25 Ways to Celebrate a Christ Centered Christmas
“Christmas is only 11 weeks away” my son informed me. I groaned inwardly, not because I don't like Christmas, but because I was not prepared for another stressful season of shopping for the perfect gifts and then trying to make homes for all the things my children receive. I longed for a Christ centered Christmas, and I knew from years past that in spite of my intentions for Christmas to be a simple celebration of Christ's birth, there was still too much emphasis placed on the gifts.
Don't get me wrong. I don't think that gifts are a bad thing or that giving and receiving gifts at Christmas is always materialistic. We try to give our children things they need or things that will have some usefulness for many years rather than loading them up with the latest toy trends.
But shopping for those gifts takes a lot of my time and energy away from some of the other things I'd like to do to celebrate Christmas. When you live with a chronic illness, even the simplest things are difficult and stressful.
Additionally, our budget is not exactly what you'd call large, and trying to find gifts that fit within it is a challenge and a time suck.
What I want this year is to enjoy spending time together as a family celebrating what Christmas really is instead of spending so much time shopping for gifts.
So I sat the children down one evening and told them that Christmas gifts were going to be extremely simple this year. I was honest with them about our budget as well as my desire to put even less emphasis on the gifts than we usually did.
I asked them what, in their opinion, would make Christmas meaningful.
Instead of groaning that we were cutting back on our already simple gifts, they seemed excited. I learned something that evening that I already knew: KIDS DON'T WANT GIFTS; THEY WANT YOU!
“We could sing Christmas Carols together.”
“I would like it if we could play some silly Christmas games together.”
“I just want to spend time as a family.”
These were the kinds of answers they gave me that night.
And so, as I began to brainstorm what a Christ-centered Christmas would entail, I came up with some guidelines:
- A Christ-centered Christmas means serving others.
- A Christ-centered Christmas means focusing on family instead of gifts.
- A Christ-centered Christmas means we aren't afraid to have fun and be filled with the joy of the Lord!
For several weeks, I mulled over exactly how we could do those things. We knew where we wanted to go; we just didn't exactly have a plan to get there yet.
I prayed for wisdom and ideas, and in time the Lord showed me exactly how we could celebrate a Christ-centered Christmas.
My 4 year old went shopping with grandma on her birthday, and one of the things she picked out was a little Christmas mailbox.
(Get your own mailbox here.)
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At first, the kids used it to deliver kind notes to each other (sounds like they were already in the spirit of a Christ-centered Christmas!)
But after a couple days, it got to be overload on the little scraps of paper all over the house. They were beginning to write nonsense instead of meaningful notes just for the novelty of using the mailbox.
So my husband told them they had to wait until we came up with some guidelines for using the mailbox.
After about a week or so, I had an idea!
Our mailbox will be a central part of our Christ-Centered Christmas!
Each morning when the kids come to the table for breakfast, they can check the mailbox. Inside I will have placed a folded slip of paper with the day's date on it. On it they will find the day's Christ-centered Christmas activity.
I'm really excited about this because it doesn't have to be completed in advance like a lot of Christmas countdown calendars I've seen. This will give me the freedom to decide based on how I'm feeling that day whether I write something simple and low-energy or something more ambitious. Plus, as I see different Christmas activities come up on our local community calendar, I can decide on a whim whether to include that in our mailbox.
So, I know what you're wondering. What are some of the activities I'm thinking of putting in the mailbox?
I have here a list of 25 Christ-centered Christmas activities to get you started on your own family Christmas.
If all goes well, I imagine this will become a yearly tradition for us.
1. Go see Christmas lights.
Remind the children the Christ is the light of the world. You could also do this fun Christmas lights scavenger hunt from my friend Kim at Not Consumed.
2. Make a meal together.
3. Write a letter to a relative.
Be a blessing to someone you don't get to see very often.
4. Sing Christmas Carols together.
Talk about the meanings of the songs that you sing.
5. Play a Game.
Here's a fun version of Christmas Carol Catch Phrase
6. Let the kids decorate their rooms for Christmas.
7. Make Healthy Homemade Hot Chocolate.
8. Decorate Christmas cookies together.
Here's a fun set of nativity cookie cutters.
9. Go on a family outing (ice skating, Christmas parade, tree lighting etc.)
10.Bake and deliver goodies to the neighbors.
11. Make a Christmas craft.
(Tons of ideas on Pinterest!)
12. Watch a Christmas movie together.
Here is one I have watched.
13. Read a Christmas book together.
This is a good one.
14.String popcorn for the Christmas tree.
15. Make homemade Christmas ornaments.
These names of Christ ornaments are nice. (You can also buy names of Christ ornaments.)
16. Make cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
17. Act out the Christmas story.
Be as simple or elaborate as you wish with costumes.
18. Pick out a gift for a child or family in need.
19. Prepare a scripture, song, or poem to share with the family on Christmas day.
20. Put together candy cane tracts to give to people as you're out and about.
Here is a free printable candy cane tract from my mom's blog.
21. Go to a Christmas concert.
22. Visit residents at the nursing home and sing Christmas carols for them.
23. Decorate a gingerbread house.
Get a pre-made kit here.
24. Make a family video with scripture and songs for friends and family.
25. Draw names and do a secret acts of kindness for a family member.