I want to start off this post with a humorous video:
One quick note about the video: the X in X-mas actually stands for the Greek letter "chi" which is a symbolic letter for Christ, so I get why people have called it X-mas.
But, like many Christians, I struggle with knowing just how much to embrace the holiday season. Nostalgia and excitement draw me into the "Christmas spirit" that our culture promotes as the goal of the Chrismas season. But how do I make sure this isn't my goal? I believe it's fine to enjoy the festivities, the parties, the music, and the decorations of the holiday season, but I also know that it's a challenge not to let this become all that Christmas is.
How do I lead my family in making Jesus the centerpiece of Christmas without jettisoning some of the fun things associated with it? Maybe it's impossible. Maybe I should follow suit with some who reject all the things like the festivities, the parties, the music, and the decorations.
As I was typing all of this, Will came up and gave me a huge hug and told me I was a great daddy. I took the opportunity to ask him what Christmas was all about. Unprompted, he said, "It's about Jesus' birthday." I guess I might be doing some things right after all. But, I will continue to strive to keep this on the forefront of our minds. Here's some thing we've been doing with this in mind:
- Each night, we read from the Bible and focus on an aspect of Advent. With the kids so young, I generally have to modify it, but they really seem to be picking it up.
- We don't do Santa. I know this sounds horrible for some, and my kid might be the one who blows it for your kid. I even know that I grew up believing in Santa Claus and it didn't destroy my faith in the long run. We basically tell the boys that he's pretend, just like Elmo or Bob the Builder, and that mommy and daddy are the ones who give the presents. We also tell them that there are some boys and girls who think he's real, and we will let their mommies and daddies tell them when they think it's the right time. The underlying principle for me is that I don't want to blur the line between reality/make believe to the point that my kids question the reality of Jesus Christ.
So, here's the question: What do you and your family do at Christmas to keep Christ on the forefront of your affections for the season? Post a comment or two and share how your family does it.
8 comments:
Great question Keith! We also do not do Santa. I have no issue with other believers who do, it is just a matter of personal conviction as we do want Christ to be central and for us this was a logical first step.
We also do an advent calendar and this year have added an advent book and candles. We listen to a ton of Christmas music as the birth of Christ is worth celebrating all month long indeed.
Our "main" tree is done in cross ornaments only. Some folks do nativities, etc. This year we added another tree, out of the main living area, with ornaments from our childhood and that the kids have received- just to be festive and fun, because it is such an exciting time of year.
We do a certain number of presents that are significant to the Christmas tradition, then we add in ilttle stocking stuff. Finally, we do something for someone not in our family...Angel Tree, Christmas Child, buy a chicken for an African family, or something along those lines. We are always interested in other ideas we can implement- Would love to hear yours. There are other traditions we are beginning that would probably seem small to others, but are meaningful to us. Thanks for asking!
My family has never done Santa. Mom and dad did however "play santa" which meant that we had to go to bed early on Christmas Eve so they could stuff our stockings.
As far as things we have done to help keep Christ central, my parents have chosen many methods; here are a few.
One is the celebration of advent by reading from scripture and some sort of special advent book every evening. There is a great book that we all love going through every year, but it is also tailored to an older audience, so I don't know how much that would help you. It is fantastic though.
My parents have also incorporated the verse from James "Every good and perfect gift cometh from above, and cometh down from the father of lights. . ." into our Christmas celebrations. Each of us kids got one special present wrapped in gold paper with a beautiful bow from my dad. And they weren't put under the tree, but up on top of a book case with a garland of lights around them. The symbolism will forever be etched in my mind more the the present within each year.
Christmas morning we always read the Luke account of Christ's birth before any other festivities.
My parents also gave us kids a lot of books more than toys or anything else. These were their presents to us under the tree. We would come down on Christmas morning and see the six separate stacks of books (unwrapped) under the tree. The books often were of a spiritual nature or things with a lot of substance (though this was slightly different when we were younger).
So, those are just a few things my family has done. . .
Keith,
One of the things I do is pull out my Grinch boxer shorts, and tell the real story of Mr. Grinch. Don’t worry, I am not posting pictures! It is important for people to realize that Dr. Suess got Mr. Grinch all wrong. We are talking about character assassination on the grandest scale! So, every Christmas, I feel the need to set the record straight. I tell about how Dr. Suess was blinded by the commercialism of the Christmas season, and was unable to admit that the Grinch actually had a very large heart from the start. The Grinch saw that the over commercialization of Christmas was detrimental; the worship of stuff shrivels their hearts and steals their joy. His every motive was to expose people to the foolishness of celebrating a Christless Christmas. Mr. Grinch is not really the villain; he is the hero. You know, like the Christmas Linebacker!
We also gear our family devotions around the coming of Christ, much like you and others have suggested. Here is an idea for those who cannot imagine Christmas without a Christmas tree. Start out the advent season with a naked Christmas tree. Create ornaments that symbolize the point of each of the advent devotions. As you finish family devotions each day, show the ornament for that day and explain how it is meant to remind us of the point made in devotions. Let the kids hang it on the tree, and then have them go back and tell what each of the previously hung ornaments is meant to remind us about. By Christmas day, you have a tree filled with ornaments that have a specific meaning that points you to Christ. It is a way to get the children (and parents) involved in a very memorable way.
Jay
Our worship pastor, Jordan Fowler suggested this resource, and Amy and I are also using it with our family:
this year the cost family daily devotional from NorthWood which you can get online at http://mynorthwood.northwoodchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/the%20cost-devotional-web.pdf
I think as long as you go to church the night before x-mas and sing "away in a manger" you'll be OK. Seriously though, if you have Christ at the center of your family during the year, you don't have to sweat it during Christmas. The trouble is evangelical families have little to do with Jesus all year, so getting super spiritual at Christmas is a fake as my christmas tree. Maintain your family worship and keep pastoring your home as you do all year, and Christmas should be sufficiently Christ-centered.
We also do not do Santa. I'm not knocking what other belivers do; like someone else one here posted, it is a matter of personal conviction. I have taught Sunday school ages 3 thru Kinder for years. It always breaks my heart when this time of year comes around and I ask the question..."What is the most important thing about Christmas?". I ask this question week after week and 9 times out of 10, the answer will be Santa or presents. I have noticed though, that the kids who don't do Santa answer Jesus' birth nearly 100% of the time. I think there is something to be said about that. I think when you remove the whole Santa thing, it leaves more room to focus on what is truly important...Jesus.
In the 7 days leading up to Christmas, we do "What God wants for Christmas". It is like an interactive advent geared more for younger kids. Each evening, we read the Bible and open gift boxes which each contain a piece of the nativity scene. It has been nice reading what other people do with their kids because it has given me a few ideas for when my kids get older :)
We also limit the amount of gifts we give our children. One of my sister's friends gave us the idea of giving 3 gifts to our kids: like the 3 "gifts" Jesus received -frankincense, gold, and myrrh.
We also like giving gifts to others, whether it is thru the Samaritan's purse shoe boxes, angel tree, Salvation Army, local kids in need, etc... I think it is very important for our kids to give to total strangers and not just people they know.
As far as our Christmas tree goes... we usually put it up a day or so after Thankgsiving. Each year, we let our kids pick out a new ornament to add to the tree. We put their name and the year it was added to the tree on the ornament. It is really a lot if fun when we are decorating the tree and the kids read off all the dates and talk about the memories associated with that particular ornament.
On Christmas day, before our kids even open up their first present, my husband reads all about Jesus' birth from the Bible. Then, our kids take turns telling the story in their own words using their Little People nativity scene.
Keith, this blog question could not have come at a better time. It was so nice to read about other families and how they celebrate Christmas :)
Keith, great video! We have never pushed Santa but have allowed the thought to exist through St. Nick. The last two years, we've put Advent into our preparation at home. We went out, got advent candles and the wreath and have companion ornaments that we add to the tree as we do the advent candles, each weekend leading up to Christmas and then light the Jesus candle (a large white candle in the center of the wreath) on Christmas Eve before going to bed. Years ago we got a very nice picture book of the Christmas story and before we open a present on Christmas morning, we read the biblical Christmas story. I normally read it, but I have had the kids' grandparents read it if they were in town. We also do the Operation Christmas Child and other ministries like that and then limit our gift giving. In years past we've done the Birthday cake to Jesus, etc. Thanks for asking. John Howeth
watch out for the SHOPapocalypse!!!!
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