Keeping Christ in Christmas (For Children and Family)

There are many things you can do to keep Christ in Christmas with your family!

- I downloaded the Beginners Bible App on my iPad. My two year old loves it! It's so interactive and he actually learns about the book of Genesis. I'm sure that the app developers will add more books from the Bible - but don't quote me on that. Anyhow, especially during the Christmas season, this is a spectacular way to get your child to gain some Biblical knowledge.

- There are many different books you can buy on ChristianBooks.com that relate to and explain the Christmas story. I happen to be a big fan of the Beginners Bible, so I ended up buying their book about Christmas for kids. It was only $1.99 (but be careful, make sure you get all the things you need from that site in one shipment, because it costs a lot to ship to Canada!) and it tells the story so beautifully with lots of colours and recognizable characters throughout the pages. (Just a side note, all their books have the same looking characters, so it's easy for the child to associate, for example, Jesus from one book to the next.)

- Avoid secular Christmas movies and shows. The more kids see about Santa, elves, reindeer, and presents, the less they will be interested in Jesus and his birthday. Their curiosity will be piqued about the distraction of Christmas: Santa. If possible, steer clear of anything Santa related with your child! Santa takes over Jesus' role at Christmas time in the mind of a child (if you look at my other posts, you can read more in depth about it). Perhaps try some Veggie Tales Christmas stories and episodes, maybe some Adventure in Odyssey CD's to listen to.

- Sing Christmas songs. Silent Night, Away in a Manger, God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, things like that. Any song to keep the focus directly on Christ is best. Of course, there's no harm in singing a little Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls, but keep the majority of the songs you sing together centered on Christ.

- Give gifts to each other, and then give a gift to Jesus. Either bake something special, do a craft, but do something special just for Christ. This will be in celebration of his birth, and doing something like will put emphasis on the celebration part of Christmas.

- Instead of just setting up a Christmas tree, doing up Christmas lights, why not put up a Nativity scene? Take time to find one that you like. Perhaps you and your child(ren) can take a few minutes to find a special spot in the house to set it up. Have it the focal point of your house. Put it in front of your window for the passerby's to see. The kids will love it!

- Tell others about Christmas and the true meaning behind it. Perhaps you and your kids can volunteer at a food drive, volunteer as gift wrappers, host a neighbourhood get together for Christmas, or think of some other way that you can be in contact with other people to get the Christmas message across. Talk about Christmas, and be proud to convey to others that it is about Jesus' birth. It's a great way for you and your children to get involved in not only focusing on Christ, but on spreading the good news as well.

These are only but a few ways to keep Christmas focused on Christ instead of secular holiday traditions. Be creative! Try to think of your own ways to have your kids focus their attention on Christ during Christmas.