This article originally appears in the December 2021 issue of the Mature Living magazine. Pick up your copy today!
Even when Christian families make every effort to keep Christ in the center of their hearts and homes at Christmas, the Santa Claus-reindeer-superheroes commercialism so rampant in today’s society can unintentionally topple Jesus’ birth narrative, moving Him to second or third place in our focus. Parents and grandparents throughout world history have struggled to keep Jesus in the hearts of children as the reason we celebrate Christmas, but these time-proven ideas still help today.
- The Christmas Crèche
Christmastime in Assisi, Italy, officially begins when crèches are erected in the village. Italian friar St. Francis began this tradition in 1223, when he asked Pope Honorious III permission to set up a manger in the village of Greccio as a teaching tool for the children. St. Francis gathered the villagers together, preaching about the “Child of Bethlehem,” as family members gazed upon the simple hay-strewn crèche. The unique visual display helped them to more fully engage with Christ’s birth. The crèche tradition has grown and endured for the past 798 years.
Christian families today can also embrace the same beautiful tradition. In anticipation of the Christmas season, place a crèche on a coffee table or floor in your family room, choosing a high-traffic, prominent place in your home. During family devotions, read together the Christmas story, explaining the meaning and role of each figure in the crèche. On Christmas Day, celebrate the birth of Christ by placing the baby Jesus into the manger. Sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus as you celebrate His birth and welcome Him into your home and hearts
2. The Christmas Tree
One clear night in the 16th century, as the story is told, Martin Luther walked through a German forest, his eyes staring heavenward, admiring the stars shining brightly through the tree branches. He focused on the evergreen tree, its branches full of life throughout the year, when in the bleak of winter, all other trees turned brown and lifeless. This German preacher and father of the Protestant Reformation returned home, set up an evergreen tree in the middle of his house, and decorated it with candles. He told his six surprised, but delighted, children why the tree reminded him of Jesus, the Son of God who left heaven to come to earth at Christmas: the lighted candles he placed upon the tree reminded him of the star that led the wise men to the Christ child, and the tree’s ever-greenness reminded him of Jesus’ everlasting love. We’re told the tradition caught on, and soon other German Christian families brought Christmas trees into their homes as a teaching tool for their children.
This Christmas decorate your tree as a family, telling the story of Martin Luther, his walk through a starlit forest, and the Christmas tree he brought home. Crown the top of your tree with the star of Bethlehem. Walk outside, let the children gaze at the stars, and teach them the Christmas carol Martin Luther wrote and sang to his children: “Good news from heav’n the angels bring, Glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a Child is giv’n, To crown us with the joy of heav’n.”
The Santa Claus-reindeer-
superheroes commercialism
so rampant in today’s society
can unintentionally topple
Jesus’ birth narrative.
3. Christmas Plays
During the Middle Ages, when so few people could read, Christian parents told their children about the birth of Jesus, with Mary and Joseph, the wise men, the shepherds, and the nativity animals that surrounded Jesus’ manger. Then they assigned the children nativity roles to play, engaging them in the biblical account of Christ’s birth. These simple performances produced a memorable visual of Christmas, much like the crèche had done many centuries before in Italy.
Christian families today can bring Christmas plays into their children’s lives, allowing their older children to perform the speaking roles and their younger children to serve as stars and animals. If children are shy about performing, provide construction paper, crayons or markers, and craft sticks, teaching them how to make nativity figure puppets. Kids can sit hidden behind a couch or table and speak through their performing puppets to an audience of family and friends. Christmas plays can help remind children in concrete ways that Christmas is the season to celebrate Christ’s birth.
4. Symbolic Hands-On Creations
For years, Christians have taught their children about Christmas by using many different Christian symbols. They made candy canes that represented the staffs used by shepherds as they walked over the hills to visit the Christ child. The candy canes also reminded them of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. The families rang small bells to echo the sounds made by the shepherds’ sheep as they walked with bells around their necks. Star-shaped objects symbolized the star of Bethlehem that alerted and led the wise men to Jesus. Candlelight taught children that Jesus is the Light of the world, the One who offers salvation. The Advent wreath, with its roots in the 16th century, originally held 24 candles representing the 24 days before Christmas. Christmas calendars became popular in 1851 when they were first printed in Germany. Gift-giving goes back to the 15th century, becoming well-established in the 18th century.
Christian families today can incorporate into their homes the many symbols of Christmas to teach children about Christ: strings of lights and lighted stars, bells, candy canes, candles, wreaths, handmade gifts that show love and gratitude, ornaments inscribed with Scripture, figurines of angels, evergreen trees, the cross and crown of thorns, and other concrete symbols that keep Christ the center of Christmas.
5. Church Worship
Throughout the ages, Christian families have celebrated Christ’s birth by singing carols, participating in worship services and Bible studies, attending Christian musicals and special activities at church for children, and gathering to share meals.
Christian families today can continue these worship-focused traditions and include others — such as gift-giving to the community’s impoverished families and participating in age-appropriate mission activities — to teach about honoring Christ at Christmas.
Christmas can be life-changing for children when loving parents and grandparents keep Christ at the heart of Christmas by teaching about Christ’s birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection and reducing secularism surrounding today’s Christmas holidays. How will you be more intentional this holiday?
Christmas can be life-changing for children when loving parents and grandparents keep Christ at the heart of Christmas.
About the author
Denise George (denisegeorge.org) is author of 31 books, including her true, family-loved Christmas book: Johnny Cornflakes: A Story about Loving the Unloved.