive in glory, but left glory behind (Phil. 2:6). Each Old Testament festival portrayed a different aspect of Christ’s kingdom. Hanukkah pointed to the humility of Christ’s incarnation when “He made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:7). Passover pointed to the next step of humiliation when “being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8). Firstfruits and Pentecost spoke of His resurrection and exaltation. They powerfully pictured the truth that “God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). Each festival after Pentecost had decorations that were appropriate to the theology of the feast, and ended with Purim’s celebration of the Kingship of Christ over every aspect of the world.1
Appropriate ornamentation when celebrating each festival can teach our children the meaning of the feast in ways that transcend oral instruction. We have found that this non-verbal communication is quite effective. Thus, while rich ornaments would be great symbols for Purim, more rustic ornaments better describe the reality of Hanukkah.
Booth, Hut, or Stable
As I mentioned in part 1, Jews considered Hanukkah to be the “Succoth in Chislev,” or a winter version of the Feast of Tabernacles. The booths represented the homeless wandering of the Jews in the wilderness after they came out of Egypt, the branches represented individual believers bound together in one body, and the falling leaves represented our sins being removed. What a marvelous symbol of the birth of Jesus! He was homeless at birth, and had to be placed in an animal’s feeding trough (Luke 2:7). After His birth He was made to wander in the wilderness (Matt 2:13-15). He identified Himself as the New Israel by going down into Egypt and coming up out of Egypt. Since every individual branch is bound up in Jesus, and since we can have no identity outside of Christ, it is quite appropriate to apply Hosea 11:1 to Jesus. Certainly God did, saying, “Out of Egypt I have called My Son” (Matt. 2:15). Christ came to earth in poverty in order to redeem us from our sins (Matt 1:21). A primitive booth or shack is a wonderful symbol of this.
Our family has tied all of these pieces together by making a booth that is also a stable. We have a manger scene in the booth to make it clear that it represents the birth of Jesus. We also store all of our presents in this booth that will be opened on each day of Hanukkah. Any booth, hut, temporary dwelling, or stable would be an appropriate decoration that is rich with symbolism.
The Menorah and Other Candles
Almost everyone recognizes the Menorah to be a part of Hanukkah. Though having two more candles than the temple candlestick, the central candle served the same purpose – to light the others. There are three interesting things about this central lamp that point to Jesus. The first is that it is called the Shamash, or “servant candle,” because it is used to light the others. Jesus was the “Servant” given as a “light to the Gentiles” (Is. 49:6), and in His light every other legitimate light comes into being.
Second, it was called the Ner Elohim, or the Light of God. Jesus was the Light of God (Rev. 21:23).
Third, according to both the Jerusalem Talmud (see Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157) and the Babylonian Talmud (Soncino version Yoma 39:b), the original Shamash was snuffed out exactly forty years before the temple was burned in 70AD and went out every evening for the next forty years. This means that from the moment Jesus was crucified, the Shamash did not work.
But which candlestick should be used, the original seven-branched one or the modern nine-branched one? In one sense it doesn’t matter because, unlike the festivals of Leviticus 23 where every detail was regulated, Hanukkah and Purim were primarily home celebrations with limited requirements and maximum liberty. There were three reasons given by the Jews for using an eight-branched candelabra:
- First, they wanted to clearly distinguish between temple ceremonies and the home ceremonies of Hanukkah. Hanukkah, though celebrating the dedication of the temple, was celebrated in homes.
- Second, the eight candles on each side of the servant candle were symbolic of the eight days of the festival, not symbolic of the temple candlestick.
- Third, it’s not the number of candles that are present (many Hanukkah celebrations have hundreds of candles), but the fact that each of the eight days has an increasing number of candles representing the increase of Christ’s kingdom. Both Hanukkah and the birth of Jesus are pictured as being times of darkness into which light is beginning to pierce (Luke 1:79; John 1:5) and to grow over time (Is. 63:1-3). So our home is full of many different kinds of candles, and each day of Hanukkah we increase the number.
Tabernacle/Temple
Hanukkah/Christmas is called “the Feast of Dedication” (John 10:22). It is called this because the original tabernacle of Moses was “dedicated” on Chislev 25,2 and the subsequent dedications or rededications of the temple under Solomon, Hezekiah, Nehemiah, and the Maccabees were called Hanukkah (the Hebrew for dedication).3 Thus, it is quite fitting to have a replica of the original tabernacle or of the temple under Solomon. Both the tabernacle and the temple were rich symbols of the incarnation of Jesus (John 2:18-22; Hebrews). Christ is the final temple.
Branches Everywhere
The bringing in of branches as decorations is a major part of Hanukkah. They did not have a tree, but both deciduous and evergreen branches were placed everywhere.
Fruit
Fruit and nuts can double not only for food, but also for decoration. You can’t have a festival without lots of munchies!
Gift Giving
Gift giving was a major part of every Hanukkah. In fact, the first Hanukkah had gifts for twelve days straight (Numb. 7). Seeing wrapped up presents is a major part of our Hanukkah celebration.
Miscellaneous creative decorations
Since Hanukkah is similar in many ways to the Festival of Tabernacles, branches, straw, tents, candles, and any harvest decorations are all appropriate. A ram or other sacrificial animal would also be an appropriate decoration. Of course, everyone knows that the dreidel is an essential of modern Hanukkah celebration. We will have more to say about this under games.
Perhaps a brief listing of some of the symbols will spark your own imagination: Christ’s body is the Temple (John 2:19-21), in His Incarnation He is the rising sun (Luke 1:78), He is the “candle” or “lamp” which burns in the New Jerusalem giving all the light that is needed (Rev. 21:23 cf. the Greek), He is the firstfruits of the harvest (1 Cor. 15:20,23), He is the Branch which will grow up out of the roots of Jesse (Is. 11:1), later to be anointed (Is. 11:2).
Because of Christ’s Incarnation and our union with Him we too participate in and are likened to the symbols of the sun (Judges 5:4,31), the temple (1 Cor. 3:16-17), the candles or lamps (Matt. 5:14; Rev. 1:20), the firstfruits of harvest (James 1:18; Rev. 14:4) and the branches (Prov. 11:28; Is. 60:21). These symbols give plenty of room for creativity in decoration.