The Christmas season should be one of merriment and celebration. After all, it signifies the momentous occasion of Christ's birth. Unfortunately, with fewer people honoring the true “reason for the season” and so much commercialization of the season, it has gotten harder and harder to keep Christ in Christmas. Thankfully, as we approach the holidays and family get-togethers and gift-giving, we can maintain our focus on Christ by keeping the following tips in mind.
Keep Christ in Christmas Ideas: How to Keep Christ in Christmas
The following are applicable tips for keeping Christ in Christmas. It’s important to strive to keep Him first and foremost in our efforts and celebrations, even if all around us, it seems the world is normalizing the hectic, chaotic pace of holiday celebrations.
Read the Bible
The first step to keeping Christ in Christmas is a commitment to reading God’s word. It is His roadmap for life and should be a valuable resource for us as Christians. While the pace of Christmas is harried, it presents a great time to begin the routine of regular Bible study. You can sign up to take part in an official Bible study, have a set time of day to read God’s word or use a devotional to guide your reading. Regardless of your method, making Bible reading a priority is one way to refocus your efforts and keep Christ in Christmas.
Share Your Love of God
The Christmas season is a time when people are more open to faith topics, even if they would be closed off about it in most other times of the year. Therefore, use Christmas as a prompt for sharing your faith with others. Be extra kind to the check-out person at the store who has potentially picked up extra shifts to afford Christmas presents for their family. Be sure to smile and acknowledge everyone you come into contact with. Talk about your faith, when you can bring the topic up. The attention you give sharing your love of God with others will help you keep the main thing in mind this holiday season.
Give to Others
Acts 20:35 says “..it is more blessed to give than to receive.” While this is true every day of the year, this time of year presents an ideal opportunity to give back to others. In addition, because of the Christmas season, there are many needs that need to be met that allow you to step in and help out. You can either volunteer your time by serving at a food bank, soup kitchen or other similar ministry or give financially to those organizations. You can also participate in notable ministries like Angel Tree or Samaritan's Purse. These organizations work extra hard this time of year to ensure that all kids are able to celebrate Christmas. There are also families in need who will be unable to feed their families, much less give them anything at Christmas. Step in and provide some of these needs for families in your community as a way to honor the true meaning of Christmas.
Attend a Christmas Church Service
Throughout the Christmas season, many churches, if not all churches put on Christmas plays, cantatas or programs. Make time to attend a Christmas-themed Church service to help you refocus on what matters this year. Of course, it’s not just important to attend these special programs and services, but it’s also vitally important for you and your family to remain faithful in church this time of yearl. Meaning Sunday morning services, along with any other services throughout the week are still just as important during the Christmas season, if not more so, than other times of the year. In fact, the busier life gets— like it tends to do during the Christmas season— the more important church attendance should be in order to keep you grounded and focused on the true meaning of the season.
Set Up a Nativity Scene
Nativity scenes are also a great way to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. After all, they are the ideal representation of the true Christmas story. If you have young children, you can allow them to help in the process of setting up plastic or fabric nativities. Even if you don’t have children, you can decorate using nativities as a way to have reminders of Christ and the true meaning of Christmas all over your home. You can also set up an outdoor nativity to share your faith when anyone who drives by your house.
Read the Christmas Story
Finally, the last tip for keeping Christ in Christmas is to read the Christmas story. You can find the story in the gospels, Matthew 1-2 or Luke 1-2. The gospels tell the story of how Jesus ended up being born in Bethlehem due to a census and tax and how he was born in a stable. It explains the miracle of Jesus' birth, being born to a virgin and how the shepherds were instructed to go see the child, by angels. The story of the Magi and their journey to see toddler Jesus is also outlined. This is of course where we get the tradition of gift-giving. Just as the Magi gave gifts to Mary in celebration of Jesus’ birth, we now give gifts to each other to celebrate His birth. If you prefer, you can get the Christmas story in a more succinct format in a children’s book or something similar. You could also start a new tradition reading portions of the Christmas story on different days throughout the month of December.
Remember The True Reason for the Season
The ways to keep Christ in Christmas listed above will help you keep Christ in the forefront this holiday season. After all, it is because of Him and His miraculous birth that we can celebrate at all. Don’t let the consumer-driven pace keep you from slowing down and acknowledging the momentous event of Christ’s birth this Christmas. Check out Love in Faith’s Christmas collection for some Christmas-themed apparel that share Christ’s message with the world.