OPINION:
Focus is an issue this time of year. There are so many things competing for our attention. What should we focus on – the parties, the decorating, the shopping, the hustle and bustle of the season, the over-the-top commercial assault on the holiday? Yet, Christmas is a holy holiday. It is a time to pause and celebrate one of the most important events in history – the birth of Jesus. How do we keep ourselves and our families focused on Jesus?
Like anything else, be intentional and simplify.
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As Christian parents, we hit it out of the park when we make it a point to introduce a simple holiday tradition that keeps our family focused on Jesus. He is not only the “reason for the season,” He is the most influential person in your family’s faith journey. He deserves focus and reflection on the impact of why He came to this earth as our personal Savior. No matter what age range you have in your house or what this might look like for your family, the key is remembering it’s about celebrating the miraculous birth of our Savior. I have three ideas to get you started.
1. Birthday Cake
Got little ones? Take a cake and make it Jesus’ birthday cake. For younger kids, it’s best to meet them on their level and celebrate in a way they can understand — with a birthday party! By giving a fun and factual birthday party for Jesus, you can help your children begin to understand the true meaning of Christmas at an early age. Make it fun — build gingerbread nativity scenes together, sing “Happy Birthday Jesus” with a cake, and do a fun gift scavenger hunt that helps you tell the Biblical account of His birth.
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2. Three Gifts
Have a range of ages of kids in the family? Take gifts and connect them to the heart of Jesus’ esteemed visitors, the wise men. A friend of mine started a three-gift tradition when her kids were young, and it’s a great way to keep Christmas simple and meaningful. It is taken right out of the Bible. Her kids, even as young adults now, still cherish this tradition. Focus on three purposeful gifts from the Bible account of Jesus’ birth. By mirroring the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus Christ, kids receive three gifts representing gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The Gold Gift: Gold was (and still is!) a very precious metal and considered high in value. So, this gift would be the most valuable or most desired item by your child.
The Frankincense Gift: Frankincense was an oil used for worship and was often burned during prayer that would rise up toward Heaven. So, the gift in this category would be something that will draw your child closer to God, like a new Bible or Scripture art for their bedroom.
The Myrrh Gift: Myrrh was a burial spice used to cover the whole body, preparing for its final resting place. So, this gift would be something for their body, like a new coat or jewelry.
I have seen this simple tradition in action and it is impactful for kids of all ages. But there is one more just for your pre-teen or teenager to get them engaged.
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3. Advent Prophecy Cards
Take prophecies and show your kids how Jesus fulfilled them. Did you know that Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies from the Old Testament? In fact, the probability that someone could fulfill just eight of these prophecies is one in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000!
That’s amazing. This fact about Jesus fascinates me. So when my three boys were hitting middle school and high school, I looked for a meaningful Advent tradition that didn’t include candy or gifts but expanded their knowledge of Jesus’ prophecy fulfillment from the Bible. I couldn’t find anything so I created my own — Advent Prophecy Cards.
This fun tradition helped my kids understand that the Bible is true and reliable. The advent cards, with examples of prophecies involving Jesus’ birth and life on the front side and fulfilled prophecies on the back side, have helped our family learn more about Jesus as our awaited Messiah. And our discussions grew from there.
With a little creativity, you can intentionally create a simple Christmas tradition for your family to focus on celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Don’t let your family miss out on the greatest joy of the Christmas season. Find a way to focus on Jesus!
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Kori Pennypacker is the CEO of Bible2School, where she oversees the mission and speaks to businesses, churches, and community leaders on the topic of the importance of spiritual training for children in our communities nationwide. She has over 20 years of experience in children’s ministry and leadership.
Bible2School equips communities across the nation to provide free elective Bible classes to elementary school children DURING their public school day. Their vision is that every public school in the nation would have a dynamic Bible program taught during their school day as allowed by national released time court rulings.
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