Birthday Gifts to Jesus: Sweet Christmas Blessings

Christmas time is my favorite time of year. I love the lights, Christmas music and movies, baking treats, roaring fires, scented candles, all of it. I just love Christmas time!

Over the years Christmas has become more and more commercialized. It’s all about give me, give me, give me instead of celebrating Christ’s birth. I want my children to focus on Christ and being servants rather than being focused on what they are getting. So today I want to share just a few ways that my family keeps Christ at the center of the holiday season.

1) Each year we all get a large number of beautiful Christmas cards from friends and family. Other than hanging them on a bulletin board or sticking them in a pile somewhere, use them as prayer prompts. Each night before dinner or bedtime have someone in the family choose one card and then cover than family in prayer.

2) In our home we put up two Christmas trees. One tree is where we put the gifts for the kids and the other tree is gifts for Jesus. Throughout the month of December we each spend time alone thinking of a gift for Jesus. Then we write it down and place it under Jesus’ Christmas tree. On Christmas Eve, we share them with each other. It could be committing to memorizing scripture, helping a neighbor carry in groceries each week, working on having a more positive attitude, journaling prayers, anything that helps our relationship with Christ or teaches us to serve others.

3) Last year our family did something fun when all of the extended family came over. We had helium filled balloons that had scripture verses and prayers written on little slips of paper inside the balloons. Before the kids opened gifts, we prayed over the balloons that when they finally landed the scripture and prayer inside would bless someone. Then we released our balloons as a gift to Jesus.

4) When you sit down to a big Christmas dinner take communion before eating. This is a great way to remember why Jesus came to earth and why we truly celebrate Christmas.

5) Along with your yummy desserts, make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday to Him letting the kids blow out the candles.

6) When you bake treats, take them to neighbors with scripture verses attached. Let your neighbor know that you will be praying for them. Then really do pray for them!

These are just a few ideas to help the family think about Christ and serving others this Christmas. While our children may receive a gift that is special to them and they will always remember, a good number of their gifts will be at the bottom of the toy box in a matter of days and they will not remember them into their adult years. But celebrating Jesus and serving others is something that will have an eternal impact.

I pray you have a fabulous and blessed holiday season, but I also pray that this Christmas your heart is fixed on the very reason we are able to celebrate.

Sweet Blessings~

Jenifer

Jenifer and her husband, Jeremy, have been married for fourteen years. They have been blessed with four children that she calls her blessings from Heaven. Jenifer is a housewife and homeschooling mom and enjoys serving alongside her husband as the multiplicity pastors of their church. She is the founder and co-leader of Woman to Woman Ministries and blogs daily at Sweet Blessings. www.jenifermetzger.org