The “life tradition” and the “death tradition” are two different approaches to Jesus. The first approach is most commonly associated with focusing on the life and teachings of Jesus, the second with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Interestingly the “life tradition” may have been the earlier form of Christianity with the “death tradition” we more commonly associate with Christianity following later and then taking over as various theological doctrines were developed then enforced.
Focusing on the death tradition to the exclusion of the life tradition may mean you miss the life and teachings of Jesus entirely. If this sounds a bit extreme then consider the Nicene Creed. The key points in the creed are that Jesus incarnated, was made man and then was crucified – with no reference to his life and teachings, their content or whether they were relevant or not. You would not necessarily know they existed.
How we approach Christmas ranges from the purely secular (presents, shopping, family), to celebration of Jesus coming into the world (a celebration of his life and goodness), to celebration of Jesus the sacrifice coming into the world (focusing only on his death).
Many elements of what we celebrate as Christmas today such as trees, yule logs, mistletoe and the date itself have associations with or origins from traditions outside of Christianity – but that doesn’t take away from the fact that its celebration today is associated with some aspect of Jesus for a large number of people.
However, whereas Easter is primarily focusing on Jesus’s death, it would be nice if Christmas (for those focusing on Jesus) was more associated with his life and teachings – giving space to look at what was taught and how we could emulate it in our own lives – rather than on traditions to do with his death.
