10 Ways To Keep Christ In Christmas
With all the hustle and bustle and commercialism that has taken over the Christmas season, it’s easy to lose focus on what Christmas is all about – even for Christians!
In our house, we try to slow down and be intentional about celebrating Christmas. Here are some of the ways we try to keep Christ in Christmas.
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Celebrate!
When we trim the tree and decorate the house, we do it as if we are getting ready for a party – a birthday party for a king. We make the decorating day festive by turning on the Christmas music and munching on special treats. All the while talking with each other about the real reason for the season.
Play Christian Christmas Music
I love Frosty The Snowman as much as the next person. A Christmas Carol makes me smile. I play those songs during the Christmas season, but I make sure I listen to lots of Christmas songs that are about Christ’s birth. Those songs keep the season in focus for me. I’m always shocked when those “All Christmas Music” stations pop up and not one song is about Christ.
Advent Calendars/Candles
Advent calendars and candles were not traditions for our family growing up. However, we’ve adopted some new traditions with our kids. We’ve done different DIY Advent calendars over the years. They are a good daily reminder for all of us to keep Christ in Christmas.
Give
Time, friendship, hospitality. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to be valuable to someone.
Birthday Cake For Jesus
My husband’s family has a wonderful tradition of having a birthday cake for Jesus at our Christmas celebration. Before the presents are torn into, a candle is lit on a special cake and we sing happy birthday to Jesus. Then, the kids get to blow the candle out. It’s my favorite part of our family Christmas.
Nativity Set
We have a family nativity set that my husband’s aunt and uncle gave to us as a wedding gift. It is a treasure. We put it out every year. Thanks to thoughtful friends and relatives, my kids each have a kid-friendly nativity of their own. They have spent many hours playing with their nativities and becoming familiar with it and it’s story. And poor baby Jesus has been lost and miraculously recovered more than once.
Open Your Home
Set aside some time during the holidays to welcome people into your home. It’s a friendly way to share the story of Christmas with those who don’t know, or to remind those who have been to busy think about it.
Volunteer
Show the love of Christ by volunteering to help a local organization, ministry, or neighbor.
Invite A Friend To Church
Whether it’s to your church’s Christmas musical or to a Sunday morning, invite a friend along to celebrate Christmas in the fellowship of believers.
Study The Christmas Story
Each year, the kids and I keep Christ in Christmas by studying the Christmas story in some fun way. This year, we’re doing the Birth Of Jesus study from Grapevine Studies.
We were planning on starting our Birth Of Jesus study the week after Thanksgiving, but as soon as the kids heard I had the new study, they wanted to take a peek.
We started using Grapevine this fall for our homeschool Bible study. It is the first Bible study that both kids have wanted to do each morning. Grapevine makes studying the Bible fun, while giving kids the information they need. They are reading scripture and then stick-figuring what they read. Anyone can draw stick figures!
Grapevine Studies are for kids pre-k to 14. There are many subjects and age range studies to choose from. My 9 year old and 13 year old have worked together on a level 3 study (recommended for ages 10-13) and on a multiple ages study with no problem.
Doing the Birth Of Jesus study with your kids is a great way to keep the Christ in Christmas. It has 14 fun daily lessons that take you from the lineage to Jesus to Jesus and his family returning from Egypt after fleeing the wrath of King Herod.
Right now, the Birth Of Jesus study is on sale!
