How to Help Children Focus on Christ During Christmas

How to Help Children Focus on Christ During Christmas

October 19, 2021

As we draw closer to the Christmas season, it will become easier and easier to get swept up in the commercialism which has become so closely associated with the event. Instead of thinking about the incarnation of Christ, the most powerful being in all of existence, lowering Himself to the form of a helpless baby, we instead think of costly presents and holiday movies. 

As parents, it is up to us to be the counter-influence in our children’s lives. When everyone else is focusing on what new gaming system they want, it is up to us to remind our children of the true meaning of Christmas: Christ Jesus. 

How can we go about doing this?

Six Tips for Helping Children Focus on Christ This Christmas

1) Community Efforts

One of the best ways we can remind ourselves and our families of Christ during the Christmas season is by trying to live like Christ rather than as the world. One of the chief ways to live like Christ is by serving, just as He served. 

As most Americans are consumed with the ideas of gifts, we as Christians should be consumed with living like Jesus. What does this look like?

  • Serving in a soup kitchen (Matthew 25:35)
  • Serving the homeless (Matthew 25:35)
  • Visiting those in prison (Matthew 25:36)
  • Serving children without parents as well as widows (James 1:27)
  • Serving in church ministry (1 Peter 4:10)

2) Have Reminders in Your Home

We love the idea of having a nativity scene set up in your home. Seeing the setup can be a significant reminder of Jesus’s humble beginnings. What might make this even better is actually having your children create this nativity scene themselves! Many parents have recently come up with creative ideas on how to have students make their own nativity sets. A few easy ideas:

3) Read the Christmas Story

One tradition which many Christian families carry on is the reading of the Christmas story, found in Luke 2:1-20, every Christmas. We propose continuing this tradition but also taking it a step further. 

Read the story with your family, and then take the time to discuss with your children why this is significant. Why is it such a big deal that Jesus was born in a stable? Why is this baby named Jesus so important anyway? 

We get to impress upon our children how incredible it is that God the Son would take the form of a baby, descending from His heavenly throne, all for the sake of living a perfect life as an example, and so that He could ultimately die in our stead. 

4) Idolize Jesus, Not Santa

In American culture, we have many mythical figures that are propagated to children for the sake of fun and excitement: the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy. Often we incorporate these characters for many reasons, whether it be to carry on the tradition or to give our children a sense of wonder.

However, often unintentionally, we allow these fantasy characters to take center stage in the lives of our children. Their focus is spent on what Santa will give this year rather than what Jesus already gave 2,000 years ago. Christian parents/guardians truly need to sit down and discuss whether or not our usage of Santa Claus is detracting from our children focusing on Jesus.

5) Spend Time As a Family

Even though the Holidays create the great temptation for children to spend all of their time hanging out with their friends, it is also a fantastic time to visit together as a family. By doing so, we are able to more frequently have spiritual conversations with our children and are able to set the example for what it means to focus on Christ. 

Spoiler alert: Your children’s priorities will eventually reflect your priorities. Spend time together as a family and make it clear to them that your main priority is praising God for sending His Son.

6) Thank God Constantly

One of the most important ways in which we as parents can keep the focus on Christ this Christmas is by making sure to actively live out the gratitude we feel for Christ’s birth. We shouldn’t just talk about it; we should allow our children to see us constantly praying and giving thanks to God for sending His Son to live and die for us. 

No matter what you do this Christmas, make sure Christ Jesus takes center stage. Jesus’s birth is the greatest act of humility which this world will ever see. He deserves to be the sole focus of your children and family this Christmas.

 If you would like to know anything more about Emmanuel Lutheran School and our STEAM-based curriculum, we would love to answer your questions and schedule a tour for you to see and meet teachers and faculty. Contact Emmanuel Lutheran School for more information!

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