No other month in the calendar is like December. There is a plethora of decorations, shopping, baking, songs, movies, parties, and gifts. It is easy to be distracted by the “to-do” lists and the hustle and bustle of the season. Keep an emphasis on the birth of our Savior. It is challenging in our secular and commercialized world. Here are some simple traditions to help celebrate the first coming of Jesus and to be more meaningful. They cost little but can have a memorable impact on our children and grandchildren. Choose a couple to include in your plans to keep Christ in Christmas this year.

1. Play Christmas music in your home as a reminder of who and what we are celebrating. Many of these songs contain Biblical truths and talk about Christ’s birth and reason for coming.
2. Have a birthday party for Jesus. Make a cake and sing “Happy Birthday” to Him. This is especially meaningful for children as it reminds us whose day it is. 
3. If you send Christmas cards or a holiday family newsletter, include a message about Jesus as the “reason for the season.” Updates on everyone’s current activities or accomplishments may be followed by a special Bible verse or brief statement of thanks to God for sending the gift of His Son.
4. Serve children in need around the world. Samaritan Purse’s Shoebox ministry or Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree are two our family has found to be excellent projects to help us touch the lives of children internationally or who have a parent in prison. (One of our daughters was working in an overseas ministry and saw firsthand the impact of distributing the Shoeboxes to children in need.)
5. Use some Christ-centered Christmas decorations and tree ornaments. Advent candles, angels, and manger scenes are not only lovely to look at but can encourage conversations about Jesus and the reason for His coming. (We have a fragile Nativity set which is out of reach of young children but also a plastic one under the tree which children are encouraged to touch.)
6. Send cards, gifts, or donations to overseas missionaries. These special people are often missing home at this time of year, and being remembered in this way means a lot. (For a few years we sent gifts to a family overseas with children near the ages of our own. Our children had such fun helping to shop for those gifts! Do this early in the month to allow for enough shipping time.)
7. Watch a movie about the nativity as a family. (Along with those about the actual birth of Jesus, we also traditionally watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” which reminds us that God has a purpose for each person and no one is expendable.)
8. Be careful with overdoing spending on gifts which can encourage excessive consumption and materialism. (We decided early on that our children would receive three gifts apiece, representing the 3 gifts from the Wise Men to baby Jesus. Since we have 9 children, this decision also had the benefit of less shopping and expense!)
9. Allow children to act out the Christmas story – adults can join in as well. Old bathrobes, scarves, toy crowns, a baby doll, and stuffed animals can be used as costumes or props. (One year our children re-enacted the story using hand puppets from behind the sofa!)
10. Look for ways to serve others. Volunteer in a local soup kitchen, shelter, or food bank. Make cookies for the homebound or go Christmas caroling in a nursing home. Give to support Christian humanitarian work around the world (one year we “bought” chickens for an overseas family through an organization).
11. Go to church to celebrate together in community with other believers. Singing with a group lifts your heart in a powerful way.
12. Before opening gifts, whether on Christmas Eve or Day, read the story of Jesus’ birth from Luke, chapter 2 or Matthew, chapter 1. Say a prayer of thankfulness together as a family for your blessings and especially for the BEST gift: Jesus Christ!

Christmas is a special time to give thanks for Jesus’ willingness to come as a helpless baby, putting Himself in the care of human beings that He knew were flawed and weak. It’s the beginning of the story of how God provided salvation to any who would seek Him. Let’s be intentional about making plenty of room to keep Christ at the center of our Christmas celebrations.