5 Fun Ways to Keep Christ in Christmas With Kids

While Christmas looks different for everyone, it’s usually a combination of magic, chaos, wrapping gifts, visiting family, cooking, cleaning, laughing, and crying. Amidst all the wonderful craziness, I think we could find more joy during this time of year by keeping Christ in Christmas. 

There are many ways that we can keep Christ in Christmas, but one of the best ways is by helping kids remember Him. As we help them focus on the Savior, we will find ourselves also turning to Christ more.  

Why Help Kids Keep Christ in Christmas?

If you are stressed during the holidays and your kids are already driving you crazy, then you may be wondering if adding another thing to your to-do list is worth it. Your kids are probably looking forward to Santa coming, opening presents, doing fun Christmas activities, and eating yummy food. Do they have room in their excited little minds for Jesus?

Short answer, YES! In fact, I have found that focusing on Jesus and helping others do the same makes the Christmas Season less stressful. I’m able to focus on what matters most and let go of activities that take me away from the true meaning of Christmas. And when kids remember Jesus, they are likely to be happier as well.

So decide how you will focus on Jesus, and ask your kids what traditions they would like to do to see more of Christ in Christmas. Help them know that Jesus is the reason we can find lasting joy. Jesus is the greatest gift we can receive, so let’s receive Him and share Him with others.

5 Ways to Keep Christ in Christmas With Kids

1. Have Santa put pictures of Jesus on or near the Christmas tree.

My parents would do this when I was a kid, and I always thought it was cool that Santa remembered Jesus during Christmas.  Kids who love Santa will feel more happy to celebrate the birth of our Savior if they know Santa does it too. And even amidst all the presents, it is a good reminder that Jesus is the best gift of all.

Pictures of Jesus that are perfect for kids at Christmas

Need some ideas on which picture of Jesus that Santa should present to the kids? Here are a few:

• Kindly Light: This one is a great reminder that Jesus is the Light of the world. He is the reason we can have joy, and He never wants to leave any of us in the dark.

• Santa worshipping baby Jesus: I adore pictures like this, and it will be a great visual lesson for kids! It is a great reminder that we need to keep Christ in Christmas, especially since He is the reason we have Christmas. (You can find similar pictures like the one below here.)

• Nativity picture: Of course, this is a classic. But who couldn’t use more reminders of the sweet and innocent baby Jesus who was born to save us all? There are countless pictures of the Nativity scene, and my favorite part about them is that everyone is turned towards Jesus. What a great reminder to us to always be facing Him! (You can find more nativity pictures here.)

2. Have Santa write a note to the kids and remind them about the real reason for Christmas.

This note would go perfectly next to the picture of Jesus that Santa leaves for the family! It serves a similar purpose of helping the kids (who admire Santa so much) to see that Jesus is the reason for our happiness and Christmas celebrations. It could say something along the lines of: 

Dear _____ Family, 

You have all been very good this year! I was very pleased to not have to give any of you coal. While I hope you enjoy the gifts I left you, I want you to remember the greatest gift that we have all been given: our Savior, Jesus Christ. The reason I give gifts to you and children around the world is because I love Jesus and want to bring joy to others just like He has. I hope that you can also bring joy to those around you by being kind and loving like Jesus. 

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

Santa

Make sure to have your kids read the note before opening their presents. It will help them remember that Jesus is the ultimate gift. If your kids are older, you could have Santa add a scripture verse in his note for the family to read before opening gifts.

3. Reenact the Nativity as a family.

Don’t worry! This does not need to be a perfectly elegant and peaceful reenactment. Realistically, it may be a mix of chaos, confusion, and laughter. I loved hearing W. Mark Bassett share his hilarious family experiences with acting out the Nativity:

“[Reenacting the Nativity in our family] has been inspiring and spiritual, but not always. For example, one Christmas Eve our flock of toddler sheep erupted into a chorus of crying babies. Their bawling quickly spread to the shepherds and angels, and even to the swaddled babe himself. The next year, we had no flock. No one dared play the role of a sheep for fear that somehow, sheep were the cause of the frightening and calamitous wailing. 
A different year, the shepherds’ staffs became lightsabers. And another year, no one was willing to be a wise man or an angel, insisting instead on donning dinosaur and dolphin costumes from Halloween.
But perhaps our most memorable reenactment was when the very newborn child tumbled from his elevated and unstable manger, plummeting toward the stony hearth, only to be caught just inches above the floor…”

W. Mark Bassett, at the 2021 Christmas Devotional for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Even though this tradition could bring about chaos, the main goal is to help the family remember Christ’s birth. As long as that is achieved in some form, then don’t stress about all the other details. As you can see above, my family uses random clothing, towels, and dress-up items to put together costumes. It is not something you need to go out of your way to make an elaborate event.

Not sure how to begin? Start by reading Luke 2: 1-20, and that will give you some ideas of what to act out.

4. Find symbolism in Christmas traditions.

It can be fun and enlightening for kids to learn how candy canes and Christmas lights connect to Christ. Instead of just random decorations and traditions, they become meaningful reminders.

Here’s a few links you can check out to learn about some fun symbolism in Christmas traditions and decorations:

• Candy canes
• Christmas Wreaths
• Lights: The Christmas lights that people put up every year represent Jesus! He told us: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
• There are many more Christmas decorations that are Christian symbols! Go here to learn about them! 

5. Focus on serving Jesus by serving others.

Keeping Christ in Christmas is so much easier when we focus on serving others as He did.

We learn from The Book of Mormon that “…when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17). So what better way to give back to our Father in Heaven and His Son than by serving those around us? There are countless ways to serve people, but here are a couple ideas to get you started.

Christmas service ideas

• Fill baby Jesus’s manger with hay. Use a basket or box as a manger and have the kids put some hay (or similar material) in it every time they do a kind deed. Tell them that we want to fill the manger with hay so that we can have a soft place to put baby Jesus for Christmas. This is a good way to teach kids that when we serve others, we are also serving Jesus. You can then put a baby doll  in the “manger” on Christmas Eve or Christmas to represent the baby Jesus while reenacting the Nativity.

• Do 12 days of Christmas for someone! Pick a family who could use some Christmas cheer. Show up every evening for 12 days leading up to Christmas, leave something on the porch, and ding-dong ditch them. One year there was a family who left us different pieces of a nativity set each night, with the last one being the baby Jesus. You can also do Christmas stories, scripture verses, or a set of special ornaments.

• The Light the World initiative is a great way to serve others while remembering Jesus! It usually provides an idea for every day in December to help someone or remember our Savior. There are also videos to watch, reminder texts to subscribe to, and ideas to download. Check it out here!

Now Go Have a Joyful Christmas!

I hope that you will all find more joy this Christmas season by keeping Christ in Christmas. Remember when everything else fails and our plans fall through, Jesus never does. He will always come through for us and is the true source of never-ending joy. 

Merry Christmas!

Need tips on how to focus on Jesus during Easter? Here are some ideas!