Every yr around this time, I watch parents and carers – including myself – get swept up in what I’ve began calling the “December tornado”. There are nativity costumes to source, carol live shows to attend, school fayres to volunteer at, and an ever-growing list of traditions we feel we should be doing. Add to that the pressure many Christian families feel to make Christmas spiritually meaningful, and it’s no wonder December can feel more exhausting than joyful.
We worry about getting it “right,” juggling expectations from family, school and social media while attempting to keep Jesus on the centre for our kids. But what I’ve learned – often the hard way – is that the families who seem to maintain their faith most alive through Christmas aren’t those doing essentially the most. They’re those who’ve worked out what truly matters for them.
The weight of recent Christmas expectations
Traditionally, the Christmas season ran from Christmas Day to Twelfth Night. Now the festivities appear to stretch across the complete month of December: advent calendars of all kinds, pop-ups, Christmas jumper days, dinners and an countless stream of seasonal content. While stretching out the celebrations might be wonderful, it will probably also disrupt the small, on a regular basis rhythms that help our families connect with God.
At home, we’ve found a lot of little ways of connecting with God throughout the day like chatting to God or asking him questions at bedtime, breakfast or within the automobile. I’ve learned to guard these small routines even within the festive chaos. They don’t should be Advent-themed to be meaningful. Actually, maintaining what’s normal might be more grounding than adding one more Christmas activity. Our relationship with God is the constant that sustains us all year long, December included.
Choosing what actually works in your family
Christmas resources abound, but I find the true challenge is filtering them in a way that suits our family. The Instagram world has turned traditions right into a form of competitive sport, but I would like to supply an easier definition: a convention is solely something you do, enjoy, and decide to repeat.
Instead of scrolling for ideas online, we now ask our children what they really remember and value from past Christmases. Starting with what they like to do and what they loved doing previously – not what the web says they need to love – has been surprisingly liberating for my circle of relatives.
When Christmas isn’t magical
I feel it’s also really essential to say this: it’s okay to seek out Christmas hard. We don’t have to pretend it’s all joy, when there might be really difficult realities. Financial strain, relationship tension, grief, estrangement – these affect many families, and Christmas can intensify these struggles. We’ve sat with parents and carers who’re bereaved, who’re navigating separation, who’re apprehensive about money, or who simply feel the burden of all of it. God doesn’t expect us to placed on a Christmas show. He invites honesty. When we model that for our kids, acknowledging when things are stressful or sad, we teach them that faith is real even when life is messy. And that may be a gift we can provide them.
Investing in your individual relationship with God
Whatever helps you connect with God, whether prayer, worship, or Bible reading, try to keep up it even throughout the busy season. I understand how easily this stuff get squeezed out after we’re rushing between school plays and family gatherings.
But here’s what I’ve noticed: one of the effective ways to disciple children is for them to see a messy, imperfect but real relationship with God in on a regular basis life. Small things matter. Playing worship music, leaving your Bible out after reading it, talking to God aloud about something you’re grateful for or apprehensive about – these moments communicate faith in ways in which structured activities sometimes can’t.
Beyond December
In the secular world, Christmas ends in a crash on Boxing Day. The Christian story is different. Jesus’ birth isn’t the endpoint. He got here pretty much as good news of great joy for all people, and the amazing proven fact that he did that transforms our on a regular basis lives.
The season passes, traditions change, children grow, but God’s love and purpose remain. That’s what matters most, and that’s what we will carry with us into January and beyond.
Anna Hawken is Parenting for Faith Ministry Lead at BRF Ministries. Find Christmas resources, including Questions for Advent, at parentingforfaith.brf.org.uk. The Parenting for Faith podcast relaunches in January with video episodes.
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