The Christmas Season is upon us! And so begins the frenzy of activity that surrounds this holiday season of cooking, shopping, decorating, organizing and soo much more. If we’re not careful, our kids can get caught up in a consumeristic culture that views Christmas as only the materialistic, and not the spiritual significance it is meant to carry.

As a parent, God has called us to train our children and teach them the significance of what Christmas is truly all about – the coming of Christ.

Below are 5 ideas to make the most of this Christmas and begin family traditions you and your children will grow to love.

1. Assemble a nativity scene. This may feel like a job for the pros, but don’t worry – there are plenty of pre-packaged options out there that turn this into a fun craft for you and the kids – not too dissimilar from building a ginger-bread house. As a family, you can use the set to act out the Christmas story. Read the Christmas story together and use the nativity characters to bring the story to life as you act out the scenes together.

2. Participate in Advent. Download the Advent devotional, order a set of advent candles online and engage the Advent season these next 4 weeks as a family. Advent is a wonderful way to reflect back upon the faithfulness of God in sending Jesus to save us, as well as preparing our hearts for His 2ndcoming.

3. Share the Story of Santa Claus. How can the story of Santa teach your kids the real meaning of Christmas? Do a little research and teach your kids that St. Nicholas was a real man who made a great impact for Jesus, and gave his life to caring for the most needy people in society! Let every Santa you see be a reminder of the opportunity we have every day to share Jesus with the world around us, and be generous with all that God has given us.

4. Give & Receive Gifts. Christmas began with the greatest gift – God gave His one and only Son – to save us from our sins! Our consumeristic culture can hi-jack our kids hearts to think that Christmas is all about receiving gifts. Help them see the bigger picture by thanking God for the gifts they receive – as a small taste of the greatest gift God has ever given. And train them to be gift-givers, who respond to God’s generosity by being generous to the cause of Christ and those who are in need in our world today.

5. Attend Christmas services. There is no greater tradition we can build into the hearts and lives of our kids this Christmas than the tradition of gathering with our church family to worship and center our hearts on Jesus. Make attending Christmas services a priority for your family and take it a step further by inviting friends, family and neighbors to join you at service. Teach your kids that one of the greatest joys of Christmas is sharing the hope of Jesus with as many people as we possibly can.

May God bless you and your family as you seek Christ this Christmas.