By Lorie Newman
All for His Glory Ministries Speaker and Trainer
I just love Christmas and over the years I have had lots of practice on my kids with different ideas for Christmas fun. Here are some of my favorites for now--
1. Make a life-size wooden manger and put a bag of hay beside it. Tell the children as they do kind deeds during the Christmas season, they can put one piece of hay in the manger for each good deed. Everyone will be surprised at how full the manger is on Christmas morning! In years past, our manger has been overflowing with hay by Christmas Day! (Don't forget to put a baby doll in the manger on Christmas morning!)
2. Play Secret Santa "family-style." One week before Christmas, have the children in your family draw another family member's name from a Santa hat. They are not to tell ANYONE whose name they have. During this last week before Christmas, they are to sneak about doing kind things for this family member without telling anyone. For example, one year my daughter drew her twin's name. She would sneak into his bedroom while he was in the shower each night and lay out his pajamas and pull back his covers — all without anyone knowing! It was so fun for the children to do the kind deeds in secret, but also to try guessing who it was doing the kind deeds for them! Christmas morning, instead of exchanging gifts, the family reveals who their Secret Santa was! Rarely do my children guess correctly! Mom and Dad even enjoy getting in on this fun!
3. Each Friday during the Christmas season, have a "hot chocolate movie night." Rent a classic Christmas movie each Friday. Snuggle up and enjoy it with cups of hot chocolate in Christmas mugs. Don't forget to top the hot chocolate off with whipped cream and a candy cane!
4. In the kids' lunch boxes, be sure to add a bright and cheerful Christmas napkin each school day!
5. If your children are small and don't understand how many days are left until Christmas, make a large paper chain (green and red, of course), making one strand of paper for each day until Christmas. Each morning, let your child cut one link of the chain off until one remains on Christmas Eve!
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