Karen Whiting: Christmas Advent - Teach Your Kids While They Wait

Karen Whiting: Christmas Advent – Teach Kids While They Wait

As a child, Christmas was a magical time for me. I loved the lights, the color, the carols, the excitement. I have lots of fond memories. At our church, combined choirs would do parts of Messiah every year. What a feast for the senses! Mother always made us wait for a tree because she liked real trees, and she worried about the tree drying out. It seemed like we were always the last to get a tree, but the big day would always arrive. Once the tree was up, she’d let us decorate. She’d hand us icicles, which were long, thin and shiny. She expected us to hang the icicles one by one one. I found it much more exciting to toss them on the tree. They always landed in interesting shapes which reflected the lights so nicely. However, I can remember how Christmas took forever to arrive. I remember talking about the eve of the eve of Christmas Eve, and then the eve of Christmas Eve.

The Christmas 2016 has arrived. The baby in the manger can easily be overlooked in our digital world. Parents must work to keep the focus on the true meaning of Christmas rather than the commercials and ads that catch the children’s attention. What a challenge! While we are busy preparing for the holiday, our children may grow restless since time passes slowly for them. Karen Whiting has written a book called Christmas is Coming, but Waiting is Hard. She has lots of ideas to share.

1:25 What are some activities that can help kids focus while they wait?

2:55 Do you cover the history of Christmas?

4:15 Share some traditions of the past and their meanings.

5:10 What is the peace candle?

7:01 What does red have to do with Christmas?

7:30 How about green?

8:00 What about the Christmas stocking?

9:15 How can you keep the new gadget or toy from becoming the focus of Christmas?