Today in church I heard some things that might prove to be excellent suggestions to add to your holiday traditions.
We were encouraged to teach the true meaning of the symbols of Christmas rather than just let them be seen as mere holiday decorations. The lights, the Christmas tree, candy canes, the star, etc. all present excellent teaching possibilities. You would be surprised how many public school students I taught for 20 years had no idea what many of the Christmas holiday decorations symbolized. That ought not be the case in our families. A simple Google search will render all kinds of good information plus fun games to teach this, as well.
The second thing I heard in church today was an equally excellent holiday suggestion.
1. Make the 12 Days of Christmas your 12 Days of Service. This can include both open and surprise ideas; gifts, singing, food, etc.
2. Also, the 12 days of Christmas can easily be changed to the 12 Names of Christ; reintroduced each holiday season. The speaker said that while he was growing up, his parents taught the 12 names of Christ throughout the Christmas season and that this left an indelible holiday memory, the lessons of which stayed with him into adulthood. Naturally, the great "Hallelujah Chorus" can remind us of the several names of Christ found in the words of Isaiah. The other names he highlighted in his talk were the Good Shepherd, and Messenger, and Light (of the world). This would make a fun Google search as there are many names of Christ you can focus on to create your own 12 Names of Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment