Making Christmas fun

I really didn't plan on posting so much about Christmas this year, but things just keep coming up that I really feel strongly about sharing. Don't click the red x just yet, this is about making it fun remember. Not the presents and treats and family traditions, that stuff is already fun. I'm talking about making Christmas fun. See, I have a six year old boy who refuses to do anything unless it's fun. Every morning he tells me that he doesn't want to go to school because it's boring, and every Sunday he tells me the same thing about church. Fun is what his life revolves around. If it's not fun, he's not interested.

So, I set out to find a way to teach my kids about what the Christmas spirit really means and make it fun enough that my son James would actually pay attention. In the end, I came across an idea that wasn't just a one time teaching moment, it's something we are working on from now until Christmas.

What is it? It's a service tree.



The first thing I did was to read the kids this little story. And I have to say, even though I know it's fiction, it still made me tear up it was so sweet. If nothing else, read this story as a family. Then we talked about service and how that is the best gift you can give at Christmas.

So, as a family, we are going to serve each other, and when we do, we put our names on an ornament and stick it on our tree. The goal is to get as many ornaments on the tree as we can before Christmas. There is also a star tucked away in the pocket, which we are going to place on top of the tree after we do a family service project. And of course, there is going to be some sort of reward for when the tree is all filled up. Maybe a movie, or a trip to Chuckee Cheese's.

It has been great to see how excited the kids are to do something that earns them an ornament. Even James is having fun!

I'm hoping to make this a new family tradition. One that we continue to expand on as the kids get older and are able to do more. And I hope all of you can take a few moments over the next week and a half to give a few gifts to your family that will mean more than a pretty package.