10 Things Parents Should Teach Their Kids about Christmas

1. Christmas Has it's Roots in History

Stories regarding Christmas abound, from retellings of St. Nicholas’s life to Charles Dickens’ dramatization of a surly turned generous man named Ebenezer Scrooge. Children often have a difficult time discerning the difference between fantasy and reality, and therefore may merge ideas regarding Jesus with tales of Santa Claus. It’s important our kids understand that the Christmas narrative tells of events that occurred during the Roman Empire just over 2,000 years ago.

As you read Scripture related to Christ’s birth, make sure your children understand that the narrative tells of real events that unfolded during a real point in history. 

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2. Christmas Celebrates God Coming to Us

There are numerous truth claims in the world, but Christianity is unique in its presentation of a near and personal God. Christmas celebrates the fact that, in the birth of baby Jesus, God came to us. Matthew 1:23 says, “Look! The virgin,” which was Mary, “will conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son,” Jesus, “and they will call Him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us’” (NLT).

Philippians 2:7 puts it this way: “[Christ] gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being” (NLT). This is what theologians call the incarnation—when Jesus, God the Son, took on flesh to dwell among us, take our sins upon Himself, and suffer the punishment that we deserve.

3. Christmas is Connected to Easter

It’s easy to disconnect the baby born at Christmastime with the Man who later suffered and died for the sins of mankind, but those two historical events are intricately linked. 

Your children may be familiar with John 3:16, which says “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (NLT). 

Christ came to earth as a helpless infant with one main purpose—to die for us and rise again, victorious. Christmas is but the prelude to Easter.

4. We Give Because God Gave

The holidays grow more commercialized each year with advertisements for toys and gadgets clogging our mailboxes. There are a few ways we can deal with this: We can jump in and get shopping, but however much an unchecked buying frenzy might momentarily thrill our kids, it won’t leave lasting joy and fulfillment and can actually rob them of that. 

We can try to counter our materialistic culture by foregoing gift-giving altogether, but that will probably leave our children resentful. A third option, however, is to maintain balance and use our gifts to explain the most precious present of all—Jesus. We give at Christmas because at Christmas God gave the best gift known to man—His Son. 

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5. Jesus' Birth Reveals God's Grace

In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul tells us our salvation comes by grace through faith. Christ, in His love and mercy, freely offers His unmerited favor to us. When we recognize this, His birth—the gift of God with us—becomes a vivid reminder of God’s grace. 

But just as with those brightly wrapped boxes tucked beneath the tree, one must unwrap, or accept, this amazing gift in order for it to be of value to them.

In Jesus, we see God’s grace (John 1:14).

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6. They Can Know Jesus Personally

Scripture tells us that “everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23, NLT). Without Christ, we’d live separated from God now and in eternity. But because of Christ’s death and resurrection, through belief, we can know Jesus personally and intimately. 

Shortly before His death, Jesus gathered His disciples close and said, “Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told Me.” Through faith, we can have an intimate relationship with the Father and the Son.

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7. The Gift of Christmas is Meant for All

In our diverse and often hostile culture, it’s easy for Christians to develop an “us versus them” mentality. When others say happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas, or when the media idealizes other faiths and bashes Christianity, we may be tempted to separate and condemn. If we do, it’s likely our children will pick up on this and develop the same type of mentality, one contrary to the Great Commission God gives us in Matthew 11:28. 

We need to remember Jesus came into the world to save the “worst” of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). God deeply loves all, even those who rebel against Him, and He longs for His children to communicate this to those who are deceived and far from Him. As we’re sitting around the Christmas dinner table talking about Christ’s birth, may we share with our children this important truth: Jesus, the ultimate Christmas gift, is meant for all. 

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8. Christmas is a Time to Give and Receive Love

That very first Christmas some 2,000 years ago was motivated by love—a love so great God the Father sent His Son to our sin-ravished world, knowing what He would suffer, for us; in fact, God knew His Son would die long before mankind ever sinned, before the first human took his first breath, and yet, He created us anyway. 

The Son, the One who willingly came, stripped Himself of His divine privileges, and offered His life on our behalf (John 10:18), was driven to earth and then to the cross by love. To know God, the very embodiment of love, is to love. We love others because God first loved us, and He revealed the depth and power of that love on Christmas morning.

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9. Christmas is a Time to Serve

No one wants to wash the after-Christmas dinner dishes. Most won’t clamor to clean up after all our holiday party guests. And if one asked to share their favorite Christmas memory, chances are, it won’t be serving in a soup kitchen. 

But it can be. Each December, we have the opportunity to show our children a foundational characteristic of Jesus Christ, which should characterize us as well.  Finding meaningful ways to show the love of Christ tangibly to those in need can leave a lasting impact on your children and is a great way to counter the gimmes prevalent in today’s culture.

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10. Christmas Foretells a Time of Peace

Our world is in chaos, with hate groups rioting, the ongoing threat of wars, natural disasters, and church shootings. With all this, Christmas carols proclaiming peace on earth might feel farfetched. Our children might not understand how, in the middle of all this, Jesus can be the Prince of Peace that Scripture foretells. 

First, Jesus said His peace wasn’t like what the world offers. His goes much deeper and isn’t dependent on our circumstances, but instead His power and grace within us. 

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Editor, Novelist, and speaker Jennifer Slattery has a passion for helping women discover, embrace, and live out who they are in Christ. As the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries, (http://whollyloved.com) she and her team partner with churches to facilitate events designed to help women rest in their true worth and live with maximum impact. She’s spoken to women’s groups and at conferences across the nation, is the author of six contemporary novels maintains a devotional blog found at http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com. When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves going on mall dates with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband.