Christmas is by far my favorite holiday.
Growing up though, Christmas was mostly about the gifts. I did not grow up in a Christian home and Jesus was certainly not at the center of our family holiday.
Even before I was a Christian, though, I felt something was special about this time of year. There were people all around me full of joy and hope and they had something that I needed.
Turns it, it was Jesus.
Now that I am following after God, it is so important to me that Christmas remains that special time of year, full of joy and hope and peace.
I don’t want the focus to be on the gifts or the food, I want to be intentional about making sure I celebrate the deliverer and redeemer of my heart.
So, if you desire to keep Christ in Christmas too, here are 12 ways to keep Him at the center of your holiday season. I pray that these tips and resources bless your Christmas season, friend.
Let’s dig in!
1. Anchor Your Heart with God’s Word
Time spent in Bible study and prayer is often the first thing to fall away when our lives get overloaded, even if it is with good things.
Let’s instead commit to keeping a steady inpouring of truth in our lives, no matter how busy this season gets. This will help keep the world quiet so you can hear God’s voice.
Being in God’s Word is by far the best way to keep Christ in Christmas. Commit to spending time in the Word, reading about Christ’s coming and His purpose for being here on earth.
2. Meditate on the Reason for the Season
As you start reading your Bible, choose a scripture that is meaningful to you and memorize it.
My scripture for this season is Matthew 2:2 which says “… “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
I am memorizing and meditating on this verse to remind my heart that the purpose of this season is to worship Jesus for who He is.
It’s not about the gifts or great food or family gatherings. Those things are good but not as good as Jesus.
3. Reclaim Your Gift-Giving
I did not grow up in a Christian home and the emphasis at Christmas time was not on Christ. Gift-giving was a big deal and everyone bought for everyone. Feelings were hurt if you didn’t.
Even as a teenager, I felt SO much pressure to gift well. I spent far too much money and it bred greed in my heart, as I also expected to be showered with gifts.
I let myself be stressed out and overwhelmed and broke at Christmastime trying to keep up with the pressure. This is not what God wants for us during this season which is supposed to be hopeful and full of His joy and peace.
Now that I am older and am living for the Lord, I have learned to put boundaries up when it comes to giving gifts.
So, my husband and I set some ground rules around the holidays, which sounds like a complete bummer but it isn’t. Turns out, other people were also stressed and overwhelmed and they appreciated us asking to change things up.
So, we draw names for a gift exchange with our families and we generally don’t buy for friends. We have been intentional about trying to pull the focus of Christmas off of the gifts and back onto Christ and celebrating who He is.
4. Volunteer Your Time
This is a wonderful way to celebrate Jesus because His life was spent serving others. There are so many ways you can give back this season, from volunteering at a local organization to offering a busy mom some free babysitting to running errands for your elderly family members or neighbors.
Giving of your time doesn’t have to mean a specific “volunteer” event. Those are great, but your inner circle has needs too that I bet you can meet pretty easily.
Bonus points if you can hook your family into giving time to others together or choosing to adopt a family instead of buying gifts for one another.
5. Open Your Home
There are a lot of people out there who don’t have close friends and family to spend the holidays with. Giving someone the gift of community and belonging is the most Christ-like thing you could offer someone else.
You don’t have to host a huge, fancy gathering or have a Pinterest-worthy home to offer the ministry of presence and invitation. If you do, that is wonderful. But is it not a prerequisite for being hospitable and loving?
Invite a friend, neighbor, or co-worker to spend time with you this holiday season.
If we are too busy to love people, we are too busy.
6. Attend & Participate in Church Services
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but there are so many wonderful services, programs, and events that you can attend this season that are Christ-centered. These events offer music, messages, and opportunities for your heart to be encouraged by the hope of Jesus.
It may seem like you don’t have time to attend multiple events or to serve during services at your Church, but you do. You choose what goes on your calendar and what doesn’t.
Take some time this season to not only be served and fed by these programs but to offer your time to bless others.
Keep Christ in Christmas this year by offering your time and talent to run the services that offer the hope of Jesus to those who don’t know him.
7. Practice Gratitude
Spend just a few minutes every day this season writing down 3-5 things that you are grateful for. They can be as simple as warm coffee to deeper ones like your relationship with the Lord.
Doing this as a daily discipline helps turn your heart away from the materialism that can grip us during this season and helps us to be grateful for all we already have.
Meditating on scriptures about thankfulness and studying what His Word says is the best way to go about this. There are so many instances of praise and thankfulness in the Bible and reading them will remind your heart why we are called to be thankful.
8. Prioritize Prayer & Worship
The purpose of this season is to praise and worship Jesus and thank God for sending his son to us. (Matthew 2:2) Make this a priority in your life, even in this busy season.
This goes hand-in-hand with practicing gratitude and takes that a step further.
Take time each day to spend time in prayer, asking God to align your heart with His purpose. Spend a few moments each morning just worshipping Jesus for who He is, not asking for anything but praising Him for everything.
You can do this while you are getting dressed or brushing your teeth.
As the world gets louder in this season, work to tune out the noise and get quiet with the Lord.
9. Guard Your Heart
I’ve said it a few times already, so you may start to think it’s important. The world gets very loud during the Christmas season.
There are people bustling everywhere and we are constantly bombarded with sales and marketing emails. Invitations to events come in like water. There are dinners and services and parties galore.
But you do not have to go to every event or participate in every gift exchange or buy for everyone you know. Saying no is allowed.
It is okay to set boundaries to keep your heart focused on Jesus this season.
Guard your “yes” so you can guard your heart. As someone who used to let the expectations and approval of others dictate her actions, I want you to know that saying no is not rude or mean.
Those that really love you will respect your decisions.
10. Give Meaningful Gifts
When you do give to others this season, try to give items that will be encouraging and life-giving to them. We don’t have to give extravagant gifts for them to be blessings to the receiver.
Side note: your gift is no less meaningful if you just ask what they want. Don’t make it harder on yourself by believing the lie that the gift has to be a surprise.
When I give a gift, I want to know it’s going to bless them for many months to come. I put together a gift guide that has tons of ideas for meaningful, faith-encouraging gifts for the Christian women in your life.
This season, don’t just give a gift because you feel like you have to. That isn’t the point. We give to others to love them and to bless them.
And sometimes, the best gifts we could give can’t be bought in a store.
The amount of love you have for another person is not measured by the cost of a gift, but by the depths of your connection. It is measured by service to one another, amounts of laughter, quality time spent together and cups of coffee enjoyed over deep conversation.
11. Display Reminders of Christ In Your Home
This one is simple and you may already be doing it but it is worth mentioning. Many of us need visual reminders to keep things in focus. You can display ornaments, signs, pillows, or any other decoration.
My personal favorite way to keep a visual reminder of Jesus is a nativity scene.
Many of you probably do this too, but it is more than just a decoration. It is a physical reminder to us that Jesus came as a baby, both fully God and fully man, to save the world from their sins.
Having visual reminders up in your home helps to refocus your heart as you are running around, hosting events, wrapping presents, baking cookies, or corraling your kids.
12. Listen to Christmas Hymns
During the month of December (and sometimes October and November) there is Christmas music literally everywhere. Over the years, it has gotten increasingly secular and watered down.
Most music in stores or on popular radio stations is pop covers of secular Christmas songs.
While I enjoy popular Christmas music sometimes, nothing turns my heart to the true meaning of Christmas like listening to beautiful, old hymns like O Holy Night or O Come All Ye Faithful.
Make a playlist of your favorite hymns and let it play all season long. Listen as you decorate, wrap gifts, bake, and spend time with loved ones.
What about you? How do you keep your heart centered on Jesus during the holidays?
It is so important to remember the reason for this season and to keep your heart centered on the Lord. If we aren’t anchored in Christ, it can be so easy to be swept away by the world.