Christ is Christmas, but like many Christian moms, I find it quite a challenge to keep Christ in Christmas. I’m up against a culture that would prefer to strip this holiday from anything that bears His resemblance. Yet He is the reason that we celebrate. It’s difficult to focus on this fact without being diligent in our parenting. We are the ones who can redirect our children to focus on giving rather than receiving during this time of year.
One of the things that has become a Christmas tradition at our house is sharing The Gingerbread Gospel with the kids. Each year, we make a gingerbread house together. and as we do, it opens the door for questions and conversation that lead them to focus their minds on Christ. Pondering the Christ child and the purpose of His coming is a great way for you to communicate the real message of Christmas to their young hearts and minds.
I have a FREE download available for you called, The Gingerbread Gospel. This download is basically a script you can use that gives you step-by-step instructions for sharing the Gospel story with your children. I first got it from my Moms Together group. You may share this within your own immediate family, or with a group of cousins, neighbors, friends, or even a Sunday school class or Mother’s Day Out. Oh, and by the way, I don’t make my gingerbread from scratch. I just go to Publix, Joann’s, or Michaels and grab a kit like this one to put together…much easier! (There are usually 40% off coupons for Joann’s and Michaels in the paper.)
What are some of your favorite ways to keep Christ in Christmas?
At dinner when we sit down as a family to eat, we open our Christmas cards together and we pray for those we receive them from. We also have a stocking for Jesus hanging with all the others. You have up until Christmas Eve to decide what you want to give Jesus for the next year and you drop it in Jesus’ stocking on a note. Christmas Eve we read and talk about them. We then leave them in the stocking for the next year so we can reflect on how we did.
Joanne, the stocking for Jesus is such a cute and good idea. Out of curiosity, what kind of things have your family put in there in the past?
Thanks. We did the gingerbread house last year but I have never heard of this “The Gingerbread Gospel.” And, although I knew this, I had never really thought about the different “houses” of Jesus. You are absolutely right about us being diligent about teaching our children. We must do it on purpose and make a conscious decision everyday to lead them and train them up in the way of the Lord.
I totally love this!! A simple and fun way to explain to the kids about Jesus! God Bless You!!
I LOVE the idea of the Jesus stocking. I actually have one more stocking print material leftover and didn’t know what to do with it. Now I do—for next yr—-lot of work. Thanks for the idea.
Thank you for sharing this story. I needed something for Children Church because we are making Gingerbread houses today in crafts. I cannot believe what more but a perfect lesson to have to bring to the table this morning.
I love this! We do gingerbread houses each year at church with our kids and your Gingerbread Gospel will add so much to our special day! Thank you
I want to express my deepest gratitude to the author for their commitment to intellectual honesty