Here’s one of our favorite pictures from last year’s Christmas card. Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone I can fully immerse myself in the wonder of Christmastime.
As a mom of faith, my daily prayer is to ask the Lord to use me as a tool in my children’s life to point them to Christ and this time of year is a perfect opportunity. While the Christmas season can be a time to reflect upon and teach children about the greatest love story of all- how God sent his only son into the world to redeem mankind, it can also be a time where we get kind of lost in all the holiday lights, parties and gift exchanges without taking in the very reason for the season. It can be overwhelming to make a goal to be intentional about setting apart a daily time of family reflection on the Savior’s birth.
I hope that some of my suggestions will help with that and that you and your family will look forward to a meaningful time of devotion centered around the Christmas Story during this sacred time of advent and have some fun and make memories while doing so.
- Select a few Christmas Books or Devotions to Read Nightly
I love sitting the boys in my lap and reading to them. Last year we read, “What God Wants for Christmas” by Barbara Rainey over and over again because the kids loved it so much. I have also added to this year’s reading list, “This is the Christmas Story” which is a Kids Read Truth Story & Scripture Book that comes highly recommended by friends. I also love “The Jesus Storybook Bible” by Sally Lloyd Jones and reading the Nativity Stories within that Bible. You don’t have to do something super creative and fancy each day- consider reading 5-10 minutes each night as a family about themes related to the Nativity. - Trim Your Tree With Truth
Each year I grow my collection of Jesus Ornaments shopping Barbara Rainey’s, “Ever Thine Home” Christmas Décor! Now I have several sets of Christmas ornaments that declare the truth of the bible in good fashion! This is a great conversation piece as your kids help with decorating the tree this year! I also love shopping at Hobby Lobby for more Nativity themed Christmas décor! - Make A Nativity Scene With Gingerbread Houses
Ok! Gingerbread house-making is one of our favorite holiday activities- not just for the kids- but for me! I need to decorate a gingerbread house of my own without the children to satisfy my creative side- it’s so much fun! Last year we made so many houses we glued them down on a board and made a Gingerbread Town! Pure holiday magnificence I tell you! Well this year I bought some Playdo because we are going to up our game and create a nativity scene inside this years’s Gingerbread Town! Stay Tuned. - Attend a Christmas Eve Candle Light Service or Christmas Caroling Service
I absolutely love Christmas Carols. I kind of wish we were a musical family and my husband played the guitar and harmonized with me so we could have a little outdoor campfire and Christmas caroling / family worship in the back yard! A girl can dream right? Bahahaha! Well since that’s not our situation I really look forward to a good old-fashioned Christmas Caroling Church service! Oh and a Candlelight Service too! The image of how those small candle lights illuminate a dark room will leave a lasting imprint on your child’s heart as well as a reminder of how we can impact our communities with the gospel. - Attend a Nativity Retelling Event.
In addition to an amazing tree-lighting ceremony our church also has an interactive Nativity exhibit where the kids can dress up as the Nativity Characters! Since the language of children is , “play” this exhibit is genius. If you’re in the Los Angeles area check out Shepherd of the Hill’s Church Christmas Event’s Calendar! Or do a google search for Nativity Events near you! - Bake a Bible Verse or Christmas Carol
I have toddler sons! And they love helping me decorate pies! They know how to roll dough out and use cookie cutters to make decorations. So I’ll invite them to help me decorate a pie or quiche and we can talk about the message on the meal! It’s also a way to engage guests around the true meaning of the season- trust me they’ll be talking about that darling pie with the bible verse on it! You can grab a set of alphabet cutters or holiday crust cutters through a quick Amazon Search - Wear Matching Pajamas & Make it a Nativity Popcorn & Movie Night
I was surprised at how true, “The Star Movie” stayed to the Nativity account! Now that it’s on DVD we’re going to update our tradition of wearing matching pajamas and pair it with a Nativity movie!
I hope this list was helpful. Do you have any suggestions on how to make advent meaningful? Please leave your advice in the comments
