Enoch and Marissa Mills

Last week I gave a short message at a Relief Society Activity about Keeping Christ in Christmas. I got most of the ideas from my mom, but here is a summary for your viewing pleasure. I can't wait to implement many of these ideas this year as it is the first year I am not cramming for finals and writing papers.

Keeping Christ in Christmas

Choose one or two new things that you can do bring Christ back to the center of your Christmas celebration and at the top of your list write Simplify

S-Scriptures

§ Make an advent calendar with scriptures for each day until Christmas. The scriptures could be names for Christ, parables, or people who testified of Christ

§ Read the 4 Gospels

I-Identify others to Serve

§ Go caroling to those who don’t get many visitors

§ Do the 12 days of Christmas for someone (leave a piece of the nativity each day, a small gift with a scriptural reference, a Christmas story)

§ Perform a family service project (food bank, anonymous gifts, sub for Santa, care packages, letters to missionaries)

§ Place a piece of straw in Christ’s manger for every kind act you perform

M-Music

§ Fill your home with songs melodies of Christ

§ Carol around the candle each night

§ Memorize a hymn as a family

P-Presents

§ Just as the Wise Men gave Jesus 3 gifts give your children only 3 gifts: something they want, something they need, something to read/ a project to do

§ Reserve the week before Christmas for family time and not frantic shopping trips

L-Liken

§ Reenact Christ’s birth, dress up, read Luke 2 and act out the Nativity

§ Hide 3 wise men someplace in your house each day and let your family look for them- Wise Men still seek him

§ Watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional

I-Individualize Gifts

§ Give a gift to Christ this year

§ Make homemade gifts for family members

F-Family

§ Take every chance to do things together as a family. Read stories together.

§ Make a countdown to Christmas of activities to do as a family, include both religious and fun activities

§ See the lights at the LA Temple and attend a performance at the visitor center (every night in Dec at 7:30)

Y- You make the difference

§ Pray that this Christmas season you will have your heart brought closer to Jesus Christ

Christ Centered Advent Activities

· Learn a Christmas hymn to sing as a family

· Play the wise man game

· Determine a need and perform a service anonymously

· Introduce the baby Jesus secret service in your home

· Read an uplifting Christmas classic like "A Christmas Carol" together as a family

· Make pita bread and read bread of life scripture

· Read a Christmas story from the Friend or Ensign

· Write down on paper, roll up and tie with a bow a gift you are going to give to the Savior this year

· Act out nativity story while someone reads from the Bible

· Write letters and make cards to send to loved ones far away

· Make cookies together and secretly leave at someone's doorstep

· Color or paint a nativity scene and hang it in your home

· Watch an uplifting Christmas dvd

· Have a "white" Christmas--attend the Temple

· Go shopping together for sub for Santa or angel tree gifts

· Help children clean out toys and donate good used ones to charity

· Write a note to a missionary

· Have a Bethlehem dinner

· Tell story of the miracle of loaves and fishes. Sit on blanket and eat fish sticks, or fish crackers and bread and talk about miracles Christ performed

· Have a family Christmas music night, sing together, play instruments, get kazoos so everyone can participate

· Listen to Handel's Messiah and learn story behind music

· Make a Christmas advent candle, and read a Christ related scripture each night as candle burns

· Wrap meaningful and uplifting Christmas books and open one each day and read together

· Collect uplifting Christmas stories and compile in a binder to read as a family each day

· Collect or make symbols of Christmas and teach children the meaning. They could draw one from a gift bag and tell how it reminds them of Christ

· Go for a night time winter walk and enjoy the beautiful stars and talk about the special star that appeared at Christ's birth

· Make star shaped sugar cookies, make a tag with scripture that tells of signs at birth of Christ and share with someone

· Make nativity Christmas cards to send

· Forgive and make amends with someone

· Source http://christcenteredtraditions.blogspot.com