How to make “stuff” the focus of your child’s Christmas:
- Make a huge deal out of making a Christmas list.
- Give them everything they want or at least feel like you have to give your kids everything on their list (or what they told Santa) even if you can’t afford it or don’t feel right about it.
- Give them Target, Toys-R-Us, Best Buy catalogs and tell them to circle everything they want.
- Let them watch TV daily while being inundated with the latest and greatest toy ads. (This is why our kids want Flipeez, Pillow Pets, Fushigi ball, etc. – nothing wrong with those things. Just reminding us why they want these things. The marketing and advertisement at Christmas is over the top. I’m not convinced my kids would want these things just by seeing it on the shelf.)
- Talk about Santa (or an elf) watching them and only bringing them toys if they behave.
- Let them see you lust over the latest and greatest toy from Apple and complain if you don’t get it. (Ouch! still working on this one)
How to make Christ the focus of your child’s Christmas:
- Do an advent devotional with them during the week.
- Do something as a family for someone else. Consider making a list out of this catalog for gifts for hungry and needy children.
- Prepare your kids that they won’t necessarily get everything they ask for on Christmas and that’s not a bad thing. And don’t waste energy over feeling guilty. Move on. Your kids are clothed and fed – this is more than many children have.
- Pray at night together and thank God for sending his son to be born to make a better way for us.
- Let your children participate in church activities that will also teach them about Jesus being born as the Savior of the world.
Don’t get me wrong. We love Christmas festivities and we decorate big time. We don’t send hate mail to Santa and we enjoy giving and receiving gifts. But as fun as all that truly is, it pales in significance to the reason we celebrate Christmas. And this is what I pray our kids will see as they grow in their faith.
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