Communicating the True Meaning of Christmas to Kids

I still remember the first time I saw vegetables talk. Years ago, Phil Vischer first brought us Bible stories told through the creative lens of household vegetables. It was something special—it had something for kids and parents. He managed to capture the imagination of both at once.

Vischer’s new project is a series called What’s in the Bible? where he uses puppets (done very well, I might add) to explain the Bible in a fun, funny, and informative way.

Why This Series Matters

The What’s in the Bible? team has done something that’s both unique and much needed. They’ve tackled the topic of Christmas in a way that helps kids, pastors, and parents understand what Christmas is all about.

They answer big questions like:

• “Why December 25th?”

• “What do we do with Santa?”

• “What is Hanukkah?”

• “What’s the true meaning of Christmas?”

You can watch a short clip from the series here: “What’s the True Meaning of Christmas?”

The Challenge We Face

I want to take a few minutes to talk about how to communicate the true meaning of Christmas to kids.

As parents and children’s pastors, we’re up against a PR machine like nothing the world has ever seen—the bombardment of commercialism.

Am I anti-capitalist? No.
Does “The Christmas Creep” exist? Absolutely. And I’m not talking about some weird elf. Every year, decorations go up sooner and toy catalogs arrive earlier. This year, our local Walmart had Christmas displays going up on October 29th.

The more Christmas becomes about “all that other stuff,” the more we lose focus on what matters most—helping kids understand that Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

It’s when we rejoice because Jesus came to earth to rescue you and me.

Christmas: The Best Time to Share the Gospel

Christmas gives us a one-of-a-kind opportunity to tell the story of the gospel in a way kids can grasp—the birth of a baby.

Kids love babies, and what they love even more are birthday parties!
We celebrate the birth of Jesus, who was more than a baby—He was God come to earth to rescue all of humanity and fix our broken world.

I love Christmas.

Practical Tips

For Volunteers

1. Reinforce that Christmas really happened.
   Use the metaphor of a birthday party—kids totally get that! We’ve done “Happy Birthday, Jesus” parties for the past few years, and they help make the celebration visual and memorable.

2. Bring everything back to Jesus.
   Gifts are great, but Christmas is about the gift God gave us—His one and only Son. He sent Jesus because we all mess up and we all need a Savior.

3. Encourage kids to share the good news.
   God went out of His way to share His message of love with us. We should go out of our way to share that good news with others. Remind kids to tell their friends that Jesus loves them and came to forgive and rescue them.

For Parents

1. 1. Leverage Christmas to teach generosity.
      God gave His only Son, and because of that amazing gift, we can give others the best of what we have too.

   2. Teach kids that Christmas is about Jesus—not Santa, and not them.
      We live in a child-centric culture, but kids need to understand their need for a Savior. To grasp how amazing God’s gift is, they need to see that life without Christ is lost, broken, and sad.

   3. Have fun and be intentional.
      Create family traditions, but weave the story of Jesus into everything—read it, tell it, and live it together.