Yesterday we paused to gaze at the heart of this season.

I believe Jesus is the heart of Christmas. You may not believe what I believe. That’s okay. But, like I mentioned yesterday, I invite you to give Jesus a chance, and I encourage you to find out for yourself the peace that comes from Him. Even if we don’t believe the same, I invite you to continue with me through this series. We’ll be branching out in all sorts of directions and on different subjects, as we go about rediscovering Christmas together.

Today we’re getting practical, as we share and encourage one another. Today we’re follow the definition of Christmas I shared yesterday.

We’re zeroing in on keeping Christ in the center of Christmas.

I probably don’t need to tell you this can be easier said than done. As I’ve mentioned previously, in past years I let my focus slip and Jesus ended up taking a back seat to everything else in the Christmas season. I missed Christmas, and I vowed back then I would never allow that to happen again.

Yesterday I took to Twitter, and I posed the question,

“What’s one thing you do to keep Christ in Christmas?”

The responses were wonderful. Some are below:

Tracy @thewritertracy – “Every year my family watches The Nativity story together. A great reminder of what the season is about & what God did for us.”

Larushka @JennAmyMoore – “Teach my kids the true meaning. Not materialism or “Santa” but Christ. Story of his birth, Isaiah’s prophesy.

Tara @diakonia78 – Advent is my fave season. This year I’m participating in an Advent devo with a prompt word for each day, and I’m loving it.

Stephanie @s2thomp – Even though my kids are teens, we still read the scripture from the Advent calendar at dinner every day. The Advent calendar is felt made by my mother-in-law. Revisiting it every year reminds us of our narrative.

Rachel @RachelELundy – We celebrate Advent each Sunday evening. We light the candle(s), read Scripture, and pray. And then celebrate with cookies!

Carol @19Jael97 – We used to read an Arnold Ytreeide book every year to the kids.

Melinda @mghollis38 – I’m reading Ann Voskamp’s book of Advent this year.

Jeanne @JeanneTakenaka – We try to establish Advent readings in the evenings. I’m learning to say no to more so I can say yes to the best. The best being family time, making memories and helping our boys (and ourselves) turn our hearts toward Him.

Christina @ChristinaHubs – We try to buy meaningful gifts and keep a slower pace. Not always successful but gets better every year.

Wow! Aren’t these great ideas?

Sharing what we do may be the help someone else needs today.

Friend, it’s your turn. How do you go about keeping Christ in Christmas? Is there a specific activity you do each year? A specific Bible passage you cling to during the season? Do you read a certain book or take a certain daily action? Do you observe the season of Advent in a particular way?

When our children were young we read through a helpful and truth-filled resource from Bible Study Fellowship. It’s called Teaching Your Child the Christmas Story. I’ve linked to it here so you can use this wonderful tool also. Even though our children are now adults, I still use this for myself. The suggested readings are a perfect guide, and you choose if you rather read them daily or all at once. I believe you’ll enjoy reading the Christmas story, no matter if you go through it with your family, with your spouse, or by yourself.

Maybe it’s time to begin a new tradition, or if what you’re doing works for you, keep doing it.

There’s no chance of missing Christmas when we keep Christ in the center.

[Tweet “There’s no chance of missing Christmas when we keep Christ in the center.”]

Thanks for hanging out with me for a few moments today.

Blessings!

Julie

Linking up with Crystal and Deb.