Fill your Christ-centered Christmas with fun!
You might be starting to feel the Christmas chaos. You know the struggle: trying to keep it magic for the kids, and keeping the Savior at the center of it all. It doesn’t have to feel like a holiday hustle.
Maria Eckersley shares how she fills her Christmas with Christ, and keeps the festivities fun!
Find more ideas from Maria at meckmom.com, or on Instagram, @meckmomlife.
6 Activities for a Christ-Centered Christmas
Maria says that a lot of moms and nanas are stressed with creating Christmas magic for their kids. She adds that sometimes adding Christ into Christmas feels like one more weight on their shoulders. “Grandmas want to be involved in their grandkids’ Christmas, but they struggle to make a real impact at a distance,” she says.
Maria has the solution! She calls it, “Grandma’s Star Seekers.” Here’s how to go about it.
At the beginning of December, Grandma sends a box of a few small, wrapped gifts and a printable star. In order to open the gifts, the kids need to take on the weekly star seeker challenge.
Each Sunday morning, the Mom or Dad hides the printable star somewhere in the house. The kids will work together to seek the star, wise man style. When they find it, they FaceTime Grandma and she tells them which present to open. Each gift has a fun prize or activity that ties to a spiritual thought about Jesus Christ. If the grandma lives close, she can come do the activity with them and teach the spiritual thought. If her grandkids are far away, she could teach them over FaceTime.
Maria gives a stepped out list of what to gift, do, and how to connect it spiritually. Find printables and more ideas to take on “Grandma’s Star Seeker’s” on Maria’s website, www.meckmom.com
Gift 1: Popcorn
Activity: Movie Night
Spiritual Thought: Jesus Saw the Good
Watch a Christmas movie together and look for the good in the characters. Chat about how every good Christmas movie involves people who are kind or change their lives for the better.
Gift 2: Board Game
Activity: Play the Game
Spiritual Thought: Jesus Was Humble and Obedient
Play the game together and talk about how following the rules and being humble in victory or loss makes the game more fun.
Gift 3: Toothpicks and Treats
Activity: Make a Toothpick Star
Spiritual Thought: Jesus Healed the Sick
Do the experiment together by placing broken toothpicks on a plate. As you pour water, the toothpicks shift and form a star. Talk about how Jesus heals the broken and sick, and the miracles he performed.
Gift 4: Christmas Book
Activity: Read a Christmas Book
Spiritual Thought: Jesus Was a Great Teacher
Read the book together and watch for ways pictures and words are used to help teach themes. Chat about how Jesus used parables and stories to help people understand important things.
Gift 5: Socks Filled With Candy
Activity : Open the “Stocking”
Spiritual Thought: Jesus Served Others
As the kids enjoy the treats, chat with them about Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles and other ways He served.
Gift 6: Hot Hands Warmers
Activity: Do something in the cold
Spiritual Thought: Jesus Warmed Hearts
Take the kids sledding, to see Christmas lights, or some other outdoor activity. Chat about how the hot hands create warmth that can be carried with you. Compare it to the teachings of the Savior that brought dignity and help to those around Him.
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