Have you been tempted to lose the celebration of Christ’s birth in a swirl of fairy tales and merchandising? Have you trivialized the stunning miracle of God becoming human with toys, tinsel, and shopping trips in a frenzy of preparation for Christmas morning?
You might have started strong with weekly Advent readings with your family, but the tradition and dedication faded as the to-do lists got longer and the days shorter. You are not alone.
We’ve all been there … We get so focused on spreading clean sheets on guest beds, or taping glittered paper edges just right to hide the gift, or getting those first pies in the oven, that we lose sight of the real Christmas.
You haven’t failed.
Here’s an easy, 10-minute idea for Christmas morning. You can still make Christmas memorable and about Jesus.
Gather around the tree as usual. But before the kids tear into the carefully-taped paper, start with the most important gift. Designate a gift drop spot for Jesus.
Guide your family in first honoring Jesus for His willingness to come to earth. Remind them that He came to earth knowing His destiny was a cruel, brutal death.
Read the story in Luke 2:1-21 or Matthew 2:1-12. Point out that those who first worshiped Christ came to Him in faith before He had accomplished anything on earth. It was not because of the miracles He was yet to perform, or any gifts He might give. They simply worshiped Him because He had come, as promised. He was the long-awaited Messiah.
God desires that, like the magi and shepherds, we bow before Him and surrender our hearts and our lives to Him. Explain to your family that Jesus wants us for Christmas!
Encourage everyone gathered this Christmas morning to again give their hearts to Jesus. Have strips of paper ready for anyone who’d like to write or draw a gift to Jesus. Allow time for them to drop the paper gift in Jesus’ spot.
Save all these letters, notes, and gifts to Jesus as a valuable record of the growing faith in the hearts of each family member. The toys and trinkets will fade but hearts given to Him grow in value to become as Peter said, “more precious than gold” (1 Peter 1:7).
We hope you and your family have a wonderful and memorable Christmas!
If you enjoyed this post by Barbara, check out some additional posts about the true purpose of Christmas:
Merry Christmas to everyone.
Happy Christmas 🎄
I love your idea of beginning our Christmas Day celebration thinking about a gift you would want to give to Jesus and writing it down. Thank you for sharing!! We wish you and Dennis a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year!!
The “Jesus Spot” is a little unclear to me. Like maybe a gift bag to drop the messages into? I love the idea. We always read the portion of the Christmas story about the wise men coming to worship Jesus and give their gifts to Him. We talk about giving gifts to each other as a celebration of giving that happened at the birth of Christ. This will tie right in. Thank you.
I have 3 grown up kids, two of them married. We don’t have any grandchildren yet, but I plan to do this in our first Christmas celebration together.
I am planning to keep it for the rest of the Christmases together.
I’ve always emphasized Christmas is about Jesus birth and purpose in life, to seek and to save the lost.
We must be like those humble shephers and fancy magi willing to adore Him! Be willing to share Jesus with those around us all year long!
Thank you!