Teaching children the true meaning of Christmas

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   amiebutchkoposted 11 years ago

   For fellow HP parents preparing for the Christmas holiday - what things do you do to focus appropriate attention on the spiritual significance of the holiday amidst all the pursuits of getting?

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   Zelkiiroposted 11 years ago

   That would mean teaching them all about the Celtic druids and the winter solstice, and the significance of the solstice to the peoples of 4000-2500 BC. After all, that's where Christmas actually comes from.

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   1. 67

      amiebutchkoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Honestly, that sounds quite interesting and I'd love to know the history, as would my son!!!  Perhaps I'll do a little research....  I just meant, above, that the Christmas holiday of today, is really not all about getting and I think kids think it is in this secular society.  I also think we reinforce that belief with our own holiday activity.

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         Kathryn L Hillposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         You are so right.  Find a church which is ascetically pleasing or quaint and enjoy a christmas eve service. Try to find one which features music and a choir. Encourage them to sing along. Methodist churches usually have a tremendous musical focus. At home have the kids set up a little manger scene with the figurines and the barn along with the donkey, the sheep, the wise men etc. Focus on the love of the mother and father for their son and even the love of the animals who were in the presence of a light for the hope of the world. Read the story of Jesus' birth from the bible. Let them play with the figurines. Teach them how to pray to Jesus and God in the language of their own hearts. Inspire and encourage with awe and wonder regarding the amazing things in all life which God has created.
         Thank You.
               When my brother was 4 and I was 14, I wondered the same thing.
         After raising 2 children in the 80s and 90s, I now am able to answer that  question. Children have a natural love and acceptance of God. After all, they left the astral realm not that long ago.

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         1. 67

            amiebutchkoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you Kathryn Hill.  Beautiful sentiments that I am going to put into application.  As parents, we know we should be doing these things, but it is so easy to forget that children do not just know what we know, and lessons get lost in all the hustle and bustle.  I am going to use your ideas in my ccd class; thanks for the focus.

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