Let’s be intentional this holiday season, many of us parents say every year that we would like to be more intentional when teaching our children the true meaning of Christmas.  At some point we just have to start.  So I’ve outlined several resources we have used as a family for the last several years that have been extremely helpful.

Devotional

There is no better time to begin practicing daily devotionals with our children.  They are already excited about the holiday festivities and these devotional times can build on that excitement.  Several years ago during the Christmas seasons is when our family became more consistent in our family devotions.  These are our favorite two and each one has its unique benefits.

This book is has a devotional for every day of December leading up to December 25th.  The one major benefit to this book is the activities.  It has recommended activities for each week and my boys are still talking about these activities.  They really bring home the main idea of each week and provide family traditions that will last a long time.

Marty is an excellent story teller, so this book provides three weekly devotions and a chapter of an original story for each week.  The story is a moving story about an orphan and his discovery about the true meaning of Christmas.

Another advantage to this book is that Marty has reached out to his friends at Sovereign Grace Music and they put together a music CD that correlates with the lessons.  These songs will have your whole family singing.

Music

Everyone loves music and especially around the holidays, so we make a habit of singing songs around the house. There are two CDs that stick out to me surrounding this season:

Prepare Him Room

by Sovereign Grace Music

As I mentioned previously this is one that stays on repeat.  It is full of deep truths and preformed very beautifully.

The songs on this album are requested time and again by our children.  It is fun music that teaches great lessons and will have your children dancing all over the house.  Purchase it and have a lot of great memories.

Activity

The devotionals above will have some fun activities but I would add a few of your own. Look for a drive through nativity, like the one in our area at Ozark Baptist Church, pack some boxes for Operation Christmas Child, or make up your own activities.

There is, however, one activity I would recommend and that is an Advent wreath.  They are a great way to center your time around the true meaning of Christmas.  The Counting the Days, Lighting the Candles devotional will have an explanation for each candle along the way.  But, you will need to pick up a few things:

Because our children are younger these are primarily for preteen and under.  Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments below.