Keeping Jesus in Christmas!

Each year there’s usually some discussion about Christmas and how the religious holiday has become too secular, too centered on shopping, and not about Jesus’ birth. While most Christians might agree, it can be hard to figure out what to do about it.

How, exactly, do you put Christ back into Christmas?

Especially if you’re already knee-deep in decorations, cookie-baking, and struggling to put up the Christmas tree.

This is not a mandatory to-do list, but rather a few ideas to remind yourself, your family and your friends about the real reason for the season. There are some surprisingly simple ways to honor the holiness of Jesus’ birth.

Here are some ways we make Christmas meaningful (and a few ideas we plan to implement):

• Set up a Nativity and make it a focus in your home. [We put ours front and center on the entry table in our home].
• Hide baby Jesus and “seek” Him Christmas morning before opening gifts. [I did this first thing last year. Here’s how I found it half an hour later. Turns out Mary had a little Snowman. I love little kids].
• (or) Gift wrap baby Jesus in your nativity and let this be your first unwrapped gift Christmas morning.
• Take a cue from the Magi and limit the gifts and reminding kids it’s not their birthday, it’s His.
• Have a daily family devotion that unwraps Christmas, here’s ours for this year; Advent Tabletop Devotional. [This is perfect for families. It offers a verse for each day and a question or two that will hopefully lead to a meaningful discussion.]
• Participate in Advent. Last year, we did the Jesse Tree Advent. And I love this 25 day free printable Advent idea!
• Light an Advent wreath each day leading up to Christmas.
• Have a birthday cake for Jesus or go all out and make it a birthday party!
• Watch DVDS like Why Do We Call It Christmas? that help you tell the real story of Christmas.
• Give your kids the gift of giving: Have them shop with purpose. This year we are giving our kids money to shop from the Compassion gift catalog.
• Or buy something that blesses twice and changes lives (Mercy Shop).
• Don’t stress about things that really don’t matter this Season. I have been a Christmas hoarder in the past. Last year, I had two newlywed couples come and dig thru my decorations. I saved two boxes of things I value most and gave the rest away. It’s simple this year and I like it.
• Make the Nativity interactive with tools like What God Wants for Christmas. It’s from the creators of Resurrection Eggs.
• Do something for someone else on Christmas Day. This will be our fifth year to visit the NICU (with treats) that saved our daughter’s life five Christmas’ ago.
• Talk with your kids about giving God a gift. What does He want from us?
• Hang a stocking for Christ. Fill it with notes just for Him.
• Invite someone to share Christmas dinner with your family.
• Shop for single mom. This year playing secret santa and dropping off gifts for a single mom!
• Don’t participate in the excessive commercialism. Enough said.
• Watch The Nativity Story together as a family. We started this tradition two years ago. I think this PG movie tells the greatest story ever told very well.
• Help your kids shop for their siblings.
• Talk about the symbols of Christmas.
• Be generous as a family at Christmas-baking, giving, doing.
• Hold a Yule log party: it’s an old European custom to bring in an enormous log on Christmas Eve and it in the fireplace (or fire pit) and say prayers.

Today, Yule log cakes and eggnog are served. You can sing carols, read Scripture, tell stories, pray for the new year, and have good fellowship.

• Bake, make or buy a special gift for your Pastor. We did Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls year before last. What a gift!
• Cherish traditions with your family. Start a new one! Like the next one: When preparing your Christmas meal, set a literal place for Jesus, your honored guest.
• Attend church on Christmas Eve.
• Read Luke 2 together on Christmas Eve or morning. We’ve been doing this since before we had kids.
• Leave a Nativity out all year long. I did this last year and it was really special.

How do you keep Christ in Christmas?