5 Simple Ways to Make Christmas More Meaningful This Year

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1.       Read the Christmas Story Before You Unwrap Presents

My wife brought this tradition into our home, it was something she had done with her mom growing up. It’s such a simple way to remind ourselves of what Christmas is really about. Suggestion: Don’t read from a kids story bible but instead, read straight from the Bible, Luke Chapter 1 to Chapter 2, verse 20.

2.       Join a Christmas Eve Service at Your Local Church

I loved going to Christmas Eve services with my family growing up. They say that kids will reflect the faith that they see in their parents. See is the key word. If you read your Bible and pray in private, they won’t know that that’s an important part of your faith (because they’re not seeing it). In the same way, when our family sees us going to church during special services and Sunday morning, they learn that part of our faith means rearranging our schedule in order to gather and worship with the people of God.

This year, our church (April Sound Church) is having two services on Christmas Eve. We’d love to be one of the ways that you make your Christmas extra meaningful this year.

3.       Find an Opportunity to Serve

Sometimes all of the commercialism surrounding Christmas can have us overly focused on material goods and we can even start wishing we had more: more for ourselves, more money to buy more gifts for others, more Christmas decor and lights, more, more, more. But Jesus tells his disciples that they are to serve, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” When we serve, it recalibrates our heart to care for others more than ourselves and it brings to mind an awareness of what our neighbors need and what we already to have.

This year our church is serving the homeless and underresourced people of Conroe, TX a Christmas breakfast at Lewis Park. I can’t think of a better way to make Christmas more meaningful.

4.       Review the Nativity Scene

Do you have a nativity scene somewhere in your house? Take time to go over the Christmas story by reviewing the characters. This past Sunday, someone stopped in our lobby to look at each character in the scene and as they did, they asked who each person was. It struck me as a very simple way to share the Christmas story with our family and even ourselves.

5.       Brainstorm Christmas Symbols

The evergreen wreath is a symbol of life (green) and eternity (circle). Similarly, the Christmas tree that you’ll gather around as you unwrap presents is filled with symbols:

  • Lights for the light of Jesus,

  • Evergreen for eternal life,

  • Ornaments that often symbolize the good gifts and memories God has given us,

  • Candy canes that are meant to remind us of the Great Shepherd (shepherd’s staff shape) who gave his blood (red stripe) that we could be forgiven and made pure (white stripe).

  • Pro tip: turn the candy cane upside down and it’s a “J” for Jesus.

What does your family do to make Christmas more meaningful? Got some great ideas to share? Comment below, I’d love to hear them!