The Wonder of Christmas
During this season of home education, two of the many invaluable lessons I’ve learned from other homeschooling families are:
Every family is unique
And it’s okay to be different
Celebrating holidays are no different. Whether you’re on the other side of the world or right up the block, each family will be unique in their Christmas traditions. Regardless of these differences, the most important thing is that the Wonder of Christmas be cultivated within your family.
So I’ll just share some ways that bring the Wonder of Christmas to life in our home, and make it meaningful as well as memorable for years to come. My hope is that you may see yourself in this post, helping you to appreciate the special things you already do as a family while inspiring you to create new traditions in your home.
The Wonder of Traditions
Every family has traditions. Maybe you didn’t realize what you did growing up was a tradition because you just assumed everybody else did the same thing. But now you see that those seemingly insignificant things that cause you to reminisce about fond memories were very much traditions.
For instance, my dad loves to celebrate the holidays. His motto is go big or go home. I mean, there were lights all around and tinsel hanging from everywhere in our apartment. That was just the norm for us. But it wasn’t until I was a teenager that my best friend pointed out how much she loved Christmas in my home because her family wasn’t as festive. That was the first time I started to take notice of the traditions in our home.
One of the many traditions my dad has passed down to me is to decorate the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. I never forget the Spanish Holiday music in the background as we decorated our artificial tree. Cassette tape after cassette tape played songs I hadn’t heard since the prior year, which we listened to all the way unto 3 Kings Day on January 6th and it wasn’t until the Wise Men came that the Christmas decorations would be put away.
Now my daughter has a similar experience every year, but the music no longer flows from a tape deck. The radio has been replaced with an Alexa shuffling close to 200 songs. Oh, and fun fact about our home is that I’m American, raised in a Christian home in the Bronx with Puerto Rican parents and I’m currently in the “40 Club” so our Christmas playlist reflects that fun diversity.
We also celebrate Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day, which I used to think everyone did. We stay up until midnight, opening up presents one by one, giving individual attention to that gift exchange, taking pictures each time and giving hugs. It takes a while but each special moment is filled with love and gratitude.
Our decorations may not be as extravagant as my dad’s and the music may be more versatile, but we have certainly passed on many of his traditions to our daughter, with a few new traditions of our own.
Traditions like bringing home a fragrant, live Christmas tree every year and going to her grandparents the next day to help them decorate their tree.
A favorite of ours is having our daughter prep hay and water for the Wise Men on la Víspera de Reyes (the eve of 3 Kings Day) at her grandparents’ home (which my parents celebrated as children but didn’t celebrate with us when we were growing up. #AssimilationIssues). So we now celebrate the story of the Magi and their long journey, following the Star of Wonder and how they rejoiced when they finally found the newborn King they were seeking.
These family traditions are just priceless and so much fun, especially for our girl!
The Wonder of Books
Never underestimate the power…and wonder of living books*, even the holiday ones.
In previous years, I used to just read one holiday book to my daughter on Christmas Eve. Recently, I was inspired by other homeschoolers to implement another tradition: reading a Christmas book every night for the season. We keep them in a basket near the tree and every evening, my daughter makes her selection.
I absolutely LOVE Christmas books that are meaningful, move me to tears, and, most importantly, point to Jesus. My daughter, on the other hand, prefers books that make her laugh and she can have fun with.
So though we have many holiday books that keep increasing in number, my girl and I share below a few books that best represent Christmas in our home.
FAMILY FAVES that remind us of the REAL meaning of Christmas:
A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz
God Gave us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren
TEAR JERKERS that make it difficult for me to read aloud bc I’m too busy balling.
The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
The Legend of the Poinsettia retold by Tomie dePaola
(Both stories show that our “little” is HUGE to God and in His purpose for us)
Like I mentioned earlier, as Latinos, we celebrate on Christmas Eve and 3 Kings Day. These books celebrate those traditions:
’Twas Nochebuena by Roseanne Greenfield Thong is written in the poetic rhythm of “The Night Before Christmas” and tells of how one multigenerational family celebrates Christmas Eve.
Miracle on 133rd Street by Sonia Manzano (who played “Maria” from Sesame Street for 44 years) is a fun story of a how one urban family unifies their community on Christmas Eve and helps them regain the Christmas spirit via the magical smell of their roast.
Los Reyes Magos by Lourdes M. Alvarez is a Spanish book about 2 children preparing for 3 Kings Day and their grandfather telling them the story of the night the Wise Men gave gifts to Baby Jesus. (And I’m such a sucker for any book that mentions the actual significance behind the Wise Men’s gifts.)
Grandma’s Gift by Eric Velasquez is a surprise gift for my girl this year. I’m so excited because it’s such a treasure in multiple ways, including the loving grandparent/grandchild relationship. They even make pasteles together, which is a special holiday meal for many of us in the Caribbean. You can read more on this gem since it was my Book of the Month for January.
The Wonder of Family
You’re probably saying to me: “Duh? Isn’t this a given?” Well, actually…it isn’t. Sometimes the holiday season is so busy: busy prepping, shopping, and cramming everything in before Christmas that Quality Family Time is lost in that shuffle.
It reminds me of a quote from “Rise of the Guardians”. (We never did Santa in our home but it’s one of our favorite Christmas movies.) It’s the scene when a few of the Guardians have an awkward moment with a child, which causes Jack Frost to ask when was the last time they spent time with actual kids to which North replies: “We are too busy bringing joy to children! We do not have time…for children.”
Let’s not get lost in the “doing” that we miss the simple opportunities to enjoy our families. If there’s one Biblical truth that Covid has reinforced this year is that tomorrow is not promised. Be intentional with your loved ones.
Enjoy holiday outings together.
If possible, visit family members or at least connect with them via phone or virtually.
Do a Zoom Family Game Night.
Watch Christmas movies together.
Have fun singing Christmas karaoke songs.
Bake cookies and other goodies.
Create gifts for others.
Decorate your home together with Christmas themed crafts or snow spray your windows with winter designs.
Rock those matching pajamas throughout the season.
The list is as endless as the fruit produced during Quality Family Time.
The Wonder of Giving
During a time when many children are excited about receiving gifts, it’s such an amazing opportunity to teach them about giving, both at home and to those in need.
Giving at Home
One of my daughter’s love languages is “gifts” so giving is very natural for her, despite being raised as an only child (her siblings are adults). I have a sweet memory of my girl at 5 or 6 years old wrapping her first present for me all on her own accord, re-gifting objects from our home because she wanted to have something for me under the tree that was from her. That was a result of her seeing us wrap gifts throughout December because we enjoy seeing the tree full of gifts long before Christmas Day. Now that she’s 11, she’s the official gift wrapper in our home for most of the presents because for her, even simple gift wrapping is part of the Wonder of Christmas.
Our daughter has also been making gifts for loved ones since she was a toddler. Homemade gifts make it more personal, showing they were made with love. She’s gone from making simple things like ornaments to now making her own creations with a sewing machine, thanks to her crafty godmother. I barely have to supervise her anymore because she happily creates the loveliest of gifts completely independent of me. So though she loves to receive gifts, I think she enjoys gift giving (from designing to creating to wrapping them) even more.
Some gifts we’ve made in the past:
Frames with pictures included
Jewelry
Pillows
Polymer figurines
Paintings on canvas
Ornaments
Poems
And much more.
You can easily google DIY Christmas gifts for children to make and individualize for the recipient.
Giving to Others in Need
Paul tells us in Acts 20:35- “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Over the years, we’ve donated to different ministries, including homeless shelters, foster homes, Adopt-A-Family (children with cancer) and Angel Tree, which sends gifts to children of incarcerated parents. My girl loves to take the children’s ages and likes into account when choosing gifts for them.
This year our Children’s Church are designing personalized cards and journals to send to nursing and foster homes, which the kids are working diligently on and are very excited about.
Covid-19 has caused a lot of limitations in donating but here are some wonderful and practical “giving” ideas from a new homeschooling friend, Kara, shared on her Instagram account:
Collect items in your pantry/home to take to a dry pantry
Make a double batch of dinner/dessert and freeze half for when someone needs it
Look up local organizations with amazon wish lists and order something, OR just learn about them (most here aren’t taking volunteers at the moment)
Go through gently used clothes and toys to donate
Make cards/draw pictures for those who may be lonely right now (nursing homes, single friends/family members, elderly in church)
Make and send cards to service workers
Make ornaments for neighbors
Make and send cards to service workers
Make a video message for a faraway family member or friend
Make a little something for the library workers to drop in the drop off box (our libraries are curbside pick up only)
Make something for mail carrier/UPS workers
Put together bags for the homeless and put them in your car (takes a little pre-planning)
Chalk your sidewalk with cheery holiday messages and drawings (and yes, random people walking have told us they love it when we’re in our front yard)
Make dog treats for neighbors with dogs
Don some gloves and grab a bag on your evening walk to pick up trash in your neighborhood or local park
The joy on my girl’s face below as she delivered presents to the children of incarcerated parents on their behalf reflects the heart of God. No one has ever given more than our Heavenly Father, who gave His only Son for our salvation. It truly is a wonder to be able to give than to receive.
The Wonder of Jesus
I saved the best for last.
For there is
NO GREATER WONDER
than God becoming man,
fulfilling His promise of a Messiah:
Emmanuel, God with us.
Although we know Christmas was not the actual birthday of our Savior, it’s a symbolic celebration of Jesus entering the world as prophesied in the Bible.
Unfortunately, this amazing miracle is often reduced to a cute little story of a baby born in a manger that may be told on Christmas Day, if told at all. That was a little of my story. As much as I had dreamed and planned when I finally became a mom of what I would do that was Jesus-centered, it all kind of dwindled in the busyness of the season.
It wasn’t until I started homeschooling and began spending time with families who actively take the entire month of December to focus on Jesus, that I began to celebrate Advent in our home.
Advent
Advent is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival”. It is the first season of the Christian church year, leading up to Christmas. The Advent season not only symbolizes the waiting for Christ’s birth but also for His final return. It is a beautiful reminder of what the holiday is really about.
When I started a couple of years ago to make Advent special and meaningful, my girl was a reluctant participant, as she often is when Mami has a new idea for us to try.
But I asked the Holy Spirit to keep us both positive and shared my heart with her to do something special together to focus on our Savior’s birth. Despite her reluctance, my daughter loves to have special moments with me and little by little, her walls came down. Before I knew it, we were snuggling together as we read the Gospel of Luke, sang songs, read poetry and read “The Glorious Impossible” by Madeleine L’Engle, to which she kept saying, “Nothing is impossible with God.”
I picked several songs, including a Spanish favorite: “Mi Burrito Sabanero”. When my hubby heard us singing, he grabbed his guitar and we began to sing together as a family. It was just priceless.
This year, we’re following a sweet Advent Guide from Brighter Day Press that comes with scripture reading, devotional, recitation, hymns, live links, composer as well as artist study along with fun crafts and yummy recipes. You can follow it completely or pick and choose what you’d like to do with your family. For example, I replaced the hymns with another Spanish favorite “Arbolito” which we sing together as my husband plays the guitar. (I’ve included 2 of the Spanish songs for you to download if you’re interested as well as YouTube videos to sing along with.) It’s been a sweet and fun time focusing on the Messiah’s arrival.
Next year we’ll do a study on “Symbols of Christmas” by Leah Martin from My Little Robins. I love how Leah shares her heart for this study: “For all the worldly celebrations and symbols of Christmas that are virtually unavoidable, I knew that these could also point to Christ. I wanted to teach my children to see Jesus in the things of Christmas, rather than trying to navigate around them all.” And I was hooked! I’ll most likely supplement with Gospel readings and Christmas songs of my choosing.
Advent Calendar
We used to have Advent calendars with sweet treats in them that were more like a countdown to Christmas. But as I learned more about making Advent more meaningful, I started sharing ideas with my girl and being the creative soul she is, she took off with it.
When my daughter was 9, she created her first Advent calendar. It was creatively done with fun family activities to do instead of the sweets. What touched my heart was when my girl wrote John 3:16 next to her little Christmas tree at the top all on her own. She said that people forget the whole purpose of Christmas and that Jesus came to save us. She then continued on a little rant about it and all I could do was sit there silently, thanking the Lord and marveling at the Holy Spirit-led moment. I’m grateful to my homeschool friends who encouraged me to celebrate Advent and create moments just like this one.
This year, my girl created a calendar with little surprises from Dollar Tree as well as fun activities. She also included good deeds (like giving someone a compliment or helping a person in need), which was a really nice balance of family fun and thinking of others.
Advent Wreath
Once again I was inspired by my homeschooling community to try something new for us. So this year is our first time celebrating with an Advent wreath. Lighting Advent candles is a tangible reminder for us to reflect on the birth of Jesus and what it means to us. Every week, as we light the candles, we talk about the symbolism behind each one, read scripture and sing a song pertaining to the theme.
To see the wonder on my girl’s face has been priceless. She wants to light the candles every day but I lovingly remind her it’s just once a week.
If you’re like me when I wanted to implement Advent candles but had no idea about where to even begin, I’ve included a “How To” below that you can download. They’re just ideas that you can tweak to fit your family, like our dear friends below did, who are also celebrating for the first time with an Advent wreath this year.
Sometimes being intentional and focusing on Jesus during this busy Christmas season can ironically be such a challenge. But it’s worth it. He’s worth it.
What special things do you do in your home
to bring WONDER into this holiday season?
There are so many other amazing ideas that can be added so please feel free to share in the comments below. Your sharing can bless and inspire others, including me, to make this time together even more memorable.
May the Wonder of Christmas
never leave your home
or the hearts of your children!
With love,
the Aliceas
*Living Books- quality, narrative writing that brings a subject to life
I was moved to tears! It brought to my mind so many childhood memories of celebrating Christmas in my home-country, Brazil!
This is wonderful Erika! Thank you for sharing your family’s beautiful traditions and encouraging us to make this season meaningful as we wait for your Savior.
Awww! Thank you Mariana!! Your words move me to tears as well. God is so faithful and is more than deserving of our adoration every day!
Oh Erika, you never seem to disappoint. Thank you once again for pouring out your heart into this blog. I truly enjoyed it and love how you keep pointing us back to Jesus because at the end of the day, it’s all about Him and leading our families in that direction. Thank you. So grateful ❤️
And I am so grateful for your constant encouragement Ana. It keeps me going and reminds me I don’t do this in vain. Thank you sis!
Absolutely wonderful Erika! So thorough, I can feel all the love in this piece. Thank you for your work. Focusing on Jesus in everything you are implementing, so encouraging.
Thank you Annie!!! I’m so glad you’re encouraged, especially when you work so hard to create such a wonderful holiday season for your children that focuses on our Savior. xoxo
This is such a heartfelt post that will pour into families for years to come. It is relevant and timeless, and just so beautiful.
Amen. Thank you Amber! That’s my prayer!
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