Preparing your family to savor the Christmas season
We are just days away from gathering with our family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. Many will probably enjoy the meal and then quickly launch into the Christmas frenzy! Let me suggest four practices that you could incorporate into the four weeks leading up to Christmas in order to bring your focus back on the meaning of Christmas and give your family an opportunity to bond in a special way and savor the true meaning of Christmas.
To make the most out of these practices:
PLAN to set aside one time during each week to read and talk about a part of the Christmas story.
FIND the best time for your family to focus on these experiences for maximum participation.
TAKE TIME to reflect on each experience and talk about how it altered or enhanced your thoughts about this season of the year.
Week 1: Focus on prayer
Slow down to remember others who are facing challenges and struggling during this season.
Read and Reflect: Luke 1:26-38
Practice: Gather 2-3 tealights and supplies to make some homemade encouragement cards.
Plan to pray for 2-3 people you know that need prayer. Involve everyone in deciding who you will pray for. As you pray, pause a moment, and light a candle for that person/situation. After your prayer time, use the cards and card making supplies to create a special card for those you prayed for and mail it to them. These cards will be a great source of encouragement.
Week 2: Focus on giving
Let’s cultivate an attitude of giving to others this Christmas season.
Read and Reflect: Luke 2:1-7
Practice: Brainstorm with your family ways that your family can give to others this time of year. You might donate to Toys for Tots, give a helping hand to a neighbor, clean out your kids’ toys and with your kids give them away to others who might need them, etc.
Week 3: Focus on service
Join with others and work together to provide a service that will bless others during the Christmas season.
Read and Reflect: Luke 2:8-12
Practice: Here are some service projects to consider…
Sing Christmas carols at a nursing home.
Color Christmas pictures and write letters to servicemen.
Take baked goods to your local fire or police station.
Assemble care packages for a women and children’s shelter.
Week 4: Focus on keeping the spirit of Christmas alive
Read and Reflect: Luke 2:13-20
Practice: This week your family will create an “Encouragement Bank” that will be used to “keep Christmas alive” throughout the year. You will decorate your bank and encourage each family member to start donating to the fund. These funds will be used to bless others who are having a challenging time and need a special touch of encouragement. Display your Encouragement Bank in a prominent place in your home and make sure you are contributing to it regularly. Find appropriate times during the year to use some of the funds to bless others who are struggling. You might choose to use some of your funds to bless a person with a gift card to help buy needed groceries, buy flowers for a friend who just got bad news, etc. Pray and ask God to show you ways to encourage others all throughout the year!
If you would like a copy of these ideas you can share with your church families, please feel free to use this document.
Enjoy keeping Jesus first this Christmas season and use these ideas to help you accomplish this!
Merry Christmas!
Sandy Coelho serves as lay leadership development coordinator at the Baptist Churches of New England.
