10 easy ways to keep faith and family central this Christmas

Help the children find the saint in all parts of the holiday season.

It is difficult for a child in a manger to compete with eight reindeer and Santa Claus holding a huge package of gifts. The early break of Advent - silent and dark blue - is struggling to hold a candle to the glitter and colored lights of the exuberant Christmas decorations of a city. What if we don't need to compete? What if we could help our children find the saint in all parts of the holiday season?

The key to a significant Advent and Christmas period is to establish family practices and traditions intertwined with the many fun and sparkling secular parts of the season. Yes, go to the mall and visit Santa Claus during the day, but light the Advent candles at home that evening and say a prayer together.

For some, simply slowing down can make sense of the season. Katie, a mother of three, notes that she learned something important in the last Advent when she was sick. “Because of my health, I decided not to go anywhere overnight, so I was home every night during the month of December. I didn't need to buy gifts for hostesses, bake cookies for the exchange of cookies, get babysitters or try to figure out which clothes to wear for different parties, "he says. “Every evening at 7 in the evening I would sit on the sofa with my three children and watch the Christmas shows in our pajamas. There was no running, there was no stress. Every mom should try a December like this. "

Cynthia, a mother of two, claims to be part of a group of parents who gather on Friday during Advent for an hour of morning prayer, with a discussion of the scriptures and a decade of the rosary. For each pearl, each parent prays aloud for an intention. "It's special and something I never do otherwise," he says. "It puts me in the right frame of mind for Advent and Christmas."

Meg, a mother of teenagers and young adults, says her family sets the tone for Thanksgiving, going around the table and thanking each person for thanks. "And you're not allowed to say" ditto "or" what it says, "says Meg. "You have to make that rule!"

To establish your family rites for Christmas and Advent, try some of these traditions.

Can I play with baby Jesus?
While a quality heirloom nursery is a wonderful investment, families with young children may want to consider a plastic or wooden set that children can actually play with, made only during the Advent and Christmas season each year. Buy this gift in advance and present it on one of the first Advent Sundays so that young children can use their imagination to bring the nativity scene to life. Also consider visiting a Catholic or Christian bookstore for books, toys and stickers that connect with the faith.

Light that Advent wreath
Especially for families who don't normally dine by candlelight, the evening ritual of lighting the Advent wreath candles is a nocturnal reminder that there is something special and holy in the season. Before the meal, place the Christmas cards you receive that day in the center of the crown and pray for each person who sent them.

Is this hay comfortable?
At the beginning of Advent, as a family, brainstorm some small and kind actions that your family members could do: compliment, write a kind email, do a family member's chores for them, not complain for a day, say hello Maria. Write each on a strip of yellow paper and keep them on the kitchen table. Each morning, each family member takes a strip as a gift to Christ for the day. In the evening, the sheet is placed in the family kindergarten as hay for the baby Jesus. At dinner, talk about what each family member was asked and how it went.

Sure, we're busy, but we can help!
We know that you intend to volunteer more often, but football, ballet concerts and work too often stand in the way. Don't let December escape you without taking a trip to a refuge, food program or other non-profit organization to voluntarily offer your family's time and treasure. Connect the experience with the constant direction of Jesus to serve the poor.

Holy water - no longer just for the church
Take a small bottle of holy water from your church font (most churches will allow you to fill a small container for your home). Use holy water during your decoration season, sprinkling it on the tree before the lights are added, on the holiday knickknacks and on each other. As you sprinkle, pray like a family for the guests who will visit your newly decorated home during the holidays or use the time to thank God for the many blessings of the past year.

Visit Santa Claus and also the great-grandmother
Few parents miss the opportunity in December to have their children sit on Santa's lap, but Santa Claus at the mall will never appreciate your kids as much as older relatives who are confined to their homes or a residence facility assisted. Indicate this Advent to visit an older relative or neighbor. Bring some of the many Christmas craft projects that kids bring home from school to light up the room.

Snuggle on the sofa
Gather the family, choose a meaningful festive film, and sit down with a plate of Christmas cookies and a glass of eggnog or punch. Or better yet, show old videos or a presentation of your family's Christmas past.

Run through the snow
Studies show that our memories of outdoor events remain with us longer than indoor memories. Group the family and take a walk with the torch to see the decorations in the neighborhood; go skating or sledding. Complete the evening with hot cocoa in front of a fire or your tree.

tell me a story
Most children receive religious-themed books for baptism or first communion, and all too often they sit on an unread shelf. Once a week during Advent, sit down with one of these books or a children's Bible story and read aloud together.

You tend to your own spirituality
This is probably the most important of all. Whether you have children or teenagers, you cannot bring them to the faith aspect of the season if you are not there. Join a Bible study, a prayer group, or commit to dedicating this Advent time to private prayer. When you are centered on God, you will bring that concentration and energy naturally into your home.