Every December, people talk about how we should make Christmas meaningful for our children, lest they get carried away by the glitter and jingles and emerge without a thought for Jesus.
Some don’t think we should celebrate Christmas at all because Jesus should be celebrated all year round, not just on 25 December—which wasn’t the day Jesus was born on, anyway.
Others go all out in decorations and gifts, to magnify the Giver of all good and perfect gifts who gave us the greatest gift of His only Son.
As a mother of two, I’ve been thinking a lot too: about how I can make Christmas meaningful to my own family. Is there a “right” way to celebrate Christmas?
What Scripture Says about Gifts and Celebrations
The Bible neither condemns nor commands gift-giving. It does, however, provide examples of it.
When Jesus was born, He was presented with gold, incense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:10–11). These were, however, symbolic gifts to honour a king, unlike the gifts meant for leisure or pleasure that we exchange today.
In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul also encouraged the believers to give financially to the believers in need in Jerusalem, although these gifts served a very practical purpose in the life of those needy Christians (2 Corinthians 8:7–8).
Central to these celebrations was acknowledgement of God’s goodness and thanksgiving for His provision.
The Bible has more to say on the topic of celebrations, which served as both communal and personal capstones of thanksgiving, remembrance, and worship, and were occasions of joyfulness and gratitude.
There were Old Testament feasts like the Passover and Feast of Tabernacles, and New Testament celebrations like the wedding at Cana and Jesus’ parable of a father’s party for his prodigal son when he returned home. Central to these celebrations was acknowledgement of God’s goodness and thanksgiving for His provision.
However, Scripture also warns us of sinful ways of celebrating and sinful motives for celebration. For example, God struck the people of Israel with a plague when they celebrated after worshipping an idol (see Exodus 32). We are further urged not to take part in celebrations that can lead to sinful behaviour, such as “the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living” (Romans 13:13 NLT).
Free to Celebrate . . . on One Condition
So, what might all this mean for us, as we plan our Christmas celebrations?
To begin with, we’re free to celebrate Christmas (or not), as long as we do so “for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
This means that how we plan our time, where we spend our energy, or the gifts we choose for our children and others should have the goal of treasuring and rejoicing in Jesus, and encouraging others to do the same.
Christmas celebrations aren’t about giving gifts to make our children happy for the sake of it, or putting on festive music and throwing a party for the fun of it. Instead, they’re about savouring, cherishing, and glorifying God’s Son with the good things God has given us.
Some presents I’ve thought about getting my toddlers are what someone has called “Jesus gifts”, such as Bible activity books or picture storybooks. And when they’re older, perhaps stationery with Bible verses on them, or a teen edition Bible to help them grow in their love and knowledge of Jesus.
Gifts don’t have to be overtly related to our faith, too. They could be tools or resources to encourage our children to develop a talent God has given them (think a paintbrush set or running shoes), or toys or things our children want that we can also use to illustrate God’s lavish grace and generosity to us (for instance, a globe, which can remind them of God’s heart for missions).
How we plan our time, where we spend our energy, or the gifts we choose for our children and others should have the goal of treasuring and rejoicing in Jesus, and encouraging others to do the same.
On the other hand, I’ve wondered if presents might still distract my kids from Jesus during Christmas, despite my best intentions. So I’ve also considered doing away with them altogether, and marking the occasion in other ways, like putting up a little Christmas tree with fairy lights to set the festive mood, and enjoying a hearty meal with loved ones.
For toddlers—like my own kids—we might invite them to draw and paint a “birthday card” for Jesus. Or we could enjoy a Christmas “karaoke night” singing their favourite worship songs as a family.
When our kids get older, we could “graduate” to something more elaborate. I’ve imagined putting on a family nativity play or asking my children to writing a “birthday letter” to Jesus.
How we choose to mark Jesus’ birth will look different in every family and in different seasons, and that’s okay as long our efforts seek to glorify Him. As Paul says in Romans 14:5–6 (emphasis added):
“One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.”
Wise in Spending, Generous in Serving
Let’s remember that Christmas isn’t just about catching the 12.12 sales to tick off our children’s wish lists, but about seeking God’s wisdom to know . . .
- when to give our children gifts (or whether giving gifts is the best way to honour Christ in our season of life);
- what activities might best point our kids towards Christ as their Lord and Saviour; and
- how to spend the holiday season so that the focus remains on God the Giver, above and beyond the gifts and glitz.
It’s worth bearing in mind that in the Bible, festivities often included generosity and hospitality towards the less fortunate, with God’s people told to celebrate with “the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows” (see Deuteronomy 14:29, 16:14).
We can start living that out by first being intentional about serving others together with our children.
For example, we could make it a regular habit to pray for those who don’t yet know Jesus. We could then encourage our kids to invite those who need a friend to join us for a meal, or give part of their pocket money to those in need.
It could mean serving in your church’s Christmas programme or volunteering with a charity as a family, as an act of love and gratitude to the Saviour who gave up His life for us (Mark 10:45).
In All Things, All Year Round
Every Christmas season is a wonderful opportunity for us to remember, worship, and experience afresh God’s love for us through the giving of His Son.
But cherishing Christ and remembering His acts of service isn’t just for Christmastime. We have the extraordinary privilege, all year round, of sharing and living out His love in our families, workplaces, and communities God has placed us in.
As 1 Peter 4:9–11 encourages us:
“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. . . . If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.”
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