Simple Ways to Keep Christ in your Family Christmas

The hustle and bustle of Christmas is upon us with our lists of things that just have to be done. We must hang decorations, attend parties, shop for and then wrap presents, watch Christmas movies, decorate cookies… the list goes on and on. In a season that has CHRIST in its name, it is often hard to remember that HE is our focus. How can our families keep Jesus in the center of this season? Keep reading to find six simple ways to keep Christ in your family Christmas this holiday season.

1. Read the Christmas story from the Bible to keep Christ in your family Christmas.

Putting the Christmas story in front of your family will help them to see that Jesus is the reason that you are celebrating. He is the foundational piece in the Christmas narrative, and without Him we would not have any hope or any reason to rejoice.

You can find the Christmas story in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. These two passages have slightly different perspectives, so it is a good idea to read both of them during the Christmas season. The book of Matthew tells of the men from the East who go to the King on their way to find Jesus, and it also tells of Joseph, Mary and Jesus escaping to Egypt. The story in Luke contains many of the details that you are traditionally familiar with. It tells of the angels who came to Zechariah, Joseph, and Mary as well as the story of John the Baptist.

2. Read picture books about Jesus to keep Christ in your family Christmas.

While you may not be able to invest in a whole set of new Christmas books for this season, schedule a time to go to the library together to get some Christmas books to read with your children. Your library is sure to have many interesting Christmas books but the majority of the ones you choose should have the Biblical narrative or Biblical themes.

If you choose to invest in books of your own, start at the thrift stores where you can find discounts on books. Just this weekend I found several books to add to our collection for less than a dollar each. When our children were young, I took this concept a step further and wrapped up our books so the children could unwrap one each day. Yes, that meant that we had 24 books that we wrapped and read during the Christmas season. While not every single one was a book about Jesus, I tried to make the majority of them spiritual ones.

Here are a few great ones with Amazon links (I am not an Amazon affiliate):

3. Display a Nativity scene to keep Christ in your family Christmas.

In order to keep Jesus in the center of your Christmas holiday, display a nativity scene that your children and whole family can see in a prominent spot in your home. I remember being fascinated with the nativity scene that we had when I was growing up. Studying the characters’ faces and thinking about what the angels must have been like was so much fun. I enjoyed moving the pieces to retell the story in my own words, making the characters talk to each other. It was magical.

For my own children we have had a Fisher Price Nativity scene that they have played with for hours. Even this year, my nine-year-old daughter was excited to see it and move the pieces around to recreate the story. Now my boys have had different experiences with it when they were younger… putting baby Jesus on the roof of the stable or making the animals eat Jesus. Even though we had these funny experiences, it has been powerful to have these nativities in a prominent spot in our homes. It reminds us on a daily basis that Jesus is the center and reason for this holiday. (You don’t need the Fisher Price one. There are many good ones online and in stores.)

4. Keep Jesus central by not adding Santa into your holiday activities.

The debate on what Christians should do with Santa has continued for years and years. While some don’t see a problem with Saint Nicholas, others are adamantly against him. For our family we decided to not directly celebrate Santa because we desired to not confuse our children with adding him to our Christmas celebrations. We didn’t want Santa to ever take the place of Jesus or distract from our celebration of Jesus. You will need to evaluate this in your own family and make choices based on your convictions.

5. Incorporate Advent activities or Christmas Devotions into your nightly routine.

In the days leading up to Christmas, take the time to add advent activities or Christmas devotions to your routine. There are many resources available to parents to add these traditions to your holiday. One of the simplest things to do is to use Christmas items that you have around your home to talk about spiritual things in more detail.

For example, ask one of your children to go find something that has an angel on it. Once they have found one and brought it back to you, ask them where we see angels in the Christmas story. Read from Matthew chapter one to show them the jobs that the angels had. Explain how they announced Jesus’ coming birth and actual birth. It is also our job to be a messenger to tell people of Jesus just like the angels did.

I have five nights of easy Christmas Devotions. They can be found here.

6. Make a birthday cake for Jesus and serve it on Christmas Day.

Do you celebrate birthdays in your family with a birthday cake or dessert? Well, do the same thing for Jesus’ birthday on Christmas! Make it a special tradition by baking the dessert together with your children on Christmas Eve and then singing “Happy Birthday” and eating the dessert on Christmas Day. Just as the birthday child gets special attention on his or her birthday, this is a great way to make sure that Jesus is getting special attention as well.

Which ideas will you incorporate this year into your Christmas traditions to keep Christ in your family Christmas? Do you have other ways that you seek to worship Jesus at Christmas time? Please share in the comments section below.

Overall, being intentional about Jesus this holiday season means we incorporate things into each day which will point us to Jesus. Biblically-minded families will guard against the busyness of the season which aims to crowd out Jesus. Use these six suggestions this holiday to keep Christ in your family Christmas.

To find out more ways your family can become more Biblically-minded, click here.