Christmas Activity Roundup

Last week I shared some thoughts around Christmas traditions in my Santa and the Gospel article. I mentioned that there are a lot of great Christmas activities and ideas available today that put Jesus at the center of our celebrations, and I thought it would be helpful to do a resource roundup. (Am I late to the game? Yep. So you may tuck some of these ideas away for future years! )

Also, our family doesn’t do all of these! Resource lists like these can make me sweat because I feel like I should be doing all of the things. So please check this list out, and if you need ideas, try one out! If you do, let me know how it goes!

Charitable Giving

Giving is a great way to reflect God’s love to the world. You may not be in a position to give financially every year, but a giving spirit involves more than money - it’s time, it’s patience in a busy season, and it’s graciousness toward difficult family members. If you can give financially, here are some opportunities:

+ Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

Our kids have been doing this favorite tradition with me for about nine years. Every November, we get shoeboxes from our local church and fill them with gifts and helpful supplies to be sent to children around the world. This tradition takes our focus off ourselves and allows us to look outward to bless other kids and share the gospel with them. It’s the perfect way to start the Christmas season.

+ Local Food Pantry

Every Christmas, our local food pantry offers the opportunity to donate gifts, food, or to volunteer your time to help prepare items for families. Check your local food pantry to discover ways you can assist those in need.

This option is a great way to show our children that because God has blessed us, we can bless others. Everything we have belongs to God - we can share those good gifts with others who need them.

+ Samaritan’s Purse Giving Catalog

If you can’t already tell from the shoeboxes, we’re big fans of Samaritan’s purse and all the work they do in Jesus’ name. They publish a Christmas Gift Catalog every year that highlights specific needs with a variety of price tags, including: feed a hungry baby, help desperate refugees, bring clean water to a community, provide baby chicks, give a copy of God’s word, and many others!

Meeting people's physical needs in Jesus' name is a tangible way to share God's love with a hurting world.

This year, we plan to gift each of our children a set amount of money, which they in turn get to use to pick an item(s) to donate toward. Maybe they’ll combine their money and get a big item, maybe they’ll each give toward something smaller, but giving our kids autonomy in their charitable giving can help build a generous heart.

Activities

Here’s a small sampling of activities to help our families anticipate Christ throughout the Advent season:

+ Kids Read Truth Advent Cards

A few years back, we purchased a set of Advent conversation cards online from She Reads Truth. These are our singular Advent devotionals at Christmas time. At dinner we read a card together, and as the kids have grown they now take turns reading the cards each evening. Each card includes scripture and 3 discussion questions.

It’s been re-designed since we purchased our set, but they are beautiful and simple and we highly recommend them as an Advent activity. (Also, we often miss days for various reasons, don’t sweat it, and skip ahead to the card for the day we’re on.)

+ Advent Blocks Set

Full disclosure - I do not have this set. But I saw it being advertised a lot this year, and from what I can tell, it seems like a great daily Advent activity that starts at creation and covers the whole story of the Bible. (Pst…do some googling and you’ll find cheaper prices available through a variety of sellers.)

I think it’s fantastic any time a seasonal resource also points us back to the overarching story of the bible, because Jesus’ birth removed from the rest of the gospel narrative doesn’t give us a full picture of what it means.

+ Memorize Luke 2 Together

I know a few families who have done this together. They shared that it was so special to work together as a family to learn and recite these 20 verses that tell Jesus’ birth story. You’d break the verses up into chunks and do it week by week, with the goal of saying the whole chapter by memory at Christmas.

Or, just reading Luke 2 before Christmas dinner is another option to refocus hearts on Jesus in the midst of your Christmas festivities.

Entertainment

Our family loves to cuddle up with a good book OR for a good movie with some popcorn. I’m sharing one book and two movies specific to holiday themes that we have enjoyed and recommend! Note: Few movies are perfect - it’s often how you engage your kids in response to what you watch that matters most!

+ The Star

This movie takes us through Jesus's birth story from the animals’ point of view. While it includes a scary villain, it clearly displays that God’s will cannot be thwarted, and good triumphs over evil. We also see forgiveness and redemption for a couple of the villains. It includes a bit of humor, excellent music, and is overall a creative re-telling of Jesus’ birth.

+ Klaus (Netflix)

We discovered Klaus on Netflix this year, but it was made in 2019. This movie follows the spoiled son of a rich man who is sent to work as a postman on the desolate and faraway island of Smeerenburg. He receives an unfriendly welcome as he learns of the decades-long feud that casts a shadow over the town. With the help of a reclusive toymaker, they begin to bring joy back to the town.

Klaus was a hit for our family for a few reasons. It has beautiful, hand-drawn animations and an excellent storyline. The main character, Jesper, grows out of his selfishness, the toymaker, Klaus, processes his grief, and a village full of hate experiences restoration.

The children also take a leading role in the town’s redemption as they pave the way for the adults to make amends. I love when stories showcase children as change-makers.

While the ending leads you toward the story of Santa (some have called it a Santa origin story), it leaves the door open for families to address that topic in a way that works for them. As a family that does not follow the cultural Santa custom, I felt comfortable with the ending as a launching point for our continued discussion of Santa as a fairy tale, not a real person. This movie felt like a rare gem and provided many great talking points to engage our children.

+ The Tale of the Three Trees

This traditional folk tale follows three trees as they grow and dream of becoming a treasure chest, a great ship, and the tallest tree that points to God. Their dreams seem broken as they are respectively made into a manger, a small fishing boat, and a beam…that would become part of a cross. You see where this is going.

It’s a beautiful story that overtly points to God, and is popular at Christmas and Easter. It provides a great opportunity to discuss God’s purposes and the different ways the trees served and honored God.

There are many unique and wonderful ways to celebrate this special time of year! What does your family do? I’d love to hear your ideas. Send me an email to share your traditions!

Merry Christmas!