Christmas sneaks up on me every year. It comes with so many things to do and the more children I have, the more that list seems to grow year after year. Sometimes I forget that Christmas should be more about Jesus than anything else.
So, especially this year, I want to make sure that I focus on what is important. I want to make it more about Jesus, and I thought you may want to as well. Here are my ideas, feel free to join me in doing one or all of them this year.
5 Ways To Make Christmas More About Jesus
Say No
This might be the first place to start. So many times we say YES to so many different things during this time of the year. When our schedules become too full and we become too busy, then we become too busy for God.
Before all the invitations start coming in, we decide as a family what things we will go to this year. Work Christmas parties, plays at the school, etc. We decide BEFORE receiving invitations so that everyone is on the same page. Do we give room for an extra event that we didn’t even think about? Absolutely. But we only give room for 1 of those kinds of events.
Here is the thing – it is okay to say “no”. For every “yes” you give, you are saying “no” to something else. I am making the decision that this year, I am going to say “no” to more things so that I can say “yes” to Jesus more.
Advent Devotion
Advent is a time of waiting and preparing for Christmas. I would say that one of the best ways to make Christmas more about Jesus is to commit to spending daily time with Him and learning about Him. There are several different good ones out that you can buy.
Another option is that you can start on December 1 and read 1 chapter of Luke every day until Christmas Eve. OR if you want to walk through this season with a community of people, I would encourage you to join our online Advent Bible Study. You can get more information about it here.
Whatever you decide, spending time in the Word and with God is one of the BEST ways to keep Jesus the main focus this Christmas.
Make Christmas Eve at Church a Priority
This might sound strange if you are new to the church or it might sound like a given if you have been in church for a while. Christmas Eve is a special day to center our hearts and minds on Jesus. With all the craziness leading up to Christmas, I am always thankful for this service to remind me what all of this is really about. And not just to remind me, but my children as well. On a night when there is a lot of talk of Santa coming or about what gifts we will unwrap the next day, one of the best things I can do for my family is to attend a Christmas Eve Service together. Singing songs of praise, hearing a message about Christ, and just the candlelight and overall feel of the night brings me back to the true meaning of Christmas.
If you are out of town or don’t have a church home, I would encourage you to find somewhere to attend for the night or even watch a service online.
For more information about Quest Church’s Christmas Eve services, click here.
Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus
This is one of the things I LOVE to do on Christmas while we are eating our Christmas lunch or dinner. Some years we have made a cake and other years we just sing this at the top of our lungs! It is a moment in the day to stop and remember that it really isn’t about all the presents but about the day our Savior was born.
Start a New Tradition
This year, Quest is offering a new option for a tradition for you and your family. We will be airing a Christmas Day Special that does just what we are talking about – putting Jesus in the spotlight of Christmas. You can watch this before or after opening presents or maybe once the rest of the family arrives, you can sit around the fire and watch this on the TV. Whatever works best for your family and from where ever you are on that day, tune in to be reminded of the greatest gift this Christmas.