Holidays in Our Home: Christmas Activities - At Home











As I mentioned, our family loves celebrating Christmas, but we don't want to run ragged the entire month of December. Some of my favorite Christmas traditions don't require leaving the house...
  • Reading Christmas books - There is way to much to say about this, so Christmas books will have their own post...
  • Celebrating Advent - This is actually an area I want to do a better job with, but each year we've celebrated the coming of Christ using an advent wreath and devotion book or an advent calendar. This year, we are going the calendar route, but I hope to return to the wreath and devotions next year. (I would love suggestions on a good book for celebrating advent with children! )

  • Reading What God Wants for Christmas and Playing with Nativity Scenes - This will be our third year to use What God Wants for Christmas as part of our family devotion time, and I am enjoying watching Will's first introduction to the story of Jesus' birth. We have several nativity scenes around our house, and one in particular that is great for even the smallest of children. Even as he bangs the the Baby Jesus and shepherds together or puts a wise man in his mouth, I know Will is becoming familiar with the characters in the most important story he will ever hear. I want these characters to be accessible to my children because Christ came as He did to make Himself accessible to us. This after all is our reason to celebrate!
  • Planning a Christmas Play - A new tradition beginning this year... A family Christmas play is in the works, one that Sophie is casting and directing, though we will insist she has help with the script-writing, lest the angels turn a pumpkin into a carriage or King Herod be turned into a genie trapped in a magic lamp! She already has her angel costume and is faithfully working on her lines. I've been cast as Mary, with Matt as Joseph, and Will as Baby Jesus, though he looks a bit more like Toddler Jesus. But he's as tiny of a baby as we have this year. Patti-Grams and Tato are shepherds, with Aunt Hope, Aunt Tori, and Derek portraying the three wisemen. The costumes (other than Sophie's) will be simple, and at some point in our family's future other little children will take over roles for the adults, but I hope this will be an important part of our Christmas celebration. 

  • Reading the Christmas Story and Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus - One of my favorite moments of Christmas Day is Tato taking Sophie onto his lap and reading the Christmas story, reminding all of us what the celebration is about. This year, Will will have a spot on Tato's lap, and it makes me smile to think about that lap filling up with brothers, sisters and cousins as the years go by. After the story, Patti-Grams always has a most-delicious cake ready for us to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. I love that Christmas Day has a birthday party feel since that is in fact what it is.      
I am thankful that in creating and continuing traditions to help my children understand the importance of special days, I get to grow in my own understanding and approach these occasions with the wonder and faith of a child.

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