Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love the decorations, bright lights, smells and sounds of the season. I love the traditions and festivities that surround this holiday time. We love to decorate our home, buy gifts, entertain and bake. However I am always trying to make sure that we balance all of this with what Christmas is truly about. Teaching our children to stay focused on Jesus amidst the sparkle and packages and tv commercials can be a challenge.
So here are some ideas (they are not all mine) that help us be intentional about keeping Christ in Christmas.
Read through the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:1-20 regularly throughout the month of December. As your children become familiar with the story have them practice saying the words of the shepherds or the angel. Then as a family act out this passage on Christmas morning with one person being the narrator. We have done this for years and it is fun no matter the age of our children to see them participate.
Keep the baby Jesus out of the nativity until Christmas morning. When ever they look at the nativity, talk about the anticipation of the coming Messiah. On Christmas morning put Jesus in the manger before the children wake. We always go to the nativity first to see the arrival of Jesus and sing “Joy to the world”.
For family devotion time take a different character and study more in depth about what life was like and the reality of their circumstances. Ex. Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, Wise Men, King Herod.
Talk about what you as a family and as individuals could give to Jesus. Write it out, wrap it up and put it under the tree.
Put only gifts that you are giving to others outside your home under the Christmas tree, to keep the focus on others.
At Christmas dinner, set the head of the table and leave it vacant for the guest of honor “Jesus”.
Look for ways to help others and give to those in need. Do a service project together, shop for those in need, bake or prepare a meal for someone who needs it. Check out these sites of ways that you can give to help others: www.samaritanspurse.org; www.worldvision.org
Teach your children about St. Nicolas. He was a real person that loved Jesus and sacrificially gave to others. This is a very fun and informative site.http://www.stnicholascenter.org
I love this post. Great ideas! thank you.
I love the great ideas too! It’s so important to remember the reason for the season and to focus on that as a family. Thank you so much for sharing ways to do that!