(This is not baby Jesus.)
This year in preparing for Christmas I have been thinking and wondering how Kelly and I can incorporate Jesus into Christmas. Growing up I was way more focused on Santa and presents and I would like to downplay that and focus more on Jesus. I know that having Max is the reason behind this and I’m glad. Today at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers – Max is a mopette 
we talked about Christmas traditions that families do. I’m not sure yet which ones we’ll choose to do and some are more about Jesus than others but they all seem fun:
- Make Jesus a birthday cake and sing him happy birthday on Christmas Day (His birthday 
- Stretch Christmas out through the month of December read Christmas books, watch Christmas movies. My favorite Christmas movies: Elf, National Lampoons Christmas, Home Alone, Scrooged, Love Actually, Miracle on 34th Street…
- Make a Jesse Tree. (A what…?) Yes, a Jesse Tree. You take a little tree and your kids can make ornaments for each day in Advent. You also read a verse on each day. Its really cool!
- Have your kids earn money to buy presents for their siblings, family and/or friends. Then take them to the dollar store to pick out gifts. This way they will perhaps be even more appreciative of the gifts they give and receive. They may also move beyond thinking of what they want to what their sibling wants and they will get to see the other person’s joy when opening the gift.
- On Christmas morning before opening presents read the passage from Luke 2 about Jesus being the ultimate gift to us from God.
- Give your kids three gifts because Jesus received three gifts and Jesus. The first is a heart gift (something they really want), the second is a mind gift (book, game), the third is a body gift (clothes, shoes)
- Another idea is to just give one big gift to your kids that they can all enjoy. For example a trampoline or swing set.
These are just a few ideas from the women at MOPS. What are your Christmas traditions? I would love to hear from you.
I hope you and your family enjoy a very cozy Christmas filled with the joy of Christ’s love.
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December 15, 2011 at 12:42 pm -
We make a birthday cake every year. I’ve always gotten to pick out the cake and decorate it with colorful frosting (I’m the youngest, and I don’t think my brother minded a bright pink cake). We get a candle for the top and everything. We’ve always done the cake on Christmas Eve, not really sure why. But it is my favorite part of preparing for Christmas. (I’ve never heard of anyone else doing this so I’m so glad you posted this in your list!)