Simple Christ-Centered Christmas Traditions

The First Presidency Christmas Devotional last night was wonderful.  The music was beautiful and the messages were great reminders.  If you and your family didn't get a chance to watch it you can do so HERE.  It would make for a great FHE tonight.  Also, a neat announcement was made and a new page born on lds.org with Bible videos to be added monthly.    They are free to download and are a gift to the world.  You can watch the video that was shown last night below: 



The Christmas Devotional is such a simple way to remember Christ during the Christmas Season.  A tradition that takes little planning, no running to and fro, and no gifts to be purchased.

I also thought I'd share two Christmas Traditions that our little family started this year.  So I guess they are not techniquely traditions yet but I hope to continue them each year and turn them into traditions.

First, we put up this little tree next to our bigger tree. It was my husband and I's very first Christmas tree.  Now it is our Service and Kindness tree.  When I catch my children serving or being kind I let them pick out an ornament to add to the tree.  Sometimes I send my 4 year old to preschool with service in mind and he'll come back and tell me something nice he did.  It was been good.  It's also nice to have a tree that is free for them to touch and move ornaments around on. :)

Then Secondly, we tweaked this idea from the Friend.  We have this nativity picture hanging on the wall in our living room and each morning we are adding a star to the wall.  We write something about Jesus on the star and tape it to the wall.  By Christmas we should have one starry night.  My son is already excited about putting the biggest star above the picture on Christmas Eve.

Our 4 year old (soon to be 5) has come up with things like:
Jesus helped people to see.
Jesus was crucified for us.
Jesus was born in a stable.
Jesus helped raise people from the dead.

And our 2 year old has said things like this (with a little help sometimes :):
Jesus hugs me.
Jesus loves me.
Jesus made animals.
Jesus holds me.

It has been a great way to keep us thinking about Christ every day this December.  What are some Christ-Centered traditions that your family has?

Family Fun Times: How Do You Do Things At Your House?

So a few weeks back I was perusing through Deseret Book and I came across this book (you can read additional ideas here). I didn't have the urge to buy it but did find it fun to read through a few of the ideas in the store.  I loved reading these great ideas that other families have implemented into their homes to help create stronger bonds, to have fun together, and to teach strong values.  Everyone has traditions, techniques, systems, and ideas for how they do things and I thought it would be fun for us to share some of them here.

Here are a few that the book includes:

THE BROTHER BANK
A Shared Reward Encourages Two Siblings to Get Along

"Whenever my husband or I "catch" one of our boys, Alex, age eight, or Grant, four, doing something nice for the other, such as helping to build a complicated toy, we reward the behavior by giving him a quarter to put in their joint brother bank. They can spend the money any way they want, such as on ice cream or a movie, so long as they agree on the treat. I've shared this idea with many of my friends, and they all tell me it's helped their kids act more kindly toward one another." -- Joni Gaynor, Anaheim Hills, California

SHARE THOUGHTS IN A TALKING CHAIR
Give Kids a Special Place to Express Themselves

"To encourage her children to open up about what's on their minds, Denise Vega of Englewood, Colorado, designated a comfy armchair in the living room as the Talking Chair. It's a place the kids can head to when they need some alone time with Mom or Dad. In the Talking Chair, Zachary, age eight, Jesse, six, and Rayanne, three, discuss whatever they want, with "no judging, no reprimands," says Denise, "just listening and, if necessary, talking to figure things out." The real key: all conversations are private, "with no one listening in."

MAGIC MOMMY DUST
Disperse Fears with a Quick Sprinkle

"In my house, Magic Mommy dust solves all kinds of problems. For instance, whenever one of my kids, Josh, age nine, or Claire, six, has trouble falling asleep at night and is afraid of something -- such as, monsters under the bed. I reach into my pocket for some invisible magic dust -- I sprinkle it around the room, under the bed, and on his or her face while saying, 'Magic Mommy Dust, work your magic!' It soothes their fears immediately. I've even put it in coat pockets before school when one of them has needed a little extra assurance. We all now believe in its power to make everyone feel safe and loved." -- Vicky DeCoster, Papillon, Nebraska

If you have any fun traditions or ideas that you implement in your homes to help create stronger bonds, to have fun together, and/or to teach strong values please share.

Christ: The Real Gift of Christmas

"The gift of Christmas isn't wrapped up in presents or parties. The gift of Christmas is Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father, the Son of God. As you follow Him, you put people first. You may spend less time in lines and more time serving others. You may spend less money on - and more time with – the people you love. You may lose yourself and you may find everything else that matters."

This wonderful quote comes from the Christmas page found on LDS.org. Here you can find activities to do with your children, traditions you may want to start with your family, Christmas videos and much more. All of these things are meant to help us "Simplify our Christmas by embracing the spiritual side of the season."