Holiday Traditions to do with your child

Don’t let the holiday season get the best of you – be organized!!  Be intentional about making family memories this year.  Here’s a start:

1. Christmas Countdown – Celebrate the Advent season by counting down to Christmas.  This can be achieved by using an advent calendar or creating your own advent countdown.  For instance, place a new ornament on a mini-tree, light a candle daily, or create a paper chain and take one off each day.
2. Joy Journal – Keep a “joy journal” to record the funny things your kids say, joyful times you share, your favorite things to do with your family, and all the things for which you are grateful. 
3. Deck the Halls – Make a “family night” out of decorating your Christmas tree and your home.  Put on Christmas music, make popcorn and drink hot chocolate. 
4. Meaningful Ornaments – Create or purchase new ornaments each year for your Christmas tree.  Create or shop for an ornament that reflects a defining event or sentiment for the year.  For example, an ornament could represent a family vacation, a new baby, a new sport or musical instrument they have just begun to take part in.
5. Nativity Playtime – Set up a nativity scene so that children can interact with the pieces.  Yes, they can actually touch and play with!  This will give you an opportunity to interact with them about the real meaning of Christmas.  For a twist, leave baby Jesus out of the set and add Him on Christmas morning.
6. Christmas in the Kitchen – Set aside a day to bake or make holiday treats with your children.  Plan ahead to make sure you have all the necessary ingredients.   And YES you will be making a mess!
7. Share the joy – Share your holiday treats with friends, neighbors, and co-workers.  Arrange a variety of treats on a plate and personally deliver it to neighbors.
8. Movie Night – Plan a family movie night with a Christmas film. 
9. Dinner Prayers – As you receive Christmas cards from family and friends, put them in a basket.  Each night at dinner, have a child randomly draw a card from the basket and include that family in your dinner prayer.
10. A Good Cause – Adopt a special cause each year and spend some time as a family helping those in need, or raising or donating money for a charity of your choice.
                  The Salvation Army – 574-970-0088 (Adopt-a-family program)
                  Angel Tree, Prison Fellowship Ministries – www.angeltree.org
                  Provide a Christmas present for a child on behalf of a parent in prison
    
11. Clean Sweep – challenge each member of your family to fill a box or bag full of items to give away.  Encourage your children to find toys that they could give away which will help make Christmas special fro another child and will also make room for new toys coming into your home.
12. A Look Back – pull out the family photo albums and look through Christmas pictures from years gone by…even before your children were born.  This is a great way to review your family history.
13. Game Night – enjoy a “game night” by creating a holiday craft or playing games.  For instance, play Christmas Charades or Pictionary Play dough (with Christmas words). 
14. A Holiday Meal – Create a holiday meal tradition – this could be a special Christmas Eve dinner, a Christmas morning breakfast, or even make it a part of a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.  The idea is more about the time together than the food – it’s creating a time that your family will look forward to spending together year after year.
15. Take in the View – create the tradition of taking an evening to drive through a neighborhood to view the Christmas lights.  A great place to view lights is in Winding Brook Subdivision – off Day Road in Mishawaka (just east of Edison Lakes Parkway).
16. Happy Birthday Jesus – Host a birthday party for Jesus and you can help children understand the true meaning of Christmas
17. Photo Opportunity – take a photo of your children standing in a particular spot each year.  In front of the tree, by the front door, anyplace that will be consistent from year to year.  You could also take a picture of them doing a new activity for the 1^st time.  Maybe they ice skated this year for the first time, or started playing the guitar, or Upward basketball.  Take their picture doing that activity and put it in a framed ornament.  This is a very special keep sake – one that maybe you could give them after they grow up and leave your house (if you can part with the ornaments).
18. Christmas Letters – Have each person in your family write a letter at the end of the holiday season (small children can draw a picture).  Use your letter to recap the year and Christmas events, as well as provide helpful reminders for next year.  Keep a special record of these letters in an album or treasure box.  Store these with the Christmas decorations and pull them out at the beginning of the season as a way to not only look back and review, but to treasure how much your children have grown and changed over the past year.
19. Special Gift – Give your child a book each year that represents something about them from that year.  For example, if your little one loves having tea parties, purchase a book for them where the characters have tea parties.  Write in the front of the book why the book reminded you of them.
20. Date night - Don’t let the season go by without a special date with your spouse.  Turn off all the lights, turn on some relaxing Christmas music, prepare your spouse’s favorite dessert, and have a “date night” in front of the lighted Christmas tree (or fire place).

I pray that this holiday season will be one filled with traditions and special time spent with your family.  Have a very Merry Christmas.

Upcoming Dates:

Dec. 7^th – pre-school and elementary kids will be performing their Christmas music in 
              the 2^nd service.  Practice will be during the Sunday School hour that 
              morning.

Dec. 28th - No 1^st service or Sunday school