Making Jesus The Focus of Christmas

Christmas has always been a special time and people’s favorite holiday. But the meaning behind Christmas and the purpose for celebrating has slowly changed and become forgotten. Presents have taken over the spotlight, and it is becoming more and more difficult to teach children the true meaning of Christmas and help them see that it is more than just the gifts they receive.

Kids love presents, they love getting all the toys, electronics, and video games they have been wanting all year. Over time, society has transformed Christmas from a religious holiday in to a gifting frenzy. How many gifts did everyone get? Did the kids get everything they wanted? Is anyone going to be disappointed that they didn’t get exactly what they wanted? These have become the concerns on Christmas morning, and sadly we are all guilty of it.

While it is fun giving and receiving gifts, it is important to remind our kids what the true meaning of Christmas is, why we celebrate, and why presents are not as important as they may think. This may be difficult to do, because they are so used to only thinking about the presents they will receive, but it is important.

There are many fun and exciting Christmas traditions that aren’t centered around Jesus, and while celebrating with these is fine, keeping Christ the main focus is important. At Resurrection Christian School, we encourage our students and their families to celebrate Christmas how it is supposed to be celebrated, with Jesus at the center. Getting your kids to focus on something other than the presents can be a challenge, but in this blog we are going to give you tips on ways to change your children’s view of Christmas.

Make It About Helping Others

Giving to others and volunteering is something that you should do all year long, but the holidays is a great time to get your family truly invested. Volunteer at different organizations, help at food and toy drives, and make a point to help out the community this year. Spending time helping those less fortunate can help your family see what Christmas is all about and help other families have a more enjoyable Christmas.

Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and allow your children to see how lucky they are and helping them be grateful for what they have. Your children should learn that Christmas is not just a time for receiving, but it is also a time to give back to others and help others have a Christmas that is special. Not everyone wakes up on Christmas morning to a pile of presents under their tree, and many parents have to spend their money for Christmas on kids clothing and necessities rather than gifts for their children. When you bring your kids to volunteer they will learn how to be less selfish, appreciate what they have, and realizing the importance of helping those around them.

If you make volunteering a family tradition, your children will begin feeling the difference that it makes and look forward to helping out each year. Make Christmas about helping others, it will help your children realize that the gifts are not what matters. At Resurrection Christmas School, we make volunteering and helping the community an important part of our curriculum. Our students can participate in Operation Christmas Child, helping to pack and collect toys for children less fortunate, this is another great way for your kids to get involved.

As your children grow, they will get more Christmas gifts that are more age appropriate, but don’t let the unused toys pile up. Every year go through your kids toys and have them pick some that they no longer play with or wouldn’t mind parting with. Bring all of these toys to a local toy drive for other children to enjoy for Christmas. Some kids may fight and say they play with all of their toys, but you know which are touched and which have been collecting dust for years.

You can find more volunteering opportunities around you, here! Find a volunteering event that you and your family want to help at and start making your holiday about helping others.

Nativity Scene and Christmas Story

When you decorate for Christmas make sure to include the nativity scene. This is a great way to teach your children about the Christmas story and keep your decorations more focused around Jesus. If you have a nativity scene that is special and fragile, invest in a nativity scene that your children can play with. It is fun for children to set up these scenes and act out the Christmas story with them. Allowing them to get involved in setting up the nativity scene can help them learn more about the purpose of Christmas and pay more attention to the story.

Teaching your children about the Christmas story can also help them realize why we celebrate. Spend time reading the Christmas story to your family, act it out with the nativity scene, or act it out as a family. This is a fun way to get everyone involved and help them pay more attention to the story. If you have a larger family, assign each of your children to be someone from the Christmas story. Read the story and act it out with your family, this will get everyone invested in the story and help your children learn more about why Christmas is celebrated. This does not have to be a perfect production of the Christmas story. A rough and silly performance will get the job done and allow your family to have some fun with it.

Using the nativity scene and acting out the Christmas story as part of your Christmas traditions can help your children learn and understand why we celebrate Christmas. These are great ways to involve Jesus in your Christmas traditions and learn how it all began.

Christmas Music

Christmas music is fun and enjoyable to listen to, and many people begin listening to it immediately after Thanksgiving. There are many great Christmas songs, in several different styles, by many different artists. One way you can make Jesus more of a focus in you Christmas celebrations is to listen to more religious Christmas music. Sing religious Christmas songs in the car and around your home, and have your children pay attention to the meanings. It is easy to get carried away with listening to Jimmy Buffett, Mariah Carey, and Michael Bublé Christmas music, but start incorporating more religious songs into your Christmas playlist.

While Christmas caroling may not be your families definition of fun, it can be a great way to get more out of these songs. You don’t have to go around your neighborhood and sing to all of them, simply sing this songs in your home all together. Make some hot cocoa, start burning a fire, and have some fun singing these religious Christmas songs at the top of your lungs. It will be a fun way to get your children to understand the meaning of the songs and learn more about the holiday.

The Gifts

Yes, presents are a huge part of the holidays, and it is easy to get caught up in the excessive Christmas shopping. But there is an easy way to limit the gift giving and incorporate Jesus into the meaning behind it. Many Christian families have begun to implement a three gift policy. These three gifts represent the three gifts that Jesus received—the gold, the frankincense, and the myrrh. This helps to keep the focus of the holiday on Jesus as well as help your children from becoming too greedy during Christmas.

Christmas is a wonderful time for many people, but it is important to keep Jesus at the focus of your celebrations and help your children learn why we celebrate in the first place. Don’t get caught up in the materialistic Christmas traditions. These tips can help you and your family keep Jesus as the reason for the season and allow you to enjoy the holidays more. Spend more quality family time, stay away from greed, and help out those who need it, these are some of the best ways to enjoy Christmas and remember why we celebrate it.

At Resurrection Christian School, we encourage our students and their families to keep Jesus as the focus of their holiday celebrations. It is easy to find yourself in the typical Christmas traditions, but these tips can help. Start bringing Jesus back into your holiday traditions and learn more about our school now!