I’ve had a few people ask about this so here it is…
My mom gave me the book, A Christ-Centered Christmas, by Emily Freeman, for my birthday last year (2010) and I immediately loved the idea but didn’t have enough time to pull it together for my family for that Christmas season. This year it was my main focus. At the end of November I re-read the 7 chapter book and decided that making a packet to go with it would work great for my kids. I really felt the Spirit as I dedicated time to preparing this. It was such a good experience for me as a mother.
The idea is that we’d have 7 nights during the Christmas season dedicated to each member of the nativity and add traditions that would lead us closer to our Savior. One thing I love about it, is that a lot of the traditions are ones we all do anyone – only this way they are arranged in a way that really has us thinking about the purpose of our Christmas celebrations.
INTRO ACTIVITY
As an intro to our Christ-Centered Christmas I made up an activity with the kids which we did around the kitchen table. I printed out papers for each of us with three progressively larger circles like a bulls eye. We had a discussion about the main reason we celebrated Christmas and wrote the word CHRIST in the center of our bulls eye. Then we talked about all the fun things that we love about Christmas… twinkling lights, hot chocolate, snowmen, Buddy the Elf, receiving Christmas cards in the mail, Santa, getting presents… and put those words in the outer circle. In the middle circle we wrote the activities that helped us really feel the spirit of Christmas and draw closer to our Savior… giving gifts, singing Christmas hymns, acting out the nativity, reading the Friend, performing acts of Service.
Each time someone thought of a new Christmas thing, activity or memory the kids would determine where it would go on our Christmas bulls eye. It was a good reminder that it’s ok to love ALL kinds of things about Christmas but that we needed to remember what was the center. We displayed these on our FHE wall for the rest of the month.
NOW BACK TO THE BOOK… Emily Freeman has a chapter of each of the following Nativity members: Mary, Joseph, the Angel, the Shepherd, the Wise Men, the Lamb, the Christ Child, In each chapter she tells what she’s learned about as she’s studied each ‘character’ with great stories, scriptures and excellent quotes. At the end of each chapter she gives in point form a title to each character, suggests a Christmas hymn, scriptures to focus on and gives a list of possible traditions that might emphasize the lesson. It’s a great book. Using her outline and my own creativity and thoughts I created the packets and activities that would work for our family this year.
We started ours after Chris returned from Texas in mid December, so we did as many as we could before Christmas (5) and then finished the last two after Christmas. Once I had my packets made I was focused, but not stressed, about completing them. When I listened to President Uchdorf in the Christmas devotional (click here to read the whole thing) in early December I loved that he said, “
Sometimes it seems that our efforts to have a perfect Christmas season are like a game of Jenga—you know, the one played with small wooden blocks that are precariously stacked up to a tower. As we try to increase the height of the tower, we pull out one wooden block before we can place it on top of the delicate structure.
Each of those little wooden blocks is a symbol of the perfect Christmas events we so desperately want to have. We have in our minds a picture of how everything should be—the perfect tree, the perfect lights, the perfect gifts, and the perfect family events. We might even want to re-create some magical moment we remember from Christmases past, and nothing short of perfection will do.
Sooner or later, something unpleasant occurs—the wooden blocks tumble, the drapes catch fire, the turkey burns, the sweater is the wrong size, the toys are missing batteries, the children quarrel, the pressure rises—and the picture-perfect Christmas we had imagined, the magic we had intended to create, shatters around us. As a result, the Christmas season is often a time of stress, anxiety, frustration, and perhaps even disappointment.
But then, if we are only willing to open our hearts and minds to the spirit of Christmas, we will recognize wonderful things happening around us that will direct or redirect our attention to the sublime. It is usually something small—we read a verse of scripture; we hear a sacred carol and really listen, perhaps for the first time, to its words; or we witness a sincere expression of love. In one way or another, the Spirit touches our hearts, and we see that Christmas, in its essence, is much more sturdy and enduring than the many minor things of life we too often use to adorn it.
This is a wonderful time of the year. It may not be perfect. But if Christmas can point our hearts toward our Savior, we can rejoice even in the imperfections of the season.
When I heard this I had ALREADY decided to forgo the advent calendar I was thinking HAD to be done and was happy I wasn’t stressed about getting the German advent wreath candles up along with a myriad of other things that ‘would have been nice’. Really I just wanted our hearts to point towards our Savior …and I realized that whatever we were able to accomplish of our packet would be enough.
Typically Luke and Matthew joined us for the beginning and then when they got bored decided to head downstairs to play Geotrax …and that was ok. Megan got frustrated a couple times because she couldn't write as fast as everyone else but she was definitely old enough to understand the concepts and enjoy the stories and really enjoyed filling out the packet and knowing what would come next. Emily, Katie, Ryan, Chris and I enjoyed great discussions. I LOVED every minute of it.
I won’t do the exact same thing next year – likely we’ll still have a day to focus on each with just a reminder of the main points and continue to do some of the activities like the tinkling bell. Maybe we’ll elaborate on some. I’m not quite sure yet…
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MARY
MARY REMINDS US TO PONDER. After singing our hymn and reading the appropriate scriptures we took some time to talk about the character of Mary. What did she ponder in her heart? I read some moving passages in the chapter and pretty quickly became very emotional. I felt the spirit so strong as I bore my testimony of that special night. I told the kids that I was excited about giving them some of their gifts on Christmas morning – but the thing I wanted to give them most, was experiences to feel the Spirit and develop their own testimonies.
Chris read a story to go with the activity because I was a mess at this point. Of course when I’m crying already and he has to read something out loud, he gets all emotional too. I love that about us. It was a wonderful night… one of my favorites. When we finished, Ryan was smiley, Katie was teary and Emily came right over and gave me a big hug. It melted my heart… I am sure that that expression was in reaction of being overcome by the Spirit and love. Feeling the Spirit together always brings us closer.
The last part of our packet page was to ponder what the birth of the Savior means to you… ‘Then on heart shaped pieces of paper we wrote our thoughts and glued them to the bottom of the page. -- Emily’s says, “I am thankful for the birth of Christ, because if Jesus wasn’t born and lived on earth, then we would have no savior and no one to guide us. Then life would be hard. The Savior means a lot to me. he helps us make the right choices. I love God.”
ACTIVITY: Then the activity is to make heart shaped sugar cookies -- we actually made just round sugar cookies and didn’t ice them because it was already time for the little kiddos to go to bed – but if I would have prepared a bit more I would have made the heart shaped sugar cookies ahead of time and had everyone decorate them together. { I looked for heart shaped chocolates or candies or something but couldn’t find anything – those only come out for Valentine’s day I guess. }
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JOSEPH
JOSEPH REMINDS US TO SERVE. After singing our hymn and reading the appropriate scriptures we read some passages and then discussed and answered these questions on our paper…
- What do you think it must have felt like when Joseph realized that there was no room in the inn?
- What would you have offered Joseph and his family if you had been there? {Katie said, “I would probably have offered them room, seeing that Mary was to have a baby. I really respect mothers.”}
- How can performing secret acts of service help to make room for the Savior in our hearts?
We talked about how if we had known it was the son of God we would have given them everything… but sometimes we walk by others that are also desperately needy because we may not ‘know’ them.
I was especially touched by this lesson because of an experience which had happened to me just two days before. A man knocked on my door. I could immediately tell he was poor from the way he was dressed. He started speaking German and my initial thought was to just shake my head and wave him away – like I do with German salesmen. But then I stopped and told him to wait while I went to get some Euro out of my wallet. When I came back he was so grateful, almost shocked but accepted my small contribution and continued to say the word he had previously said but I had not understood, this time holding a picture of his little girls. The German word for SHOE. ‘Shoes?’ I asked. He nodded his head excitedly. ‘What size?’ I asked in English hoping he could understand. Using my door to ‘write’ on, he drew a 28. ‘Just a minute’ I said. The day or two before I had gone through all the kids shoes and boots to determine which ones fit which kids. Megan had outgrown her German lace up boots but they were still in pretty good shape so I had put them in the pile of things I would take to the goodwill. I planned on doing it soon so someone could use them through the winter. I went right down to them, turned them over and looked at the size… a 28. I was feeling pretty happy when I brought them up to the door. He looked at them in shock and then started saying ‘danke, danke’ over and over again. Then he reached for my hand and kissed it. I was so happy as he left… ‘he must have been led here’ I thought, ‘and I almost waved him on without even listening’. A few minutes later it occurred to me that I should have given him more. Did I have a coat that was too small? Should I have given him some food? Why didn’t I think about that when he was at the door? Definitely something I’m trying to work on. Not just serving when asked, but really listening to the spirit to serve before being asked. And not just serving our friends, but looking beyond our circles to anyone in need.
Then Chris read a story from the chapter about a girl who hears the small sound of a tinkling bell amid the hustle and bustle of a big city at Christmas time which leads her to the perfect person to serve. We talked about how the Spirit is like that faint tinkling bell but if we listen to it, it will lead us to who Christ needs us to serve.
ACTIVITY: Then I gave the kids a small ‘jingle bell’ tied with red ribbon which they attached to their backpacks or coat. Whenever they heard the bell ringing it would remind them to look for opportunities to serve while they were at school. I also presented the family with a BIG jingle bell also tied with a red ribbon. This one would move from pillow to pillow within our home. As soon as it landed on our pillow it was our turn to do some service for someone in our family and place the bell on their pillow. Then I showed them the Tinkling Bell Journal – which would be our place to record and remember opportunities to serve and how we felt.
Dad started it off and the bell moved quickly during those two weeks before Christmas. It’s still going now, although sometimes it’s a little slower.
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The ANGEL
THE ANGEL REMINDS US TO SHARE THE JOY. After singing our hymn and reading the appropriate scriptures we read some passages and then discussed the angels role in bring great joy and good tidings about the Savior’s birth.
ACTIVITY: Then we dashed off the the Patterson's house for a big 8 family Christmas Carol Party. Emma played the piano and we took turns suggesting hymns and Christmas songs to sing. So fun!
The next day the kids and I had some time to look through the hymn book and find our favorite Christmas hymn phrases and make lists of them on our papers…
- ‘let every heart prepare Him room’
- ‘He’ll come and make the blessings flow’
- ‘Come let us adore Him’
- ‘With the poor and mean and lowly lived on Earth our Savior Holy’
- ‘Where meek souls will receive Him, still the dear Christ enters in’
- ‘Light and life to all He brings.’
- ‘Holy infant, so tender and mild’
- ‘Fit us for Heaven”
We also made note of all the different titles given to Christ in the hymns. Megan chose to start a list of them on her paper…
- Son of the Father,
- Christ the Lord,
- Holy infant,
- Little Lord Jesus,
- Dear Christ,
- Heavens all gracious King,
- Prince of Peace,
- Newborn son,
- Christ and Savior,
- Our Savior Holy,
- son of Righteousness…
Throughout the rest of the week we told them to each other if we recognized any ‘new’ ones.
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The SHEPHERD
THE SHEPHERD REMINDS US TO TESTIFY. We sang our hymn and read the scriptures and talked about what it means to “turn to Christ now, and with haste” and about what we can learn from the shepherd’s relationship with each other when they spoke “one to another” and went as a group to find the Lord.
We talked about the importance of sharing our testimonies with each other so that we can be strengthened as a family and head in the right direction ‘as a group’. I have been blessed with parents and siblings that continue to do that… sharing lessons learned from spiritual experiences – sometimes with a few tears -- even over skype, sending links to great talks, or in subtle ways bearing their testimony to me through their good example. Some of my favorite memories have been the times we’ve prayed and fasted together for each other.
ACTIVITY: We turned off all the lights except those on the Christmas tree and then lit a candle. We started from youngest to oldest and each person got the opportunity to bear their testimony to the rest of us. Everyone did such a great job expressing their feelings. It was a great night.
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The CHRIST CHILD
THE CHRIST CHILD REMINDS US TO BELIEVE. We had our Christ Child night on the 22nd. We sang our hymn, read our scriptures and read a story in the book about a boy who moved around the nativity… it makes me cry. I love it. Then we discussed that Christ is the giver of every good gift and make a list of them.
Emily said, “He gave us Eternal life with our families, he gave us a good example, he gave us the atonement which allowed us to repent from our sins, he gave us the restoration of the gospel and he gave us prophets.”
Katie said, “He died for us and gave us eternal life with our families. He gave us a PERFECT example. The atonement – he died for our sins. We can repent. The restoration of the gospel. The Bible and Book of Mormon. He gave us prophets and LOVE.”
In the Christmas Devotional President Uchdorf said:
“Christmas and some of the cherished traditions of the season remind us that we, like the Wise Men of old, should seek the Christ and lay before Him the most precious of gifts: a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We should offer Him our love. We should give Him our willingness to take upon ourselves His name and walk in the path of discipleship. We should promise to remember Him always, to emulate His example, and to go about doing good.
We cannot offer Him the gift of perfection in all things because this is a gift beyond our capacity to give—at least for now. The Lord does not expect that we commit to move mountains. But He does require that we bring as gifts our best efforts to move ourselves, one foot in front of the other, walking in the ways He has prepared and taught.
And what are the Savior’s gifts to those who are willing to bring these gifts to Him? This may be the most one-sided gift exchange in the history of the universe. The Savior’s gifts to us are breathtaking.
Some of His divine gifts are reserved for that glorious future day when we return to His presence. But he extends many gifts and His grace to us every day. He promises to be with us, to come to us when we need comfort, to lift us when we stumble, to carry us if needed, to mourn and rejoice with us. Every day He offers to take us by the hand and help transform ordinary life into extraordinary spiritual experiences.”
ACTIVITY: We then took a minute to think about what our gift to the Savior would be and write them on a slip of paper and put them in our own envelop that had been glued to the bottom of our ‘Christ Child’ page. Megan’s gift to the Savior: ‘BE NICER and SAY My PRAYERS’.
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The WISE MEN
THE WISE MEN REMIND US TO JOURNEY ANOTHER WAY. We figured it would be ok if we did the Wise Men AFTER Christmas since they came after the nativity scene anyway. After our hymn and specific scriptures we talked about what it means to ‘journey another way’.
I hope it’s ok if I quote something from the book…
“Only the wisest are inclined to journey another way – a way that will protect their belief in Christ. The wise Men remind us of our search to know the Lord, and how sometimes we have to journey another way to come closer to Him. Just like the Wise Men, the journey may not be what we had originally planned: rather it is what we feel inspired to do.” Emily Freeman
ACTIVITY: We used this night to help us make some New Year’s Resolutions. Things we might do to ‘journey another way’… changes in our habits that will bring us closer to Him. The kids made lists of all kinds of things on the bottom of their ‘Wise Men’ page.
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The LAMB
THE LAMB REMINDS US TO GIVE THANKS. We sang. We read. We discussed how Christ is the shepherd and we are one of his sheep, and how the sheep can recognize their Master’s voice instantly. Chris shared a story about someone knowing all ABOUT Christ and someone actually recognizing Christ. It made us both a little teary.
We answered the questions:
- How can we prepare our hearts to recognize the Lord?
- What are some ways that would help to make our recognition instant and our gratitude immediate?
- How does becoming a true follower of Christ help us to become on of His sheep?
ACTIVITY: Then we took some time to fill in our thank you notes to the people in our family and read them aloud to each person one at a time. Oh, it was so fun. Each person LOVED being in the spotlight and have such nice things said about them… even Matthew. Some people even decided to thank themselves!
Thank you Dad for
- …loving BYU (Dad)
- …spoiling me, loving me and making me so happy. (Mom)
- …playing Dominion with me often. (Ryan)
- …being funny and helping with homework and just questions. (Katie)
- …tucking me in every night. (Emily)
- …going to work, and getting money for us. (Megan)
- …that you go to work. (Luke)
Thank you Mom for
- …being my best friend. (Dad)
- …making such good food. (Ryan)
- …making fantastic dinners and making family time. (Katie)
- …preparing every single yummy dinner. (Emily)
- …tucking us in bed, and making dinner. (Megan)
- …for giving me apple sauce and a lot of food. (Luke)
- That’s all I’m good for around here! FOOD.
Thank you Ryan for
- …your positive attitude and unquestioning obedience. (Dad)
- …being a good example for the whole family. (Mom)
- …being an awesome self. (Ryan)
- …being a smart big brother and a great example. (Katie)
- … being so funny. (Emily)
- …being nice and funny. (Megan)
- …for playing Wii with me and fixing the Geotrax. (Luke)
Thank you Katie for
- …your loving nature and great example. (Dad)
- …doing whatever I ask you to, and liking whatever I like. (Mom)
- …being my friend and hanging out with me. (Ryan)
- …being awesome!! (Katie)
- …helping me with a lot of stuff. (Emily)
- …playing games with me. (Megan)
- …playing with me and playing the stuffed animals with me. (Luke)
Thank you Emily for
- …your laugh and for always being happy. (Dad)
- …being so helpful in the kitchen. (Mom)
- …being such a pretty and fun to play with sister. (Ryan)
- …hangin with me and sharing your clothes. (Katie)
- …being awesome! (Emily)
- …coloring with me. (Megan)
- …playing playmobil with me. (Luke)
Thank you Megan for
- …doing your best to choose the right. (Dad)
- …being so cute and happy and good at school. (Mom)
- …watching fun movies with me. (Ryan)
- …running at the park with me and being my lefty buddy. You are always so sweet. (Katie)
- …playing with me a lot. (Emily)
- …being myself. (Megan)
- …playing my cowboy bank playmobil with me. (Luke)
Thank you Luke for
- …always being so excited about everything. (Dad)
- …saying such funny things and being so cute and happy (Mom)
- …playing geotrax with me a lot. (Ryan)
- …being energetic and fun to be around. (Katie)
- …playing playmobil with me a bunch. (Emily)
- …Playing playmobil. (Megan)
Thank you Matthew for
- …your enthusiasm and love. (Dad)
- …your hugs and kisses. (Mom)
- …being so cute and wanting to play on my iTouch. (Ryan)
- …being so cute and funny and kind! (Katie)
- …being so cute. (Emily)
- …being so cute. (Megan)
- …sharing Geotrax with me. (Luke)
Even Matthew felt important while we were reading our thank you’s to him. It was cute how he got all smiley and shy. Right after that we knelt down and Matthew said everyone’s names really loud including his own and then went around and kissed everyone on the cheek. Then he tried to kiss his own chest but of course couldn’t reach. We all laughed. He is a cutie.
When Megan said our family prayer that night she said, “Thank you that we could have Thanksgiving for Family Home Evening”.
CLOSING THOUGHT
I came across this article written as a Church news editorial by William B. Smart and thought it really summed up our Christ centered Christmas and reminds us that it is the adult Christ “who asked us to follow him” and that by “accepting that invitation is the way – the only way – to celebrate Christmas all year and all life long”
"For Christmas is a beautiful time of the year. We love the excitement, the giving spirit, the special awareness of and appreciation for family and friends, the feelings of love and brotherhood that bless our gatherings at Christmastime.
In all the joyousness, it is well to reflect that Christmas comes in three levels:
Let’s call the first the 'Santa Claus level.' It’s the level of Christmas trees and holly, of whispered secrets and colorful packages, of candlelight and rich food and warm open houses. It’s carolers in the shopping malls, excited children, and weary but loving parents. It’s a lovely time of special warmth and caring and giving. It’s the level at which we eat too much and spend too much and do too much–and enjoy every minute of it. We love the Santa Claus level of Christmas.
But there’s a higher, more beautiful level. Let’s call it the 'Silent Night level.' It’s the level of all our glorious Christmas carols, of that beloved, familiar story: 'Now in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus…' It’s the level of the crowded inn, and the silent holy moment in a dark stable when the Son of Man came to earth. It’s shepherds on a steep, bare hill near Bethlehem, angels with their glad tidings, a new star in the East, wise men traveling far in search of the Holy One. How beautiful and meaningful it is; how infinitely poorer we would be without this sacred second level of Christmas.
The trouble is, these two levels don’t last. They can’t. Twelve days of Christmas, at the first level, is about all most of us can stand. It’s too intense, too extravagant. The tree dries out and the needles fall. The candles burn down. The beautiful wrappings go out with he trash, the carolers are up on the ski slopes, the toys break, and the biggest day the stores in the entire year is exchange day, December 26.
The feast is over and the dieting begins. But the lonely and the hungry are with us still perhaps lonelier and hungrier than before.
Lovely and joyous as the first level of Christmas is, there will come a day, very soon, when Mother will put away the decorations and vacuum the living room and think, 'Thank goodness that’s over for another year.'
Even the second level, the level of the Baby Jesus, can’t last. How many times this season can you sing 'Silent Night'? The angels and the star and the shepherd, even the silent, sacred mystery of that holy night itself, can’t long satisfy humanity’s basic need. The man who keeps Christ in the manger will, in the end, be disappointed and empty.
No, for Christmas to last all year long, for it to grow in beauty and meaning and purpose, for it to have the power to change lives, we must celebrate it at the third level, that of the adult Christ. It is at this level–not as an infant–that our Savior brings His gifts of lasting joy, lasting peace, lasting hope. It was the adult Christ who reached out and touched the untouchable, who loved the unlovable, who so loved us all that even in His agony on the cross He prayed forgiveness for His enemies.
This is the Christ, creator of worlds without number, who wept, Enoch tell us, because so many of us lack affection and hate each other–and then who willingly gave His life for all of us, including those for whom He wept.
This is the Christ, the adult Christ, who gave us the perfect example, and asked us to follow Him.
Accepting that invitation is the way–the only way–to celebrate Christmas all year and all life long."
