India 14 November 2016: Your home is the best place for your children to know and understand the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas time we all are super busy with all the festive preparations, but we tend to forget about the true spirit of Christmas and the beautiful experience that we can give your children. We have put together to help your family focus on the lasting joy of the season. Read on to find out 7 Kid-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Christmas.
1. Worship with a Christmas wreath.
For ages there is a tradition of lighting the candles of an Advent or Christmas wreath, try and follow this tradition this christmas. Place four purple candles, and one white candle in the middle of an evergreen wreath. You start this tradition from the first sunday of advent and continue for four weeks until Christmas. You need to light one purple candle every week and read the suggested Bible readings for that day. On Christmas eve you light the white candle and pray and thank God for the birth of Jesus.
2. Use a Nativity scene.
You can make your own or buy a nativity set from the market. While choosing a set, Select a set which is durable so that you can handle and move it freely. Let your children move the figures while you read the gospel of Luke 2:1-20.
3. Gather straw for the manger.
One interesting thing you can do this Christmas with your family is to gather straw for the manger. Now here is the fun part, your family members may place a piece of straw in the manger every time they do or see another family member do a good deed. By Christmas Eve the manger should be filled with soft straw. Now place the figure of Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve.
4. Worship through giving.
During Christmas we all get so busy with all the gifts giving and receiving that we may forget about the real joy of Christmas which is giving gifts to Jesus. Come together as a family and decide on gifts you will give to Jesus. So what gift do you give to Jesus? Your gift for Jesus is your love, worship, gratitude, praise, an offering for missions or an act of ministry.
5. Sing Christmas carols.
Christmas is the time to sing carols around your Christmas tree. Sing Carols as a part of family worship. You can also sing Christmas carols while you do the dishes or even as you get ready for bed. Also encourage your children to join you in singing Christmas carols, this Christmas season.
6. Read the Bible with your family.
This Christmas read the Bible readings along with your family. For making it easy for your kids to know which verse to read, you can place a marker in the Bible where the day's verse or passage is found.
7. Memorize the Christmas story from Luke.
The whole Christmas story is beautifully narrated in the gospel of Luke. You can decide with your family to learn the story of Luke 2:1-20. Distribute parts of the passage to each of your family member to memorize his or her portion of the story. You can then tell this story together to your children on Christmas eve. Your kids are sure to love this.