This year Christmas is on a Saturday.  That means that next year, Christmas will be on a  Sunday.  We were having a discussion about this in the car when one of my boys piped up and said, “I don’t want to go to church on Christmas!”

I wasn’t quite sure the best way to react.  In the back of my mind, there was a little bit of the “I don’t want church to interrupt our family Christmas” too.  What was I thinking?!  What had I taught my kids?!

Now, if they were much younger, I wouldn’t mind the feeling so much.  While we certainly want to instill the reason for the season in our children, the tiny ones haven’t quite grasped the scope of the event.  However, my kids are all over the age of ten and more than capable of grasping the idea.   I’m certainly old enough to get it.

So, what’s wrong with this picture then?  Is Christmas this commercialized monster we are told it is?  Or, are we so engrained in tradition that we’ve forgotten where the tradition came from in the first place?

It really made me stop and think a bit.  What better place to spend Christmas morning than worshipping our Savior?  What better lesson for our children than having them give of themselves by halting the festivities at home to attend the birthday party for Jesus right in His house?

I’m glad we had this little talk; it really made me think about celebrating the birth throughout the season. Some of the ways we came up with to keep the Reason in the season include:

1. Reading an Advent book each night at dinner with the family
2. Devoting time each homeschool day to studying the life of Christ
3. Praying each night for those in need and giving thanks and praise
4. Filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child
5. Sponsoring a child through Compassion or another sponsorship organization
6. Making ornaments for the elderly
7. Baking gifts for friends and family
8. Sending gifts to those we know who are without people to celebrate with this season
9. Donating our gently used toys and books for children to enjoy
10. Sending Christmas cards to friends and family
11. Making a point of dropping coins in the bell ringers’ buckets

None of these ideas are earth shattering, and many we would have done without this little brainstorm.  The difference is that we will do them more purposefully now…not simply out of tradition, but out of respect and honor for our Creator.    And, next year, when Christmas Sunday rolls around, we will pile in the car and remember that without Christ, the greatest gift of all, the festivities would be meaningless.

What ways do you keep the Reason in the season?

Visit April at her blog, Heartfelt Homeschooling, http://bzoohomeschool.blogspot.com/.