I love celebrating Christmas! I love decorating my home with all the assorted Nativity sets I have collected over the years. Our family enjoys our various traditions of studying the Names of Christ throughout December, having a scripture advent countdown, and doing Christmas school. Last year I came across a wonderful book called, A Christ-Centered Christmas: Seven Traditions to Lead Us Closer to Christ written by Emily Freeman. Its purpose is to draw us closer to Christ by focusing on each figure of the Nativity: Mary, Joseph, the Angel, the Shepherd, the Wise Men, the Lamb, and the Christ Child. and the role they play.
Each chapter begins with some of Ms. Freeman’s thoughts and personal experiences. They also include a story. The chapter ends with a short devotional she labels “The Tradition” which includes a hymn suggestion, a story or lesson to share, and then a moment of celebration with activity suggestions for your family to do. One of my favorites comes from the chapter on Joseph. Ms. Freeman shares the story of her three year old daughter keeping change in her pocket while out doing errands so when she heard the tinkling of the Salvation Army bell she could put coins in the big red bucket. Then comes this suggestion,
In a season that is packed full with the hustle and bustle of Christmas, I hope each of us will make room in our hearts to hear the tinkling bell and live as true believers. Spend some time this week opening your heart to hear the quiet promptings. Maybe you could stick a small bell into one of your pockets. As you hear its cheerful sound throughout the day it could act as a reminder for you to follow a quiet prompting and perform a secret act of kindness.
It was wonderful last year to have ready made devotionals to do throughout December as part of our Christmas school or for family home evening. In all the energy and excitement and busyness of the holiday season it was like a balm to the soul to have those moments of blessed, holy stillness as our family took the time to focus even more on the miracle of the Christ child and the joy, love, and hope He brings.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
EMILY BELLE FREEMAN is a coach’s wife, a mother to four children and a few others who have found refuge in her home, author of several bestselling books, and sought-after inspirational speaker. Her days are spent watching over teenagers, her flock of pampered chickens, and a rabbit that she adores. She finds great joy in studying the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Her deep love of the scriptures comes from a desire to find their application in everyday life. For a few minutes every day Emily forgets about the laundry, leaves the dishes in the sink, and writes. She coauthors a blog that is a stopping place for hearts seeking all that is good: www. multiplygoodness.com
A Christ-Centered Christmas is available at Deseret Book as a paperback or ebook. Today I have an extra copy to give away to one lucky reader just in time to help you begin your own Christmas celebrations! Enter using the rafflecopter below. For an easy entry leave a comment with a tradition or suggestion on what you do to help your family focus on Jesus Christ during the Christmas season and be sure to mark that in the rafflecopter. Giveaway ends Tuesday, November 18th.
Love this book. We did an Additional RS Meeting on it one year. Sure did bring the Spirit in.
I love all the different nativity sets that we own. They help keep us focused on Christ.
I was able to hear Emily Freeman present at TOFW this spring and I LOVED her! I would love to own one of her books, this would be an amazing one to begin with! This sounds like just the thing our family needs right now. Thank you.
Christmas hymns really set the tone — my husband and I have taken to attending as many Christmas choir concerts as we can 🙂
I love Christmas and doing all that I can to have our Christmas centered on our Savior. Sounds like this book will be just the thing to help me out.
Decorating with nativity’s and reading the Christmas story out of the bible.
I love ways to help us keep the true meaning in Christmas, and I love having nativities all around our home to remind my children.
I love to decorate with nativities as well! I love any Christmas decoration that reminds us of Christ. I love playing with the Little People Nativity set and discussing each piece with my little ones. This book would be a great addition to our family! I love the idea of doing Christmas school during December…I’m totally doing that!
I would love, love to win a copy of A Christ-Centered Christmas! Our family will be celebrating our first Christmas in our new home, and we want to make it special. I have two only children: two sons, ages 12 and 2. We love any Christmas ideas that bring our family closer together. Thanks for sharing!
We go to a Carols by Candlelight evening that is hosted and sung in a local church. The director is quite a devout Christian and has a straightforward Christian message between the carols. We also go through the local “walk through Bethlehem” to help the little ones understand more of what it would have been like during Jesus’ time.
We focus on giving. Our children make lists of what the want to give.
We have so many traditions in our home. Many are family and Christ centered, sub for santa, going to the Temple visitors center in Washington DC, sharing homemake gifts with friends. This book sounds great. This is the first year will have a missionary out in the field so we are looking for ways to share a Christ centered Christmas with him too.
We have really enjoyed the Names of Christ activities these last couple years. Thank you for sharing them. I would love a copy of this book to add to our Christ centered Christmas traditions. Thank you.
I always tell my grandchildren the “Teach The Children” story. It is my way of trying to “Keep Christ in Christmas.”
I just love Christmas! It’s hard to pick which tradition I like best. I love our nativity centered advent calendar that is hung every Dec 1st. Before opening presents, we put the little baby Jesus front and center on the calendar. It’s a great remembrance of the reason for the season. Thank you for the give-a-way. It sounds like an awesome book.
I love her ideas!
I would love to have this book in my home.
It looks like I didn’t follow the directions…
We focus on what we can give during the season. We sing songs, read Christmas scriptures stories, and Christmas books. We also emphasize The Nativity. And we always visit Temple Square!
We pick an individual or family in need or who has lost a loved one in the last year and do a 12 days of Christmas for them.
Do you do the same “gifts” each year? Can you share what you do? We have two friends that have lost spouses recently and our family has talked zbout doing a 12 days of christmas for them. One is diabetic so we need to avoid treats i would love to hear some ideas! Thx
We read a scripture from our advent calendar each day. I include Book of Mormon, Old and New Testament scriptures.
I love Christmas. As a Messianic Jew I love Jesus so much and although I know that Dec. 25th wasn’t his birthday It is the day we celebrate it and I love letting Jesus know that I love him so much.
I would love to get some fresh ideas for celebrating a Christ-centered Christmas!
My children love to act out the nativity on Christmas Eve. We film them so they can watch their performances from years past. It seems we always have a baby to play baby Jesus 🙂
We attend a live Nativity Scene and a little recreation of Bethlehem at a local small town each December.
We read Christmas books each night of December. I would love to use this for FHEs in December!
We sing lots of hymns and other songs about Christ’s birth.
I display lots of nativities. We also do christ centered devotionals every night for our family scripture study. We have done different things….names of Christ, Jesse Tree, etc., so its not the same thing every year. But it is always used to keep Christ at the center of the holiday season. I also have an advent candle set to celebrate the weeks of advent but am still trying to find weekly “devotionals” that feel “right” for our family.
We listen to Christ-centered Christmas music and try to keep the decorations Christ-centered as well.
Our family always makes times to visit a live nativity in the area. It always helps us remember the reason we celebrate. I’d love a copy of that book!
Saw that book in the Deseret Book catalog recently. I am grateful for the review!
Nativities are my favorite part of Christmas. I pick a new one out each year. I can’t wait to enjoy them all month.