Every year, amid twinkling lights and ribbon-bedazzled gifts, I feel a little nudge of worry: Is our family celebrating a truly Christ-centered Christmas?
With so many traditions and to-dos, it can feel challenging to create a truly Christ-centered Christmas–but it doesn’t have to be hard.
Here are 5 simple but meaningful ways to worship, learn of, and be like our Savior this season.
Christ-Centered Christmas Traditions
I adore gift-giving, movie marathons, and Christmas trees glowing in the winter dark. These cultural–but not necessarily spiritual–traditions are fun, bonding, and memory making!
And lately, I’ve also longed to turn more toward my Savior at this season. I want to make plenty of room for Him in our proverbial “inn.”
I hope these ideas will help your family create space for the Christ-child in your celebrations this year:
1. Find Christ In the Routine
When I got pregnant with each of my babies, I suddenly started seeing pregnant women everywhere I went.
It wasn’t because there was some crazy influx of pregnancies in those particular nine-months of my life. The reason I saw so many pregnancies was because I was already thinking about pregnancy non-stop.
The things we think about affect how we see the world.
We can use this knowledge to help us see more Christ in Christmas.
As you go through your daily life, notice and point out these connections to your children:
- Passing a baby in a stroller could lead to discussion of the newborn Christ.
- Admiring the night sky could spark talk of the special star.
- Tucking a child in to a cozy warm bed is an opportunity to wonder about the Prince of Peace sleeping in a stable.
- Traveling for the holidays could remind us of Mary’s arduous journey before the birth of the her firstborn Son.
The more we talk of Him, the more our minds will naturally turn toward Him.
Related Posts I Think You’ll Love:
- A Christ-Centered Christmas Countdown
- Our Favorite Screen-Free Gifts for Kids Ages 5-10
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- The Best Pretend Play Gifts for Creative Preschoolers
2. Display and Play with Nativities
Every Christmas, starting when I was about ten, my mom let me be the one to set out our porcelain nativity set.
I remember thoughtfully arranging a sweet scene of our Savior’s birth, literally making it Christ-centered. As I handled the kings and shepherd, I wondered over the looks of reverence, awe, and love on each figure.
I don’t think my mom knew that this simple task was more than just Christmas decorating. It became, unconsciously, an opportunity for me to deeply ponder the birth my Savior.
Create a Christ-centered Christmas through play.
Today, my own little family has several nativities in our home.
One is a pretty porcelain one like my mom’s, and there are several tiny ornament nativities that hang on our Christmas tree.
But I think my favorite one is the Little People nativity set my mother-in-law bought us for Christmas many years ago.
For ten years it has allowed our children hold the Christ-child in their hands, act out the manger scene, and bring their most treasured items–mostly Lego–to the feet of their Savior.
3. Have a Bite-Sized Scripture Study of the Christmas Story
In my dream Christmas worship scenario, our four kids would snuggle quietly in the warm light of the Christmas tree, tenderly contemplating as we read the entire story of Christ’s birth from Luke.
The reality of a winters’ evening looks a lot different–wiggling, giggling, and bitter spats over who is touching who.
Your Christmas-story worship can still be focused on Christ, even if it doesn’t look picture-perfect. โค๏ธ
Daydreams aside, we’ve found that even through the chaos, our children can learn from the Bible if we understand and honor their attention spans.
Last year we discovered a sweet printable scripture-study advent by Brooke Romney that has been a perfect fit for our family.
Each day has a very short selection of scripture–some days it’s just one verse. On the back there are questions to help us understand what we’ve read, and make a connection to our own lives. And it’s only $4.50! We’ll be using it again this year.
Click here to buy your own printable Scripture Study Advent printable.
Last year we did our reading as part of the bedtime routine–and topped it off with the letting the kids opening one of their Trader Joe’s chocolate advents. ๐
4. Reconsider Your Calendar
Last year, before we even planned a Christmas activity ourselves, we already had nine different events to attend!
From recitals to programs, parties to projects, it is excruciatingly easy for our Christmastime calendars to get jam-packed and over-full.
But true connection with Christ happens mostly in the simple, quiet places of our lives.
Creating a Christ-centered Christmas season means holding some space to hear Him.
The scriptures tell the story of Elijah’s encounter with God:
(emphasis added in bold)
“…And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
1 Kings 19:11-12
The “still small voice” is how the Lord communicates with us–and we can’t hear it or feel it when our ears, brains, and hearts are rushing with an overabundance of things to do.
If you want to bring Christ into your Christmas, look for ways to make room for peace, contemplation, scripture study, and rest in your calendar.
You may need to say a gracious, “No,” to some invitations to make this happen. That is okay.
Our families–especially our children–depend on us to guard and prioritize how our family spends each precious hour of Christmas time.
When you make room for the things that touch your heart and heal your spirit, you are making room for Him.
5. Do Small Acts of Service
Several years ago our church, introduced us to the idea of a service advent–a countdown to Christmas through small acts of love to others.
Every evening at dinnertime, we would check our “Light the World” service calendar. As we sat around the table, we would talk about how we had served during the day.
We love seeing how our small acts of love can make a big impact on someone else.
Simple Service for Kids
This year, I’ve prepared a super-simple service calendar for you and your kids to enjoy: 25 easy, no-prep acts of kindness to help your family countdown to Christmas.
And because I know the struggle of having littles who want to participate in big-kid things, I created two calendars–one aimed at the toddler and preschool set, and another for older kiddos.
Sign up below to get your copy!
Many Small Things Add up to a Truly Christ-Centered Christmas
As you seek out ways to honor Christ this Christmas, don’t let yourself get bogged down in perfection and not-enough.
Christ honored the widow’s mite, and He will see the love in your offerings too–however humble they may be.
Your effort, your worship, and your love all matter and make a difference.
Merry Christmas, dear mama!
xo,
Jamie
p.s. A little more Christmas help: An intentional screen-free gift guide for kids, and, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the holidays, ask yourself these 2 questions.
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