Kids and Christmas and Reason for the Season

I am begining to wonder how many children actually think about the birth of Christ when they think of Christmas... Would it even be in their top three? If I had to make a guess about the majority of children in the US, I would say the top three would be as follows:

1. Presents
2. Cookies/Candy
3. Long holiday off from school

Am I wrong? Okay to keep this blog on a positive note, I am going to list a few things that our family does to keep the focus on the reason for the season.

1. Teach them about God and Jesus through out the year... (Read not just Easter and Christmas)
2. Involve your child in church functions or surround them with fellow Christians that hold the same beliefs as your family.
3. Pray with your children and allow them to see you pray. When children see their parents praying they naturally learn that God is real and can help them through anything in life.
4. Expose your child to God through toys, games, music, and videos. Veggie Tales is a great way to get younger kids involved and interested in God's Word.
5. Live the Lord's Greatest Commandment: Love your neighbor, every day. Look for opportunities to help other people. Talk out loud how good it feels to help people out for the sake of giving. Finding different ways to help others and follow through with putting other people first helps in so many different ways (sense of community, self esteem, goal setting, problem solving, social involvement, etc).

I guess to keep a long story short, you can't expect a child to know the real reason of the season if you don't live it every day. There is nothing more rewarding than knowing your child has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I know I listed a lot of daily on-going activities and it can seem over whelming. Start Small. You do not have to do all of it at once. It has taken my family about 3 years of adding bits and pieces to our routine. The main thing is talk to your kids about God, they are listening!