Regardless of your Christmas memories, it is safe to say that your parents shaped your holiday experiences. And the same will be true for your children. The way you lead your children to celebrate Christmas will create memories which they will take into adulthood.
Kids do not need mixed messages about Christmas from their parents. Children deserve caring, clear, and pointed parenting, especially during the holiday season.
Think about it. Confusing signals abound for kids during the holidays. Children in today's world already have a difficult time distinguishing between fantasy and reality. However, Christmastime often blurs even further the line between what is real and what is not real. Multiple manger scenes may grace the landscape of your home, but until you start celebrating Christmas like a Christian, your children may have difficulty understanding the significance of the holiday.Excessive materialism, frenzied activity, gluttonous gatherings, and yielding to society's expectations may cause your child to wonder if you really believe what you say you believe about Christmas.
We all have seen the front yard manger scenes where Santa Claus is standing around Baby Jesus along with Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the wise men, and the animals. Could it be that such an image does more harm than good in the mind of a child?
We certainly do not need to jettison all the cultural traditions of Christmas. Kids need the experiences of roasting chestnuts over an open fire, and riding in a one-horse open sleigh would be the dream of a lifetime. But your kids need to realize that Christmas is not primarily about trees, ornaments, stockings, lights, presents, or parades. Kids need to know that Christmas is about Christ. And kids will not realize that Christmas is about Christ unless they see that your Christmas is about Christ.
Do not allow mixed messages about the meaning of Christmas to get into your kids' heads. In everything you do, make sure that your kids know that Christmas is about Christ.
Pastor Todd
