Emphasizing the Spiritual Side of Christmas with Our Children

Emphasizing the Spiritual Side of Christmas with Our Children By
Lisa M. Hendey
In these hectic days prior to Christmas, it’s easy for us to
push aside the precious time we have with our young children in
favor of hours spent shopping, wrapping, cooking for guests, and
entertaining. We may find ourselves popping in a videotape,
permitting one too many “happy meals” or handing our children
toy catalogues to keep them occupied while we repeat “Maybe
later, sweetie” more frequently than we realize.
As parents, we all strive to build family traditions and
memories our children will cherish. The trouble starts when we
let ourselves become so wrapped up in creating those special
moments that we forget what our children will really treasure –
time with their parents. This holiday season, take a few quiet
moments throughout the day to emphasize the “sacred” side of
Christmas, the “reason for the season”.
The following are a few suggestions for helping you to cherish
this quiet family time leading up to Christmas:
•Take time to read stories about the real meaning of Christmas:
Nearly every home contains a family Bible and Christmas is the
perfect time to explore scripture with your child. Simply open
your Bible to the beginning verses of each of the four gospels
and start reading. Let older children take turns and read a few
verses each night in the days leading up to Christmas, or read
the entire story on Christmas Eve prior to opening presents.
•Christmas Carols: The malls are filled with songs about Santa,
reindeer and chestnuts – fill you home with traditional,
religious Christmas carols. Turn on a favorite Christmas CD (my
personal favorite is O Night Divine by Cousins in Christ –
http://www.roseofsharonmedia.com ), dim the lights, and snuggle
in front of a fire (or candle) with your kiddos – keep CDs in
the car for those hectic hours caught in traffic. And most
importantly, sing along!!! •Christmas crafts and activities: For
those moments when mom needs some quiet time to wrap, address
cards or just unwind, hand your child a Christmas themed
coloring picture (with a manger scene rather than a wrapped
present) and invite her to color a picture for Grandma, your
pastor, or a special teacher or friend. A large selection of
spiritually related coloring pictures are available at
http://www.christiancoloring.com •Go to Church: For many
families, attendance at Christmas services is one of the few
times all year that they attend a religious service. This year,
try visiting Church as frequently as possible prior to the
holidays to help your child truly understand the meaning of
Christmas as we embrace and celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Many churches have beautiful Nativity displays available for
viewing – your child will remember his visits with Baby Jesus as
a special precursor to the holidays. Please join me and my
family in praying for peace in our world as we near Christmas.
The ideas are limitless, but the intention is one we all share –
to create special, meaningful memories for our children as we
help them grow in mind and body. Think back to your own
childhood and remember those things that stand out in your mind
about Christmas. My own family traditions growing up included
our family Christmas play, a simple, costumeless rendition of
the Nativity, which was performed for family and friends each
Christmas Eve. I can’t tell you what I received as a present any
of those years, but I can recite every line of that play!
Treasure your child this season as you cherish the true meaning
of Christmas together.
Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons and webmaster of numerous
web sites, including http://www.catholicmom.com and
http://www.christiancoloring.com