Christian Christmas activities are a highlight of this most wonderful time of year. Discover 30 fun, creative ways to celebrate Jesus with your children.
Christmas is probably my favorite holiday. I love the atmosphere Christmas brings, with so much joy and cheer. I love that the local Christian radio station plays Christmas music beginning on Thanksgiving. And I really enjoy decorating my house and absolutely love Christmas lights. Christmas is so much fun!
But sometimes my love for this holiday focuses on the wrong things. I tend to pay attention more to buying presents, attending parties, decorating, baking cookies, and staying very busy. That’s when I remember to use Christian Christmas activities.
If you’re like me, you want your family’s focus during Christmas to be on the birth of Jesus. After all, that’s the whole reason we celebrate! So what can you do to keep your family’s eyes on Jesus? Keep reading…
30 Christian Christmas Activities for Families
1. Celebrate Advent.
Advent is a Christian season where we wait, anticipate, and prepare our hearts for the Messiah’s birth. Advent means “coming,” and we’re waiting for the coming King. To help families at my church focus on Jesus, I give out Family Advent Bags.
2. Help decorate your church.
Next, volunteer your family to prepare the church for Advent. Decorating the church is a fun family activity!
3. Set up nativity scenes.
Put a nativity scene in each room, if you can. Use a kid-friendly one (like Fisher-Price) so your kids can play with it.
4. Play Hide & Seek with Baby Jesus.
Take the baby Jesus from a nativity scene and hide him each day. Then have your kids find him every morning.
5. Have family devotions and prayer times.
A great time to do this is around the dinner table. Faith5 makes a great bookmark highlighting ways to have a family devotion. These will help your family stay focused on Christ.
6. Hang a stocking for Jesus.
Hang a stocking in your home with Jesus’ name on it. Fill it with notes of prayers and thanksgiving to him.
7. Enjoy a family craft or baking night.
Search Pinterest for a fun nativity craft you can make together. Or try a new Christmas cookie recipe. Then display the craft and deliver cookies to neighbors.
8. Visit a live nativity.
Check out local churches to find a live nativity. These make memorable Christian Christmas activities. Kids love to see the nativity story come to life.
9. Take a census of your family.
Talk about a census. Then map out your family tree. Open your Bible to Matthew 1 and show kids Jesus’ family tree.
10. Say Christmas card prayers.
Put the Christmas cards you receive in a basket. Choose one each morning and each night and pray for that family.
11. Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.
If your kids are able, help them memorize and recite the meaning of Christmas that Linus shares. See Luke 2:8-14.
12. Watch a nativity movie.
This is a good one to watch with older children. To see a clip, go here: The Nativity Story
13. Give three gifts to Jesus.
On three sheets of paper, have each family member write down one thing per sheet that they want to give Jesus or do for Jesus this year. Wrap the papers in three boxes and put them underneath the tree. Open on Christmas Day and share what everyone wrote.
14. Write a personal Christmas card.
Send a handwritten Christmas message to someone. Share your favorite Bible verse and a prayer for them.
15. Bake a birthday cake for Jesus.
Then sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus and enjoy the cake!
