An evergreen stands tall and brightly decorated in the corner. Twinkle lights add sparkle to the windows and velvet stockings hang from the fireplace mantel. Festive carols play while the scent of cinnamon, fudge, and cookies lures us to the kitchen.
As gifts are purchased and wrapped, colorful boxes fill the empty spaces beneath the Christmas tree branches. We plan and shop and strive to create a holiday of beauty and blessing for our children.
Yet in this season, we know our kids’ hearts are weary.
They’ve struggled through loneliness and separation from the ones they love most. One upheaval after another has stolen the comfort of familiar routines and cherished traditions. Angry voices on every screen and channel shout words of strife into ears too young to understand. Our children wonder, when can we be together again? What if my friends or family get sick? Why is everybody so mad at each other?
And as parents, we know that no presents or parties can redeem what our sons and daughters have lost this year.
More than ever, we want to make God’s love tangible and real as we celebrate Jesus’ birth with our children. God is ready and able to show us what they want—and need—the very most.
Let’s start with these 5 gifts to our children this year:
1. A Silent Night
Our families need the gift of quiet rest in this season.
We’ve been plugged into the demands of online schooling and virtual meetings for too many weeks to count. We have tuned in to the play-by-play of politics and economic shifts like it’s our job. In our downtime, we’ve let video games and entertainment stream non-stop into our living rooms.
Deadlines and due dates have kept us rushed and distracted, stealing simple joys and unhurried conversation from our days. In the hustle, we forget how much we need to “lie down in green pastures” where Jesus can “refresh our souls” (Psalm 23:2-3).
Let’s offer our children some relief from the demands of screens and assignments. We can stash the alarm clocks and laptops and remember the relaxing fun of board games.
Read-aloud stories on the couch. Slow mornings with fuzzy slippers and pancakes. Crafting paper snowflakes. Piecing together a holiday jigsaw puzzle. Sipping warm mugs of cocoa after a wintery walk through the neighborhood.
Letting the soft glow of candles light moments of prayer and Advent devotions as a family.
By slowing the pace, silencing the noise of the world around you, and listening attentively to Jesus, you and your kids can begin to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” again (Colossians 3:15).
2. Comfort and Joy
We know our kids were never meant to walk through childhood alone. Isolation from friends, teachers, and family leaves aching questions in their hearts: Will my best friend forget about me? How do I get people to like me on social media? How can I connect with people behind a mask? Will I be alone forever?
Separation from those who make them feel special and wanted creates a painful void in our children’s lives.
Our children also lost the chance to pursue their passions and celebrate special events this year. The stress of the unknown has hung like a cloud, creating anxiety and depressed emotions for many of our kids.
This Christmas, we can offer the best comfort of all—introducing our kids to Jesus. As “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain,” he knows their hurts (Isaiah 53:3). He’s felt the pain of rejection, injustice, and loss. Jesus understands the wounded heart better than anyone, so we can share his love and compassion with our children.
We can lead our kids to our tenderhearted Jesus through prayer and his Word. Cheerful affection gives reassurance that our children are wanted and cherished. Plenty of undivided attention says, “You’re seen. You matter. You’re loved.”
Let’s create quiet space for our kids to share the sadness wearing away at their spirits. Gentle kindness can help them take hold of Jesus’ comfort and joy today.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Citysqwirl.jpg
3. Packages and Bows
Instead of piles of boxes under the tree, our kids are craving a gift just for them. Something that represents their individual interests and passions. A present that shows they’re seen, heard, and known through and through. It’s not about spending a lot of money--it’s about honoring who they are and the people they’re becoming.
This could mean wrapping up music and a voucher for lessons for your aspiring musician. Your budding author might love a new (or used!) writing desk, and the chef in training could use a cookbook and a set of kitchen gadgets. You could put hiking boots on the feet of your nature lover, while the future doctor might enjoy a first-aid kit and a real stethoscope.
This Christmas offers a chance to support our kids’ dreams in a whole new way.
Thoughtful gifts to our kids reflect the giving heart of God himself. Crafted in his image, we’re intimately known from the inside out. He sees our secret longings and is eager to give us the desires of our hearts when we delight in him (Psalm 37:4).
He’s blessed when we pray and place our hopes and needs at his feet. This year’s gifts can open your child’s eyes to the One who promised, “How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).
4. Joy to the World
After months of trouble and hardship, we’re tempted to slide into complaining or self-pity. No amount of cookies, holiday movies, or shiny packages can restore what our kids have lost this year. Yet God revealed the amazing secret to joy and blessing for our children through Jesus’ words: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
Children have a beautiful spirit of caring for others, don’t they? This year, let’s create opportunities for our kids to share time and material gifts with those who struggle during the holidays.
You might deliver blankets and socks to a local homeless shelter. Your lonely, shut-in neighbor may be cheered by a basket of homemade cookies. Isolated nursing home residents will smile at the sound of Christmas carols sung outside their windows.
Create colorful cards and candies to express gratitude to the teachers, church staff, and mail carriers who serve your family all year through. By inviting your kids to brainstorm ways to serve others, frustration and discouragement can melt away.
The Bible shares how God’s people would give an offering of thanks by giving a portion of what they received from his hand. Our kids can set aside a part of their allowance to give back to God as well. Allow them to participate in supporting charities and missionaries who share the love of Jesus with the world.
5. Glad Tidings
Sickness. Protests and riots. Economic turmoil. Political strife. Natural disasters. Month after month, the bad news just kept coming. As much as we tried to shield them, our kids have felt the strain. They’ve asked tough questions with no simple answers.
As moms and dads, we feel powerless to help. Our families need more than wishful thinking. We need deep, unshakable hope.
This hope is found in Jesus. As we celebrate his coming into this world at Christmas, we share the “glad tidings” of his promises with our children:
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1)
…neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
…and [Christ] will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)
Our greatest gift is the good news of Jesus’ love. As you make time to worship and remember Emmanuel—God with us—your children will receive the most priceless gift of all. Merry Christmas, and God bless you and your family!
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Joseph Gonzalez
Joanna Teigen and her husband Rob have shared over 28 years of marriage and life with five kids, plus a beautiful daughter-in-law. They’re a neat freak married to a mess, an explorer to a homebody, and an introvert to a ‘people person.’ But they agree their vows are for always and prayer is powerful. Joanna is the co-author of Mr. and Mrs., 366 Devotions for Couples, Powerful Prayers for Your Son, and a variety of resources for your family. She looks forward to meeting you to share a free devotional and the Growing Home Together Podcast at growinghometogether.com.