Let’s Make Christ the Focus of our Christmas Celebrations

These ideas are brought to you by the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders of our Generations of Faith Program!

• Pray together at meals

• Light the advent wreath

• Set up the manger(s) in your home

• Make a special point of placing Jesus in the manger on Christmas Day

• Count down the days on a religious advent calendar

• Go to Mass during advent

• Go to a Christmas Eve/Day Mass

• Donate to the Food Pantry

• Donate to a toy drive

• Pray

• Participate in the Angel Tree

• Give up a Christmas gift and donate the money to charity

• Choose religious Christmas cards

• Decorate your tree with religious ornaments

• Choose a star or angel as the tree topper

• Sing Christmas songs to Jesus

• Play religious Christmas songs in the car

• Say a special Christmas blessing when you put up your tree

• Read the Bible, especially the birth of Jesus stories

• Make a Christmas list of other people’s needs instead of your own wants

• Pray again

• Choose religious gift wrap and tags

• Choose the Madonna and Child postage stamps

• Help with the parish Christmas pageant

• Set up a nativity scene outside your home

• Go Christmas caroling

• Visit an elderly neighbor and bring a Christmas treat

• Make your Christmas meal together as a family

• Have a birthday cake for Jesus and sing the birthday song to him for Christmas dinner dessert.

• Go to the parish cookie swap and share the cookies with others afterwards

• Make a gingerbread house together as a family

• Go to reconciliation – St. Francis Parish has a special service on December 21st at 2PM

• Send Father Vern a Christmas card.

• Read and pray an advent book

Excerpts from May Christ Be the Center of Your Christmas by Vickie Phelps

• Be patient while waiting in long shopping lines.

• Speak softly to the harried clerk behind the counter.

• Concentrate on the thought behind the gift, not how much you spend.

• Spend some quiet time thinking about the blessings in your life.

• Open a Bible to Luke 2 and place it in the center of your decorations.

• If you have small children, have them act out the Christmas story as told in the Bible.

• Keep peace with your spouse, making a special effort to show them love during the holidays when tempers are short.

• Offer to help a busy friend clean her house during the holiday season.

• Take time to listen to someone in need.

• While you are driving, remember that the Christ of Christmas is one of your passengers.

• Ask a different family member to say grace at each meal, and to give thanks for what Christmas means to them.

• While wrapping gifts, pray for the individual who is receiving each gift.

• Share a smile with everyone you meet whether they return them or not.

• Don’t be rude to telephone solicitors.

• Call your parents just to say “I love you.”

• Take time to notice God’s winter creation.

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