· Keep a basket of Christmas books around for children to always have access to.
· Have a child friendly nativity set that children can play with. Buy one for new babies as a sweet first Christmas gift.
· Use an advent calendar to count off the days. UBC has a great preschool calendar with activities you can use. Other ideas include ones with Bible verses for each day, or symbols for each day of the Christmas story, a paper chain where a chain is taken off each day.
http://www.tipjunkie.com/christmas-advent-calendar/
http://www.allcrafts.net/xmas/advent-calendars.htm
http://budgetwisehome.com/tag/advent-calendar-ideas/
· Do something good for others: sing at a nursing home, buy gifts for a family in need, make cookies for a neighbor. Talk to your kids about how helping others is pleasing in God’s sight.
· Have your children reinact the Christmas story, dressing up like shepherds, Mary and Joseph, or the angels. Great way to help them remember the story.
· At dinner, read Christmas cards that are received each day. Pray for those that sent the card.
· Give a gift of service to family members. Jesus taught us that it is "more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35. Giving an unexpected gift of service will demonstrate Christ-like love. Make it personal and meaningful. Remember the homemade coupon books that you may have given your mom or dad?
· Write a Christmas letter to a missionary. Many missionaries are unable to travel home for the holidays, so it can be a very lonely time for them. Write a special Christmas letter to a missionary of your choice, thanking them for giving their life in service to the Lord.
· Hang a Christmas stocking for Christ. Most families have a Christmas stocking for every member of the family to be filled with gifts from Santa. In addition, parents could hang up a white stocking for Christ, and on Christmas Eve every member of the family could insert a piece of paper listing their gift to Christ this year. Examples: being nicer to others, praying more often, etc. (This is my favorite new idea that I think we are going to try this year! Here is a link to a fun stocking my friend Terri found we might get. Or we may just do a simple white one.
Stay tuned for more!
No comments:
Post a Comment