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 Children take things at face value and are filled
with wonder at the smallest of things. That makes inspiring them a
Christmas time pretty easy.
To help your child (and you) find the awe in the magic of Christmas
start with a few simple activities.
First, give them their own nativity set. In many households, there
will be a nativity set put out to commemorate the birth of Christ,
the true basis for the holiday. Those sets are often “look, but
don’t touch” for children. While they are pretty, for a kid they
aren’t much fun.
This year, add a second nativity to the household. Purchase an
inexpensive set with individual pieces. Make sure there is a barn
and animals if possible. Let your child act out the birth of Christ,
the arrival of the shepherds and the gifts of the Magi. They can
start with just the barn and some animals and then one by one add
the pieces.
Put the barn on a coffee table or on the floor, then get down to
their level. Sit with them as you share with them the story of the
birth of Christ. For young children they really only need to
understand the concept of the birth of Christ. So, paraphrasing the
story into language they understand is perfectly acceptable. They
don’t need the finite details, but they do need to know that the
birth of Christ was special and that the child was a special gift
from God.
Let them put Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus in the barn, then
bring the shepherds, the angels, if they are in the set, and the
wise men. After you’ve shared the story with them a time or two,
they will be able to act it out on their own any time they wish.
Five minute activities will entertain the kids and also keep the
excitement of Christmas going throughout the season. Start with
simple things they can do right before bedtime.
Let them draw their nativity. Give them paper and crayons and tell
them to set out their set, arranged to their liking then draw a
picture of it, perhaps to send to the grandparents.
Let them sing their story. While putting together their nativity,
have them sing the song away in a manger.
Find very short stories that you can read just before bedtime. You
can move from the birth of Christ to Santa in the stories you read,
and let them know that both aspects of Christmas have their place
and are an important part of the season.
Make a Santa beard with your child. Everyone can be Santa, if they
have the right beard. This quick and simple craft can be done in
just a few minutes. Follow the instructions on this web page and use
the printable beard template to get you and your child off to a good
start.
Santa Beard - Preschooler Craft
https://eastcoastmommyblog.blog spot.com/2012/11/preschooler-craft
-santa-beard.html
Printable beard template
https://docs.google.com/file/d/ 0ByMxQv1oKt8uWm5mcEhzR3
NxeVk/edit?pli=1
When they have their beards, they can pretend to be Santa, asking
everyone what they want for Christmas. Again, music keeps the magic
going. Let the kids sing Santa Claus is coming to town while they
“wear” their beards.
The Christmas tree is an important part of the season for children.
It holds its own magic and beauty. When you have the opportunity to
see a tree decorated at church, school, the mall, or anywhere else,
be sure to give them time to admire the tree. Let them look at the
ornaments, and turn it into an “I spy” game. Describe an ornament
that you see, and let the kids figure out which one you are looking
at.
At home, let kids build their own tree puzzle. It is an activity
that takes only a little bit of time, but it creates a new
toy/activity that they can play with on their own at any time.
Christmas tree hand puzzle
Onto green felt outline the hands of the children and parents. Cut
each one out (make several of each hand). Cut a tree trunk from
brown felt or stiff paper and also a gold star for the top of the
three. Help your child then “assemble” the tree. With fingers
pointing downward, start at the bottom with the larger hand prints
of dad or grandpa. Then move on to smaller handprints, perhaps mom,
then big brother or sister and finally the smallest handprints at
the very top. When the tree is assembled, top it off with the gold
star.
When the tree is all compiled, children can appreciate what it looks
like. Then, it can be taken apart and done again and again. Let your
child “experiment” with the shape of his or her tree and remember,
it is just a game, there is no right or wrong way.
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 On Christmas Eve make reindeer food
Kids enjoy setting out cookies for Santa and don’t be fooled, they
do pay attention. In the morning, even though gifts may be the first
thing on their mind, they are still going to look and see if Santa
ate his cookies. When they find a plate of crumbs they are delighted
and excited because first it is affirmation that Santa was in the
house, and secondly it is a complement to them that Santa enjoyed
the treat they left. Take this tradition a
step further and add something to the menu for the reindeer. A
couple of words of wisdom about the food. Make something that is
edible by wild life. Use a cup of uncooked oats and mix in a
teaspoon of colored granular sugar, the kind you use for cookies.
When the kiddos take it outside, be sure that they place in on the
ground not on the sidewalks, as it will draw moisture and can
quickly become a slick, slimy walking hazard.
Make sure that the reindeer “eat” the food. Plan on going outside
after bedtime and scooping up a portion or all of the food so it
looks like the deer enjoyed their meal as much as Santa did.
Remember that kids are sharp and they take everything at face value.
If there is snow on the ground your foot prints can become those of
Santa, but kids will also want to see the foot prints of the
reindeer! Reindeer have cloven feet like that of a pig, so use the
knuckles of your index and second finger to make prints in the snow.
Use Santa as a reward not a threat
Often times at Christmas it becomes a little too easy to tell
children that when they are acting up Santa won’t come. This year,
instead of using Santa as a threat turn him into a reward.
When you child is generous or kind to someone, tell them that Santa
saw that good deed and will reward them for it.
And remember Christ
While for kids the days winding down to Christmas become all about
Santa and gifts, you can add Christ into the mix. It is okay for
kids to love Santa and Jesus at the same time, they don’t have to
choose, because to them both are important.
Give them Christian Jesus-based activities, stories and songs, but
also allow them to enjoy the mystical magic of Santa.
On Christmas Eve bring it all together for them. Allow them their
Santa activities, but when bedtime comes bring the Christmas Story
to life for them once again. Do this with their nativity, let them
tell you the story, or find an age-appropriate book that you can
read to them at bedtime.
Most importantly find the joy and awe in yourself
Kids reflect. They are who they see, they emulate those who are
their role models. So let the awe of Christmas fill you this season.
You can reflect off of their joy and give it back to them, and the
whole season will be brighter and happier. Don’t let the burden of
the “to do” list take the joy and awe out of the season for you or
your kids.
With the passage of time and increased
maturity, our excitement regarding Christmas may change. But our
reason for celebrating grows deeper and more meaningful as our focus
shifts from gifts to Christ. Now the tree reminds us of the tree
Jesus died on to pay for our sins. The lights testify that He is the
Light of the World, and the gifts are a mere shadow of the greatest
gift ever given - Jesus Christ.
Charles Stanley
Alas! How dreary would be the
world if there was no Santa Claus!... There would be no childlike
faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.
FRANCIS P. CHURCH,
New York Sun,
September 21, 1897
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