One of my favorite Christmas songs growing up was “Happy Birthday, Jesus,” and in fact, it still is.
I love the lyrics: “Happy Birthday, Jesus. We’re so glad it’s Christmas. All the tinsel and lights, and the presents are nice, but the real gift is you.” It still brings tears to my eyes. He is the beautiful reason that we celebrate the season. He is the true gift.
Here is a short list of gifts* for your children that can help keep Jesus as the focus:
Shepherd on the Search. This is one of my absolute favorite new gifts! I just have never been able to bring myself to do the Elf on the Shelf as it puts so much focus on someone who is not the Birthday Boy (Jesus). This sweet, little shepherd, however, is all about Jesus! He’s trying to find Him and everyday up until Christmas, he’s searching for Him. I love this little shepherd. I hope you love him too. Check it out here.
The Greatest Gift- A Recordable Storybook. One of our dear family friend’s recorded this precious story about the animals at the nativity for my son, and he loved it. My daughter now loves it too, and is most likely secretly hoping for her own, since our friend personalized the recording with my son’s name in it. This gift is sure to be treasured. Check it out here.
Nativity Play Set. I got this for my kids last year, and they played with it throughout the month of December. (Mostly my daughter, but my son also had baby Jesus in some un-traditional places throughout the house.) I love that they can play with all the characters and not worry about breaking them. And this year when I unpacked the set from our Christmas boxes, she was so excited to see it again! She even lent me a shepherd because my nativity was missing one! So cute! Check it out here.
Itty Bitty Nativity Playset: Here’s one for the tiny tots who want to play nativity as well. A plush nativity set that is super soft and safe for littles.
The Beginner’s Bible, The Very First Christmas. This is a very well-done (and very inexpensive) account of the first Christmas. I have found the Beginner’s Bible can tend to leave out essential elements of their Bible stories, but this time, they nailed it! It’s a full and accurate, Scripture based telling from Mary and the angel to Joseph to the trip to Bethlehem to Kind Herod and the wise men and onto the escape to Egypt. Last year, I bought 12 for my son’s preschool class to give as gifts! They are only $1.99 on Amazon (and they might be cheaper on Christianbook.com).
VeggieTales Christmas Collection. My kids enjoy VeggieTales, and I love that they bring the focus back to Jesus as well as being silly and entertaining. This bundle has their 6 Christmas shows. We have the “The Toy that Saved Christmas,” and “The Little Drummer Boy” but this DVD has them all as well as a CD of 25 songs. Could be useful for a long car trip back to see the family?! Check it out here.
Triple Layer Party Play-Cake by Melissa & Doug – Throw a birthday party for Jesus! We grew up doing this every year as kids, and now I do the same with my own. We generally just make a real cake for Him, but having a play cake means you can do it over and over again. (And they have a less-pink version if your little one so desires!) Check it out here.
World Vision Gift Catalog. We want our kids to remember that Christmas is not just about receiving but about giving. It can be hard to maintain that focus when materialism surrounds us, so each year, the kids take some of their Christmas money and choose an animal to donate to a child in need. World Vision does a great job offering ducks, chicks, rabbits, and even a whole set of nativity animals if you want to go big! You can check it out here.
(*Although I recommend these items because I love them and think they point kids to Jesus, I do receive a small commission from Amazon at no charge to you if you click on them through our website. Thank you!)
