The True Meaning of Christmas
Email 1
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Parents:
Hopefully by now you are all getting in the Christmas spirit. We have finished with all of our Thanksgiving traditions and now it is time to prepare for the most wonderful time of the year! Sometimes even though we try our hardest to be present and remember the true reason for the season, it can be easy for our children to get caught up in the materialistic aspects of the holiday.
How can you help your child understand that Jesus should be our focus at Christmas? How do we teach them the joy in giving and not turn into miniature Scrooges? This month, we want to help you in teaching your children to truly enjoy and celebrate Christmas and the gift of Jesus.
https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/112240863/b6a5ef90b9
Partnering with you,
Preschool Pastor
Email 2
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Subject: What Christmas is All About – Part Two
Parents,
Do you feel like your children have lost the true meaning of Christmas? Are they more focused on what Santa is going to bring them and fail to celebrate the birth of Jesus? Our children are surrounded by advertisements and seeing the latest toy or gadget. Combine that with what friends are getting and toy catalogs coming in droves in the mail and you get a bad case of the gimmies!
1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” We must teach our children the joy of giving rather than receiving. What better time to do this than at Christmas when we received the greatest gift of all. We have put together some tips and suggestions to help you with this large task.
First, as parents, we must take a look at ourselves and ask “what are my actions showing my children?”. Are you consumed with the latest gadget and accumulating more stuff? If so, you are teaching your child what to place their focus on too. Practice what you preach. Perhaps it is time to rein in on how much you are spending on your children this Christmas and not overspend. Surveys have shown that Americans plan (on average) to spend nearly $300 per child this year! Is it any wonder that our children can become materialistic this time of year? Help your child to understand the concept of money and how much things cost. If they receive an allowance, help them to prioritize their own money. Set a limit for what they can spend and what must be saved or given.
Many children have no idea how fortunate they are because luckily, they have never known hunger or not receiving gifts at Christmas. We must teach them the difference between a need and a want. Involve them in giving to someone less fortunate. Let them help to choose toys they no longer play with and donate them. Participate in mission projects with your children and talk about why you are giving back. Sponsor a child in a poverty nation or adopt an angel off an angel tree. Children often have empathy for other children. When they see others who are less fortunate firsthand, they may learn to appreciate what they have at home. Hebrews 13:16 says, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
Take the time to foster positive memories this Christmas that don’t involve consumer products. Bake Christmas cookies together, drive/walk around your neighborhood and look at lights and decorations, or watch Christmas movies as a family. Do not reward them with money or treats all the time, but with praise and the gift of your time. Doing these things will create memories that they will remember long after that toy is long gone and help set characteristics in them to carry into adulthood.
Partnering with you,
Preschool Pastor
Video Script
Can you believe it is nearly Christmastime? It seems like we just celebrated last year! I don’t know about you, but Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. My family loves every part of celebrating the holiday: decorating, the music, the food, sharing gifts and time with family, but most importantly: celebrating the birth of Jesus. However, these days it seems like commercialism takes over in society and Christmas becomes more about receiving than giving. If you were to ask your children what Christmas is all about, what would they say? I’ll be the first to admit that my children can be caught up in what Santa is going to bring to them and forget what is truly meaningful. So how do you reinforce and teach your children what is really important? This month we are
going to talk about how to turn down the materialism and help our children learn the joy of giving and the true meaning of Christmas.
Even children who grow up in a Christian home can get caught up in the commercialism that can surround the holiday. Do you know that some studies have shown that children can be exposed to nearly 40,000 television ads and commercials a year?! These ads are designed to show us products that we just cannot live without. At a young age, children do not possess the ability to distinguish between a need and a want. So guess what, every interesting toy or product they see? They need it, at least in their mind. Try taking your little one
in a toy store this time of year and not buy something. Get ready for a meltdown! I’m not telling you to take down the tree and ban Santa from your home, but how do we teach our children that we should be focused on the ultimate gift of the birth of Jesus and not the latest toy?
Gifts and Christmas usually go hand in hand. So, how should we give? Giving should be about grace. We must teach children that we do not give out of obligation or expectations, but instead to practice selfless giving….giving freely. You cannot give with grace if you are thinking about yourself first. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful heart.” Show them the joy that can be found in serving and giving to others.
We teach by example. Even as adults, it is easy to get caught in the tornado that is Christmas shopping. All you have to do is watch the news after Black Friday sales to see that. And guess what? Materialistic adults produce materialistic children. We must practice what we preach. Take a look at what your focus is on and you will get a good idea of how you are teaching your child to prioritize.
There is a great line at the end of The Grinch That Stole Christmas that says “Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store…maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” How else will children learn the true meaning of Christmas if we, as their parents, don’t teach them? Read the Christmas story from the book of Luke, chapter 2. Read it from a children’s bible so it’s on their terms. Use decorations and allow them to help set up a nativity scene in your home. Attend church together as a family and talk about what they experience there. Bake a birthday cake for Jesus and celebrate his birthday. Even a small child will recognize the importance and significance of a birthday! My family has a tradition every Christmas of watching A Charlie Brown Christmas together. It is one of the few television shows that actually uses scripture to explain what Christmas is all about. These are all ways that we can teach our children about the gift of Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas.
Be watching later this month for our next email. We will share some tips and suggestions for teaching your children how to be grateful for what they have and how to encourage them to be joyful givers.
Weekly tweets from you to parents:
TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell twitter to store a list of your tweets in one place for later reference.
Tweet 1 – If you asked your child what Christmas is all about, what would they say? #urchurchparentministry
Tweet 2 – “He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” ~Roy L. Smith #urchurchparentministry
Tweet 3 – Kids see about 40,000 tv ads/year. Limit tv time and instead invest in quality family time. #urchurchparentministry
Tweet 4 – Teach your children how lucky they are. Do they know the difference between a need and a want? #urchurchparentministry
Tweet 5 – Hebrews 13:16, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what your have for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”#urchurchparentministry
Tweet 6 – Create the tradition of reading the Christmas story from the book of Luke with your children. #urchurchparentministry
Tweet 7 – You cannot give with grace if you are thinking about yourself first. What is your motivation for giving? #urchurchparentministry
Tweet 8 – Materialistic adults produce materialistic children. Where is your focus this Christmas? #urchurchparentministry
Tweet 9 – Foster gratitude in your children. Ask them for 2-3 good things that happened today.#urchurchparentministry
Tweet 10 – Teach the value of people over possessions. Help them become joyful givers. #urchurchparentministry