The Ultimate List of Meaningful Christmas Resources & Traditions

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One of the greatest joys of Christmas is the delight of a child discovering it. The Christmas season has always been my favorite and as our kids get older I am thoroughly educating them in all the joys it brings!

But I have discovered that it takes no work at all for them to immediately fall in love with all the gift getting and miss the joy and wonder of Jesus' birth.

In fact, if we don't make sure our kids know the real reason behind the season they will default to the selfish side. 

It's human nature, people. And we actually have to fight it.

​Christmas is one of the most beautiful holidays and the devil is out to destroy it's meaning, hide the story and trick us into thinking it's all about Holiday spirit and nothing else.

So this year we are going all out...

on the intentional side of things.

It takes work. And thought. And research. And maybe even a little bit of stubbornness. Or maybe we should say "determination."

We need to remember how important God considers it for us to teach our children about Him:

These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. " {Deuteronomy 6:6-7}
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I know how busy this time of year can be for everyone so I want to just share all of my discoveries and research - hopefully it'll help simplify things a bit for you! <3

So let's get started!

Holiday Traditions

I have thought the Elf on the Shelf is a cute tradition for a long time, but was always a little afraid it would encourage the entitlement issues we're trying to stay away from. So this year I was delighted to find The Shepherd's Treasure.

This cute little shepherd is on a quest to find the Treasure of Christmas. His search takes him all over your house until he finds baby Jesus on Christmas morning. He comes with a high quality book telling his story and explaining how it works. You can find out more about him from Sarah Ann here.

And you can follow our Shepherd's journey on Instagram for some more inspiration!

Along with the Shepherd's Treasure we are going to do a Nativity Story countdown to Christmas! I haven't quite decided if I'm going to do it with the Shepherd or separately. 

Whatever the case, I created 25 4x6 printable cards that tell the Christmas story, as found in the New Testament, little by little, in chronological order.

I am super, super excited about going through these with our kids! And you can download them for free by clicking the file below. :D

christmas_story_cards.pdf
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Christmas Movies

We are very picky about the movies our kids watch and Christmas is no exception! I like to make sure any Christmas themed movies the kids watch are focused on Jesus and the joy of giving rather than Santa Claus and receiving. 

We are big Veggie Tales fans around here, so the bulk of their Christmas movies have Bob & Larry center stage.

Here's a few favorites:

The Story of St. Nicholas {their favorite!}

It's a Meaningful Life {The Veggie Tale version of"It's A Wonderful Life"- very good. And it has football. Which makes it great for family movie night. ;)}

The Little Drummer Boy {A Veggie Christmas story about forgiveness and baby Jesus}

A Fruitcake Christmas {Hermie & Friends by Max Lucado}

The Jesus Series - Christmas: Read & Share Bible DVD {Our kids LOVE the Read and Share Bible DVDs. The are simple and accurate, which can be hard to find. We don't actually have this one, but everything else I've seen by them is good so I'm going to be adding this to my shopping list!}

And then, as if there isn't enough great Christmas movies out there, I created a YouTube Playlist of  Kid's Christmas songs. {That's a mouthful!} Our kids have been loving it! So far there's just music videos on it. It's been a really great thing to turn on right after they wake up from their naps and just want to cuddle for a while. I'll be adding more songs and videos as I find them!

Christmas Books

There's not very many things as cozy as sitting down and reading stories together. You can create so many memories with your kids by reading with them!

Kid's Christmas books are some of my favorites. The stories are always charming and the books are usually high quality and beautiful! Here's a few of my favorites:

The Legend of the Candy Cane
One dark and stormy night, a stranger came to town. All the children in the little pioneer town hoped with all their might that he would open a candy shop - and when he did, he had a story to tell.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
The widow and her son had a simple request - would Jonathan Toomey {who was the best wood carver in the valley} recreate the beautiful nativity set they had lost during their journey west? But Jonathan Toomey was grumpy, unkempt and rude. Would their nativity set get done in time?

Jacob's Gift 
The rabbi give all of his young pupils a wood working assignment. And his nephew Joseph was going to come look them over when he came to town! This sweet story by Max Lucado give a different twist to the Christmas story - through the eyes of a young boy from Bethlehem.

The Crippled Lamb
Poor little Joshua the lamb never felt so alone and left out as he did the day all the other sheep went across the hills with the shepherds and he was left at home because of his crippled leg. But when he went to the stable with his best friend Abigail the cow there was a great surprise waiting for him!

More Great Ideas

There are so many great ways we can learn from each other. And so many wonderful ways to celebrate Christmas. So, here are a few more ideas to inspire you as you prepare to celebrate this wonderful season of Jesus' birth!

Love this! A Scripture writing challenge for kids! What an awesome way o instill the real meaning of Christmas into their hearts. <3

If you're a craft lovin' Mom, this easy Wooden Block Nativity is sturdy enough your kids can play with it!

My friend Johanna is super crafty, and I'm loving every one of her 5 way to make Jesus Christmas blocks. Ornaments, nativity sets, Jesus' name...lots of cool and simple ways to use blocks!

Abi has some cute {and free!} Christmas printables to help out with your Christ centered Christmas decor.

I love Alisa's idea of praying for each other at the end of every meal. It's a great way to focus on each other during the month of December! It's these little things that make the biggest difference.

Ana has some great ways to make much of Jesus during Christmas with your preschoolers.

There isn't a much better time to teach your kids the name of God than over Christmas. This DIY Names of Jesus Christmas Tree is pretty awesome!

You can spend an evening making a Nativity Scene instead of a gingerbread house.

I love this meaningful Advent Countdown from Jennifer! It isn't completely Christ centered, but it puts strong emphasis on giving, which is so important!

And here is another version of the Names of Jesus Ornaments from Arabah Joy - I love this idea!

Jen talks about their Christmas Adventure Box and shares some free printables to go with it!

If you like to get out and about, look up Christmas dramas and musicals in your area. Ask around and find Christmas concerts, etc. There's almost always a few local churches that have some kind of Christ centered event, and they're usually well worth your time and so much fun!

So there you go - whew! That's a lot of info. We do not do all of these things because...um...exhausting! I love a full and meaningful December, but I also love sleep. I mean at least a few hours a night is always nice. 

Remember to keep your schedule simple because a stressed out Mommy can ruin even the best laid plans and the most Christ-honoring intentions.

And hey, take the time for hot chocolate, candy canes and marshmallows. Look at Christmas lights and do all the other fun Christmas things! There is plenty of room in December and during the Christmas season to do both. <3

Are you excited to try some of these ideas? Which one did you like most? If you could add something to the list, what would it be? I can't wait to hear from you!

Blessings to you and your family as you prepare to celebrate a meaningful Christmas full of Jesus, love and family. 

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God is With Us: The Heart Cry of God's People

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