What do some religious traditions warn about regarding certain Christmas decorations, and why do they recommend reviewing them at home?
Some Christmases, instead of peace, bring arguments, anxiety, inexplicable sadness, or a strange feeling of heaviness in the home. And many people don’t understand why, since it’s supposed to be a time of light.
This message stems from a simple spiritual idea: Christmas isn’t just about decorations; it’s a language. With what you place in your home, you’re saying something, even if you don’t realize it. And according to this warning attributed to Saint Óscar Romero, there are elements that seem harmless but mix symbols that don’t align with the heart of Christmas: Christ.
Below, you’ll find three categories of objects that, according to this teaching, should be removed to avoid spiritual confusion… and then, a practical and devotional way to consecrate your home so that Christmas can once again be what it should be: hope, unity, and faith.
1) First item: Goblins, Gnomes, and “Magical Elves”
In many homes, figures of Christmas elves, gnomes, or goblins have become common: dolls with long hats, pointed ears, mischievous smiles, or “naughty elves” that move around the house as part of a game.
The warning is clear: Christian Christmas celebrates Christ, the Holy Family, the angels, and the shepherds, not “forest spirits” or folkloric beings.
The problem, from this perspective, is not the doll itself, whether made of plastic or ceramic, but what it represents and how it is used:
When they are given names, spoken to, or treated as if they “were alive,” it creates a dynamic of superstition disguised as play.
A symbolism of “magic” and “mischief” is established where there should be adoration, faith, and reverence.
In simple terms: if something in your decorations occupies a place of honor and doesn’t point to Christ, it distracts you.
What to do: remove them without fear, decisively, and replace that space with clear symbols of faith (angels, a nativity scene, a star, biblical texts, a meaningful Advent wreath, etc.).
2) Second object: “lucky” and “prosperity” amulets mixed with Christmas
This includes objects that many people place “to bring good things” in the new year:
Horseshoes
Elephants with their trunks raised
Coins tied with red ribbons
Evil eye amulets
Shamrocks, frogs of abundance, and other similar symbols
According to this warning, the conflict isn’t aesthetic: it’s spiritual. Christmas is about trusting in God’s providence, not in “energies,” “chance,” or “lucky objects.”
When amulets are mixed with the nativity scene or the Christmas tree, the inner message becomes contradictory:
“For spiritual matters, I trust in God… but for material matters, I trust in this other thing.”
And this division ends up generating unease, fear, and a constant search for control. Instead of gratitude, anxiety arises to “ensure” good fortune.
What to do: remove those amulets (without giving them away casually), break the symbolic link with superstition, and let your home breathe a single idea: God is the one who sustains.
3) Third object: photos of deceased loved ones on the tree, mourning candles, or “empty chairs” as centerpieces for dinner
This point is the most sensitive because it stems from love. Many families, when they miss someone, place their photo on the tree or in a central location in the decorations, sometimes even with dark candles or funereal symbols, and occasionally even an empty chair “so that they are present.”
The warning here does not diminish the memory. On the contrary: it seeks to organize it.
Christmas, theologically speaking, is the celebration of the birth of Life. When the visual and emotional center is filled with signs of mourning, what happens is:
Healthy joy is blocked.
The dinner becomes a “ritual of sadness.”
Children and the living are trapped in a nostalgia that doesn’t heal.
Remembering is not invoking. Honoring is not building an emotional mausoleum.
What to do: Keep those photos with love in an album or a more discreet corner, pray for your loved ones, and allow the Christmas table to be an act of life, unity, and hope.
How to “fill the void” after cleaning the house: A key idea: It’s not enough to remove what confuses; you have to consecrate what remains. Otherwise, the home will once again be filled with noise, consumerism, or superstition.
Simple Ritual for Consecrating the Tree and Nativity Scene
You can do this on Christmas Eve or any day during the Christmas season:
You will need:
Holy water (if you have it)
A white candle
The image of the Baby Jesus (from the Nativity scene)
Steps:
Turn off the lights and remain silent for a few seconds. Light the candle and say a short phrase, for example:
“Lord Jesus, be the light of this house.”
Sprinkle the tree with holy water (if you have it) and say:
“May this home belong to you. May there be peace, faith, and unity here.”
Take the Baby Jesus and walk through your house for a few moments, room by room, saying:
“Jesus, stay with us.”
Place it in the Nativity scene with reverence and end with a simple prayer for your family:
for health, dignified work, peace, forgiveness, and protection.
It’s not about fear. It’s about spiritual order: removing what hinders and putting Christ at the center.
Tips and recommendations:
Do it as a family: a shared spiritual cleansing unites more than a thousand speeches.
Avoid disguised superstition: if something depends on “luck,” “energies,” or “amulets,” examine whether it’s undermining your trust.
Remember your deceased loved ones with faith: a prayer for them and a genuine gesture of love for the living is healthier than turning the night into a memorial of sadness.
Fewer objects, more meaning: sometimes the house is filled with decorations but emptied of spirit. Simplifying can bring peace.
When your home speaks a single message—Christ at the center—Christmas regains its power: true peace, unity, and hope. Remove what confuses, keep what builds up, and make your home a place where the light comes not only from decorations but from the heart.