Grateful Kids on Christmas
Christmas morning arrives! The kids are running to the tree and to their stockings to see what’s there. The parents, groggy with a hint of excitement, slowly make their way to the living room with coffee in hand. One by one presents are opened. Smiles are on every face. Laughter carries throughout the house. Until…
“That’s not what I wanted.”
“Oh. I guess that’s ok.”
“Hey, I wanted that!”
If you wanted to make a mama choke on her coffee, that’ll do it.
I’ve heard those kinds of things from my kids’ mouths before. Yes, I was embarrassed and angry. I didn’t raise them to act that way when someone gives them something. How could they talk like that?
Since then, my husband and I sit with the kids on Christmas morning and talk about how excited we all are to give and to receive. We talk about the kinds of things we say we when get a gift and how it makes us feel to give to someone else. We talk about Jesus and how God gave Him to us so that we could go to heaven. And then we pray. We pray that our hearts will be grateful and our minds will be focused on the real reason we have this holiday in the first place.
It’s amazing how that little pause on Christmas can make such a difference. There are more Thank Yous and more smiles, less ungratefulness and less selfishness. The morning is much more enjoyable for everyone. Gratitude makes all the difference.
This year we are doing something a little different. We will talk about how to be grateful for what we are given but our kids will also be given a small decorative box containing a note from us and Scriptures from God’s Word.
We want our kids to not just hear how to be kind from us but also from God. These verses are not just for Christmas but for every day. Every day we can show that we are grateful for what God has given us. We can refocus our day to give praise to God for His Son. We can ask God to show us how we can serve others using our gifts, and not just the wrapped-with-a-bow gifts. Everything we have is gift.
Our prayer is that our kids will keep this box and remember God, the Giver of all good things, on Christmas and every day to come.
How do you help your kids to be grateful?
Here’s a gift for you and your family!
You can download these Giving Scripture cards and put them in their stocking. Or you can get a small box for them. (I got our boxes from Dollar Tree.) You could turn them into ornaments or a decoration around the house. These cards could also be used for devotional time. Giving Scripture Cards
Merry Christmas, friends! And have a Happy New Year!
