Growing up, I remember the excitement surrounding the Christmas celebration. We would bake a dozen kinds of Christmas cookies, spend time trying to figure out which gifts under the Christmas tree were ours, and even quote Luke 2:1-14 before opening gifts.
I knew that Jesus was the reason we celebrated, but I definitely got caught up in the other things. He was not my greatest gift. Now that I’m older, I’m desiring more and more to keep Christ in Christmas. I want my own children to not be as materialistic as I was, but it’s so hard in today’s culture . . . even Christian culture.
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How do you Keep Christ in Christmas?
So, how do you keep Christ in Christmas? What does keeping Christ in Christmas mean? These are the questions we’re going to tackle today. Let’s build homes that focus on Jesus’ birth during the Christmas season. After all, isn’t that what Christmas is for?
Keeping Christ in Christmas means that Jesus is at the center of the Christmas season. It means that you are keeping Jesus the focus of the Christmas season and that’s it. By keeping Christ in Christmas, you are less distracted by the commercialism the world is taking part in.
The best way to keep Christ in Christmas is by being purposeful versus going with the flow. By being intentional about the activities you do, what you talk about with your family, the traditions you take part in, and how you spend your time, you are taking part in the true spirit of Christmas. You are choosing things that focus on Jesus or spending time with family instead of things that are merely frivolous or bring stress.
What does Scripture Say about Celebrating Christmas?
To be honest, there aren’t really any Scriptures explicitly about celebrating Christmas. However, there are many Bible verses that talk about celebrating things God has done, rejoicing at Jesus’s birth, and being thankful for the gifts God has given us. When you look at all these verses, you can conclude that Christmas is a great reason to celebrate and that we can honor God in our celebration.
These first couple of verses are just examples of how God wanted the Israelites to celebrate certain key happenings in their history. These were commanded by God! He also wanted them to celebrate their hard work.
“This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.” Exodus 12:14 ESV
“also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.” Ecclesiastes 3:13
The following Bible verses are great for talking about why we celebrate Christmas. We are to rejoice at the birth of the Savior of the world. We are to fall down and worship. Also, we are to thank God for His “inexpressible gift!”
“And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,” Luke 1:14
“And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11
“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15
Keep Christ in Christmas Ideas
Alright! Now it’s time for tangible ways for keeping Christ in Christmas this year and every year. If you have more great ideas, be sure to let me know in the comments. There truly are many ways you can focus on Jesus and on others this season, but these are some big ones.
1. Celebrate the Advent season
The Advent season is the four weeks or so leading up to Christmas and is a time of preparation. By focusing on Jesus throughout the season of Advent, Christmas day will be much more meaningful. You could try reading different Advent Scriptures or going through an Advent devotional as a family.
2. Plan a Christmas service project
A great way for keeping Christ in Christmas is to do a Christmas service project as a family. Serving others who have a genuine need is an easy way to get the focus of yourself. This could be something like serving a meal at your local homeless shelter or food bank, participating in Angel Tree, Operation Christmas Child, Toys for Tots, or something similar. Perhaps your church knows of a family in need that you could bless as well. This surprise gift of service will be a blessing to others and show them Christ-like love.
3. Find activities that focus on Jesus
There are many Christmas activities available to do, but be intentional about finding ones that focus on the story of Jesus and God’s love. For example, go to a church Christmas Eve service, concert or play. Perhaps you can find a live nativity scene in your area. Another idea is to watch a Christmas movie that focuses on the true meaning of Christmas with your family members. These are simple ways to remember the true reason we celebrate.
4. Point out Christian symbolism in Christmas decor
It’s amazing to me how much Christian symbolism is in Christmas decor. There’s much more than I even realized. For example, a Christmas wreath represents the eternal life we have in Christ. Also, the colors green and red represent new life in Christ and the blood of Jesus respectively.
The story of the candy cane is another great meaningful decoration representing Jesus and what He did for us, while Christmas lights and candles represent Jesus as the light of the world. Bells signify the good news that was brought into the world, while the evergreen tree represents the never-ending hope that we have in Christ. These simple reminders are a special way to have Jesus be the central focus of your life in this season.
5. Decorate with items that focus on Jesus
To be honest, I really love snowmen. However, they don’t bring the focus to Jesus (unless it’s a snowman nativity painting). Now things like nativity sets, Jesse trees, angels, and decorations with Christian symbolism definitely point to Jesus. If you want to keep Christ in Christmas, be sure to focus on these things instead of Santa Claus, elves, and Rudolph.
As moms, unless we prioritize our relationship with God, it can easily fall by the wayside. Learn more about growing closer to God. As we grow closer to Him, we become a better wife and mother as well.
6. Give a gift to Jesus
Since we are celebrating Jesus’s birthday, a great way to keep Christ in Christmas is to give Him a gift instead of just spoiling your children. Get your whole family involved in coming up with ideas. What would Jesus want this holiday season? Well, Matthew 25:40 gives us a good idea. “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
One of the service projects listed above would be a great gift to give Jesus as a family! Other ideas could be giving up something that distracts you from time with Him, picking a character trait or discipline you struggle with to work on for His glory. Allow your family to help keep you accountable for whatever you choose. If you have other ideas, please drop them in the comments.
7. Read through the Christmas story before gifts
When Christmas morning begins, children are chomping at the bit to . . . what? Open their presents, of course! However, if you start a tradition of reading the Christmas story BEFORE opening gifts, it can re-center their perspective on the birth of Christ. Remind them of what Christmas time is about and why we even exchange gifts on this day.
You may choose to just read a short section from Luke 2, or like my husband likes to do, you may choose to read what all the Gospels say about the birth of Jesus. Our youngest children get to color or do something quiet while he reads and then we will open gifts.
Keeping Christ in Christmas Conclusion
As Christians, it’s so very important for us to keep Christ in Christmas and not get distracted by the commercialism of our day. The birth of Jesus Christ sets the stage for his later life, death, and resurrection. What are some ways that you keep Christ in Christmas? I’d love to hear your comments!
Be sure to check the other Christmas titles below. Christmas is a special time to prepare your own heart and that of your family for the true meaning of the season. What better way to celebrate than to point your family to the Son of God who came in human form? I wish you and your family a very merry Christmas as we celebrate this season!
- Top Advent Scriptures to Reflect on This Christmas
- Top Advent Devotionals to Read This Christmas
- Top Secrets to Simplify Christmas This Year
