Christmas is such a wonderful time of year! We love getting a Christmas tree to decorate as a family, watching all the fun movies, and exchanging presents with loved ones. But it can get a little hectic and sometimes we forget what the holiday is really about. It should be about remembering Christ’s birth and what he did for us on the cross. In this post we will talk about some Christmas traditions to make the holiday all about Christ. They are for family members of all ages to help us remember who we are celebrating during this season.
Advent Calendar
An Advent Calendar is a great Christmas tradition to help your family set the stage for the Christmas season. There are so many options out there, many of which in no way point you to Christ. But Ann Voskamp has an amazing Jesse Advent Tree that we have found to be incredibly helpful. It goes through the advent tradition of the Jesse tree which takes you through the entire lineage of Jesus starting with creation.
Each day of advent there is a small devotional to read and then the kids get to put an ornament on the tree and see the story of Christ come alive as they go. It is a great way to get the kids involved in the season.
Read Through the Book of Luke in December
Do you know how many chapters are in the Gospel of Luke? 24! This means you can read one chapter a day every day in December leading up to Christmas. What a great Christmas tradition to help your family remember why we are celebrating the day. This can be a great thing to do along with the Advent Calendar every evening, or whenever works best for your family. The book of Luke gives a detailed account of Jesus’s birth, ministry, and death that will help your kids get a true understanding of how much God loves us.
Bethlehem Dinner
A Bethlehem dinner is one of those Christmas traditions that I am really looking forward to starting as our kids get older. What better way to set the mood for the season than to host a dinner that makes the scene come alive for little ones? A Bethlehem dinner consists of eating a traditional meal for that time while talking to your kids about Christ’s life and all that he has done for us. It can be done any time during the month of December, and you can even dress up if you so desire!
The meal should consist of foods that would have been eaten by Mary and Joseph. These can include dates, honey, fish, figs, olives, unleavened bread, nuts, fruits and vegetables. It is a simple meal and should be eaten at a low table. Maybe even just blankets on the floor. As you eat, read Luke 2 to the family and see what kind of questions the kids have about Christ’s life. This can be done with just your immediate family or can be extended to friends and family.
Give a Christ Centered Gift
Kids love receiving gifts, so why not make some of their gifts about Christ? This can include a new Bible, a book about Christ, or even some games that focus on the Bible. The Jesus Storytime Bible is our favorite for toddlers. Every story in it points to Jesus and the illustrations are beautiful. The Adventure Bible is a great one for new readers. It has lots of pictures and study facts to help keep their interest. This Armor of God Dress Up Set is a great way to bring to life the Ephesians 6 passage.
The Christmas season is such a precious time of year. Instead of making it hectic and stressful, let’s try this year to remember why we are celebrating and bring some of these Christmas traditions to life for our kids.
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