Finding the True Meaning of Christmas

Every Christmas, my mom hangs a laminated copy of the above Family Circus comic strip on her fridge to remind the family that Christmas is not about all the other things, like shopping, gifts, food, and Santa. Christmas is about Baby Jesus. Over the years, I've compiled a list of ideas to help my family keep our focus on Jesus, instead of all the other stuff.

Nativity Set

• Make the nativity the first decoration that you pull out to show that it is the most important part of the Christmas celebration
• Have a nativity set that your children can play with. You could cut out figures from old Christmas cards and attach magnets on back and they can tell the story on the refrigerator. We have the Little People Christmas Story Nativity Scene Playset, so my kids can play with it. I dream of one day having the Willow Tree set, but this is perfect for us now.
• Place Mary and Joseph away from the nativity, and each day move them closer to "Bethlehem". You can talk about the long journey they took.
• Have an empty manger. Leave the manger empty and put a box of straw or yarn beside it. When someone does something that pleases Jesus (like obey or show kindness), let them place a piece of straw in the manger. This will soften the bed before Jesus is placed in it on Christmas morning. Please note: as one person pointed out in the comments, luckily for us, our salvation is not dependent on "works". But, Jesus is still pleased when we obey Him through our actions.
• One evening, place a different figure from the nativity set in front of each member's plate. They can think about it during the meal and then share what their figure had to do with the Christmas story.

Countdown to Christmas

Take seven days to tell the Christmas story, adding a new piece to the nativity each day.

• Mary - read Luke 1:28-38
• Joseph - read Matthew 1:19-25
• Donkey - read Luke 2:1-5
• Baby Jesus - read Luke 2:6-7
• Shepherds - read Luke 2:8-12
• Angel - read Luke 2:13-14
• Wise men - read Matthew 2:1-12

Christmas Video

Two years ago, I bought a great Christmas video called, The Very First Noel. It is a computer animated story (narrated by Andy Griffith) from the perspective on one of the wise men. The story is great, and the music is also wonderful. I wish they had a soundtrack available. It's only $6.99 at Amazon, and eligible for free shipping (with orders over $25)

What God Wants for Christmas

Last year I purchased a great item from Family Christian called What God Wants For Christmas. It contains seven gift boxes that the children open up, and the last gift has a mirror in it. What God wants for Christmas is you.

Christmas Books

We have lots of Christmas books that we read to our kids to try to keep the focus on Jesus. Some of them include:

• What Is Christmas?
• The Pine Tree Parable: Special Edition
• God Gave Us Christmas (God Gave Us...)
• The Legend of the Three Trees: The Classic Story of Following Your Dreams

Christmas Crafts and Activities

• Here's a great site with all kinds of links to Christmas crafts and activities to do with your kids.
• For the last two years, my son's preschool class has done a Star Walk. Basically, they were the wise men searching for Jesus. They painted crowns, and followed a star held by the teacher. They walked throughout the school looking for Jesus. At then end of their long walk, they found Jesus. I thought it was a fun way to reenact the Christmas store for younger kids, so they can identify with the story.