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Christmas Traditions That Teach Our Children Pt. 2 This blog is part 2 of 4 installments: In spite of the commercialization of Christmas, there are ways to put Christ back into the center of the Christmas celebration. It may take a great deal of effort to correct old, ingrained habits, but the rewards will be great as you find your energy and enthusiasm increasing instead of dissipating during the holiday season. Here are some valuable tips to aid you as you re-invest the Christmas season with awe for our wonderful Savior; as you teach your children how to celebrate the incarnation -- the coming of God to earth in human flesh. Focus on Jesus: 1. Read the Christmas story together as a family at dinnertime or as a part of other family “together” time. Perhaps combine the reading with the lighting of advent candles and read the Scriptures that relate to each candle. This would space out the Christmas story over a 5 week period. Have a different family member read each time from an age appropriate Bible – i.e., a young child could read from a children’s Bible. Talk about why God sent His Son into the world in a human body and follow it through to the cross and the empty tomb. 2. When entertaining guests during the holiday season, both Christians and unbelievers, emphasize the real reason for celebrating Christmas through: a. singing carols together with someone accompanying on guitar or keyboard; b. sharing testimonies or personal stories from other Christmas seasons; c. joining in special prayer times for others who may not be having a happy Christmas, such as: our troops overseas, the homeless, nursing home residents, those who have experienced recent personal tragedies, or those who do not know Christ's love; d. reading aloud stories with a Christmas theme; e. watching videos or DVD’s with Christmas related themes that teach Christian values. Talk about the story themes. More to come . . .  Christmas Traditions that Teach Our Children Pt. 1 Part 1 of 4 parts As we approach this Christmas season, we are "life-instructing" our kids about what this most holy day signifies. The old axiom may sound trite, but it’s painfully true that “A picture is worth a thousand words”. We are painting pictures everyday with our lives. How we act and react in front of children results in mental image reinforcing mental image, day after day, year after year. What we say often cannot be heard because of what we do and how we do it. What kind of permanent images are you impressing on your children? What kind of “stuff” for tomorrow is filtering into their minds today? Children learn through a song on the radio that Santa Claus is omniscient: “He knows when you’ve been sleeping, he sees you when you wake, he knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!” But do they also know that God is omniscient? That what He sees in our lives is far more important than what a fictional character sees? How do you handle yourselves during the Christmas season? Harried, rushed, short-tempered, neglectful of your family and your spiritual responsibilities? Do you withhold gifts all year but give more than you can afford at Christmas? Your children are watching and learning what Christmas is all about. A little girl who was properly taught was asked, “Did you get all you wanted for Christmas?” “No, but it’s not my birthday,” she replied wisely. We need to remember whose birthday we are celebrating and remind others of that truth. We need to focus on Jesus because this day is a remembrance of His birth -- God come in the flesh. Have you carefully instructed your children about whose birthday Christmas really is? We need to teach our young people by word and example that we should give to Jesus on His birthday. What and how we give to each other should reflect our acknowledgement of God's gift to us. There are many ways to teach our children how to properly celebrate Christ's birth during the Christmas season. I will present several ideas in up-coming blogs. More to come . . . |
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