I won’t have any more posts until after Christmas. I wished you a blessed Christmas and pray God’s reveals His love for you in a new way this Christmas.

This Sunday is Christmas, and I’m sure you want to help children understand the real meaning of Christmas. I hope I can help you. The real meaning comes from John 3:16.

John 3:16 ( ICB ) For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. God gave his Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.

God loves us so much, He gave us His only son, born at Christmas, to save us and give us eternal life.

Here are some ways you can use a Christmas Tree in Kidmin to teach the story of Christmas.

1.  Tell the history of the Christmas Tree and how Christians used it to share the Gospel. You can find the story at this link.

History of the Christmas Tree

2. Use the Christmas Tree for object lessons. Here are a few.

Apples: We hang apples from the Christmas tree because Adam and Eve sinned by eating the apple. Jesus came to Earth to save us from our sins.

Evergreen: Just as evergreen trees grow all year long and are always green, Jesus came to Earth to give us everlasting life.

Holly: The holly we hang on Christmas trees is red and reminds us of the blood Jesus shed to save us from our sins.

Tree Top: The tree top is usually an angel or a star. Both were in the sky the night Jesus was born. The angels proclaimed the good news to the shepherds. The star lighted the way of wise men traveling to Bethlehem.

Lights: Jesus is the light of the world.

Ornaments: Round bulbs represent Jesus coming to Earth. Other ornaments represent that God wants to give us good things.

Tree: The tree itself can represent the tree of life that Jesus came to Earth to restore to us. It can also represent the cross where Jesus died for our sins. We cut down a tree for Christmas just as Christ was cut down for our sins. But we resurrect the tree in our homes just as Christ was resurrected after 3 day.

Wreath:  Wreaths are a great symbol to teach children about Christmas. Wreaths are circular. This symbolizes eternal life. It can also symbolize God’s unending love. We usually hang wreaths on the door to welcome guests just as Jesus welcomes us to have eternal life in Him. Wreaths are made out of evergreen symbolizing again everlasting life in Christ.

3. Tell the Tale of Three Trees. The Tale of Three Tress is a folk legend told for many centuries to teach the importance of Christ’s life. The author is unknown. Here’s the link to tell the story in Kidmin this Christmas.

The Tale of Three Trees

8 Uses for Fruitcake in KidMin

by Roger Fields

• Prop up wobbly puppet stage.
• Use as doorstop so you don’t get locked out of the supply room.
• Throw at choir director for stealing nursery workers.
• Tie it to the resource room key.
• Give away to parents of rowdy kids.
• Erase whiteboard.
• Mount slices on wall for corkboard alternative.
• Give as Christmas gift to Pastor’s secretary. (kidding)

“Used by permission from the ColdWaterCafe.com”

Christmas caroling is a lost art in this world where everyone is so busy getting the latest gift. That’s too bad because Christmas caroling is a way to share God’s love with a dark world. It works even better when we go Christmas caroling to people who feel forgotten at Christmas.

Here’s some ideas on where you can take the children in your church caroling.

Neighborhood around the church: Let the church’s neighbors see you’re a part of their neighborhood and that you have a thriving children’s ministry.

Nursing Homes: Share the love of God by taking the children to a nursing home to sing for the patients.

Children’s Hospital: Christmas is a sad time for children stuck in the hospital. Cheer them up with some caroling.

The Mall: Put Christ back in the Holiday season by having children sing songs about the birth of Christ. They could even act out the nativity scene.

Shut Ins: Most churches have seniors who can’t get out of their houses because of health problems. Compile a list and take your students to their houses for a little visit and some carols.

Any of these places would be a great way for children to minister by sharing God’s love. Don’t forget to plan some hot chocolate and Christmas cookies for after the caroling is over.

Here’s a fun way to teach children using the Christmas Carol “The 12 Days of Christmas”.

The True Love who gives us gifts is Jesus Christ who gave us eternal life.

On  the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

A Partridge in a Pear Tree: The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose  birthday we celebrate on December 25, the first day of Christmas. In the  song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns  injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the  expression of Christ’s sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: “Jerusalem!  Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen  does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . .” (Luke 13:34)

On  the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Two Turtle Doves: The Old and New Testaments

On  the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Three French Hens: The Three Virtues – Faith, Hope, and Love (1  Corinthians 13:13)

On  the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Four Calling Birds: The Four Gospels

On  the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Five Gold Rings:The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the  Pentateuch

On  the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Six Geese A-laying: The six days of creation (Genesis 1)

On  the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Seven Swans A-swimming: The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)

On  the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Eight Maids A-milking: The eight Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10)

On  the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Nine Ladies Dancing: The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22)

On  the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Ten Lords A-leaping: The ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)

On  the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Eleven Pipers Piping: Eleven Faithful Apostles (Luke 6:14-16)

On  the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Twelve Drummers Drumming: Twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles’ Creed

I believe  in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in  Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of  the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius  Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the  grave].

On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is  seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the  living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit.

The holy church,

The communion of saints,

And the forgiveness of sins,

The  resurrection of the body,

And life everlasting.

A great idea to help children focus on other people at Christmas is to have them make their own Christmas cards. Here’s some ideas of who they could send them to.

Missionaries: Missionaries have a hard time at Christmas. They’re away from their families, many times in places that don’t celebrate Christmas.

Shut Ins and Nursing Home Residents: Some of our senior members feel alone at Christmas especially if they have no family nearby.

Widows and Widowers: Those who have lost their spouses have a hard time during the holidays.

Parents: Parents are usually the ones who give to their children at Christmas. Sometimes it helps to give a little something back.

Pastor: Pastors love to be appreciated too. Getting Christmas Cards from all the children would make their day.

Why We Think Santa Was Once a Children’s Pastor

by Roger Fields

• His office is hard to find.
• He is fashion challenged.
• He assumes any and all snacks he finds are his to eat.
• He has no adult workers.
• He is only seen on rare occasions.
• No one seems to know who he reports to.
• He laughs way too much.
• He is nobody’s definition of a physical specimen.
• He is always trying crazy stunts like climbing down a chimney.
• No one seems to know what he does during the week.
• He does an impossible job with no visible means of support.
• Kids love him.

“Used by permission from the ColdWaterCafe.com”

Having great rehearsals is one of the most important keys to having a great Children’s Christmas program. A good rehearsal schedule won’t tire the kids and parents but will have enough practices to make sure the children are comfortable with their parts. Here are 5 tips to help you with that schedule.

Weekly Practices: These practices are for every child in the program. They should start no later than the beginning of October. Some churches start practices in September. During most of the practices, the choir director should teach the songs everyone sings. If there are any lines that everyone shouts out, the drama director should teach these. The last four to six weekly practices should run through the entire program so the children have a feel for what to expect and when they sing each song. Depending on what’s best for your church, you could have these practices during Children’s Church, midweek class, after church or one evening a week. These practices should be an hour long weekly. You could also have half hour practices twice a week.

Soloist Practices: Every child who sings a solo or duet should get together at least two or three times with someone who knows music to go over his or her solo. You might ask the music director for a suggestion on who could do this. These practices don’t have to be long. They can be for fifteen minutes before or after church.

Drama Practices: These practices are for children who have speaking parts in the program. The children should have a deadline when they have their parts memorized. After they’ve memorized their parts, they should practice at least once a week. The practices should only last a half hour to an hour. If they’re any longer, the children will become bored.

Dress Rehearsal: There should be two dress rehearsals, one a week before the program, and one the day before. The rehearsal on the day before should be mandatory for everyone and should include scenery and props. It is important to have sound and light technicians at these practices.

Cast Party: The final countdown for the Christmas program has begun. How will you get the parents to bring the children to the final dress rehearsal? Have a party for the children after dress rehearsal. You could take them skating, sled riding, or Christmas Caroling. Have pizza or Christmas cookies and hot chocolate for snacks. Remind the parents and children that only those attending dress rehearsal can go to the party. Children are as stressed as children’s workers during rehearsals. A party will allow the children to let out some of that stress before the play. It will also give them the opportunity to bond with their Christian friends.

Written Schedule: Make sure each parent gets a copy of the schedule of practices in writing. You also might want to send home reminders or call the parents to remind them of special practices and dress rehearsals. Let each parent know what you expect from them. Also, if you have a date children need to learn their parts by, let the parents know this. Be flexible, but have guidelines in place for missed practices. The more you communicate with the parents, the easier it will be to get the children to practices.

Rehearsal Supplies: Each parent (not child) should receive supplies to help the child practice at home including a script, songs, CD or DVD with the play, and costume and prop requirements. The sooner the parent receives these supplies the better.