The family Christmas

CEBU, Philippines – Christmas is such a time of fun and excitement. In the midst of the holiday to-do, the family may be divided in the activities each member prefers. The kids, for example, may be lured by the many merry events in the malls, while the parents may either be the ones often left at home or they themselves may go to the other Christmas attractions outside.

Christmas is an opportunity for meaningful family time. And so the challenge is how to keep parents and children together during the holidays. It needs good imagination as well as good understanding of the true meaning of the season - the celebration of Jesus' birth.

New gadgets may not be the best Christmas gifts that parents can give their children - but time. Christmas is a great time for creating special family memories. But it takes good planning for the family Christmas to turn out the way it should.

Ginna Ashby, writing in the website www.lifeway.com, shares five ways of celebrating Christmas with the family. Parents may choose one or two of Ms. Ashby's suggested ideas. Or they may decide to do all.

1. Sing Christmas songs.

Play Christmas music and sing along. Play the music while driving in the car or after dinner for a family sing-a-long.

Make up your own Christmas lyrics to fit the tunes of familiar songs. For example, to the tune "Mary Had a Little Lamb," sing: "Jesus was a baby boy, Baby boy, baby boy. Jesus was a baby boy, a special baby boy."

2. Play with a non-breakable manger scene.

Choose a manger scene with figures that do not pose a choking hazard for little children. Encourage the little ones to look at and handle the figures. Name the figure as your kids play with the scene. It's good to also find time for all to say a Christmas prayer together at same point.

3. Make Christmas gift-wrapping paper.

Use plain shelf paper or large grocery sacks to make gift wrap paper. Purchase Christmas stamps and washable stamp pads at your local craft or discount store. Buy stamps that depict the Christian symbols of Christmas such as a star, an angel, or an Advent wreath.

Guide your child to press the stamp on the pad and then onto the paper or sacks. White paper lunch bags can be used to make gift bags. When stamping an angel design, tell kids, "An angel told the shepherds that Baby Jesus was born."

4. Make an edible Christmas tree.

Gather the following ingredients: sugar ice-cream cones, green frosting, candy-coated chocolate pieces, and marshmallows.

Place a cone upside down on a plate. Guide your child to cover the cone with green frosting, using a plastic knife. Decorate the cone with the chocolate pieces, and then top each cone with a marshmallow.

Talk about the beautiful colors on the Christmas tree. Say: "I'm glad we can have fun at Christmas. At Christmastime we think about the special gift God gave us."

Make an additional edible tree to give to a neighbor or an elderly friend.

5. Play the Christmas story.

Open the Bible to Luke 2 and tell the Christmas story. Better yet, as you do this, let the family members dress up in robes and play out the story. It need not be an expensive production. For example, use a shoe box for the manger and a doll for Baby Jesus.

Parents and the older children have to work together to make the family Christmas fun and memorable for all. They should see to it that there is no chance for any member to start looking at the distance and think of better spending time outside the home. While running errands and quick visits with friends are okay, Christmas shall mainly be a time with family.