Bring It Home at Christmas
The December blog posts have been to encourage you to slow down, serve others, and enjoy family Christmas traditions. In essence, creating a more purposeful and thoughtful holiday season. In light of the horrific tragedy in Newtown, CT focusing on matters of faith seems more important than ever. There’s only One who can overcome evil of this magnitude, the Savior who came to earth as an innocent baby. Take time out of the hustle and bustle this week to be intentional in directing your children to Jesus, the reason we celebrate and the only true source of peace.
Refocus your family by reading the Bible together. Use the days leading up to the holiday to cover the events in Luke 1 prior to Jesus’ birth. On Christmas Eve, read Luke, Chapter 2. When my boys were old enough to read they participated in sharing the story. This was especially impactful when done with the extended family. The grandmas, aunties, and mamas would get tears in their eyes just listening. Truly, to hear a small voice read the events of Christ’s birth touches the heart.
Another idea is to host a theatrical production depicting the Holy Night. My dear friend and mentor, Carol, has a pageant each year. Her grandchildren act out the Christmas story complete with costumes, props, and scripts for the actors!
The best gift of Christmas is Jesus. Celebrate Christ’s birth in special ways with your children.
• Make attending church part of your family’s Christmas tradition. Worshipping with others of all ages is a powerful experience for children.
• Sing the traditional carols of the holiday: Silent Night, Away in a Manger, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and so on.
• Wrap up the Christ child from the nativity set in beautiful wrapping paper and ribbons to be opened on Christmas morning. (Our Advent calendar has little doors with compartments. Jesus is waiting behind the December 25th door.)
• Serve birthday cake for breakfast. Sing “Happy Birthday to You”.
• Wrap three gifts for each child to signify the presents the three wise kings gave Jesus.
• Watch The Nativity Story as a family. (NOTE: rated PG)
• Before unwrapping gifts, ask each family member to describe how he has been blessed by God this Christmas season.
• Play Handel’s Messiah. Sing along with the Hallelujah Chorus.
Bring it home this Christmas, the true meaning of this holy-day. Deliberate actions are the memory makers and faith foundations your children will remember for years to come.
Merry Christmas dear friends! May you and your family be abundantly blessed by Jesus, the One who came to dwell with us, the Prince of Peace.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
© 2012 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.
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