12 Days of Christmas (2017) – Day 6
GRAND PRIZE!!!
One of you WHO COMMENTS ON ALL TWELVE POSTS AND ALSO SHARES ABOUT THE SERIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA will win a grand prize from me, pictured here.
REMEMBER…in order to win the grand prize, you must leave a comment on all 12 posts. You can start with Day One HERE.
OK, let’s get started with our sixth day’s guest, Arlene Pellicane!
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Christmas Coming Alive
How can you make Christmas come alive for your children, grandkids, nieces or nephews without a phone or any screens?
When my three kids were younger, we’d decorate gingerbread houses together with other families from church. Now that they are older, they are my best assistants in everything Christmas. Each year during Thanksgiving break, we take out our artificial tree (which we bought at a garage sale in the heat of summer for next to nothing!) and decorate the house.
My oldest Ethan is in charge of decorating the mantle with a Lego scene. Noelle dresses up the staircase and puts up the stockings. Lucy starts putting together the manger scene with our Little People set from years ago. Giving each child a job gives them the pride of ownership. We decorate the tree together with homemade ornaments (including ones my forty-something husband made in kindergarten) and ornaments from places we’ve been. Many of the ornaments have dates written on them to help us remember.
We’ve hosted Christmas parties for our kids’ classrooms at our home. It’s a Christmas cookie and caroling (sometimes chaotic) extravaganza! Everyone brings cookies to share and we provide the hot chocolate. Before caroling in our neighborhood, we rehearse carols about the real meaning of Christmas such as “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Joy to the World.” The first time we did this, I was amazed at how many children didn’t even know the words to these songs! We share the story of the first Christmas with props and dramatic voices and then stampede down our street, ready to sing the newly learned carols.
Look for ways to create screen free joy for your family by decorating, serving, baking, singing, and sharing the good news of Christmas. Put away your iPads and phones more often during the Christmas season. Instead look for ways to involve your kids in celebrating Christmas. You don’t need Wifi to have a very merry Christmas season. In fact, your home will probably be a whole lot more peaceful without it!
Day Six Giveaway
For the 12 Days of Christmas series, I am giving away two of my books to help tame your technology, Calm, Cool and Connected: 5 Digital Habits for a More Balanced Life and Growing Up Social: Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven World (co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman).
Arlene Pellicane is a speaker and author of several books including 31 Days to Becoming a Happy Mom and 31 Days to a Happy Husband. She has been a featured guest on the Today Show, Fox & Friends, and Focus on the Family. Arlene lives in San Diego with her husband James and their three children. To learn more, visit ArlenePellicane.com or connect with Arlene on Facebook or Twitter.
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Awesome Ideas!
Oh how I need this message in my life right now!!
I appreciate your family tree. My children are grown now and we have a “boring tree” they want that, But once they leave the home again. I may go for the messy, not matching tree with the memories that they made for me. A favorite item I have kept was a cloth wreath made of my son’s painted hands in Kindergarten, Many years later I took it and made it into a wall hanging/quilt type decoration. I love it. He is 29 now.
Blessings
Karen
These seem like perfect reads for what our kids are growing up with access to every day!
Love taking time away from the screens and making Christmas goodies with the kids. We also love to go to a live nativity and looking at Christmas lights.
Great read thanks for sharing!
We have totally lost the person to person communication. So much needed to “tame the technology” and start back with good old conversations with people face to face.
Such a great read! Thanks for sharing.
I love the ways you make Christmas come alive. We need to implement those into our season!
we were just talking about how we need to reduce screen time around the house too. These are great ideas and we are behind on our Random Acts of Christmas Kindness this year- it has been hectic but it is time to get back on track to celebrate the true meaning of the season and spread some love this holiday !!
It is so easy to just do it ourselves, often leading to exhaustion or burnout. This is a simple way to get everyone involved, to make it a true family event.
Our homemade ornaments are some of my favorites. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
Such a great reminder. We are way too dependent on technology.
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing this and I need more unplugged time myself!
Traditions and time spent together really cement the season for our family, even as they are growing and moving out! We especially love a “summer picnic” on Winter Solstice, getting our Christmas tree, watching Christmas movies, making fudge, and my husband reading the book “One Wintry Night” by Ruth Bell Graham.
Love these ideas……..unplug!!
Amen! Let’s put down our devices and make some memories that will last! My son is creating a train scene this year. And we also love hanging our family ornaments each year. Each one is special! I love the idea of giving each child a special job for decorating the house. I can be a bit of a control freak when it comes to those things. It’s good to be reminded to loosen up and let my kids enjoy decorating too!
Have already had carolers at our door – precious!
What a awesome book, children and adults are becoming to busy to spend time talking to each other having family time. Everyone is either on their phone or pc.
Great idea! My kids did all of the decorating this year! I love when they help!!
I was just approached last week by a young girl who wanted to go caroling. Somehow she thought of me :) I haven’t been in years, but I think that’s about to change!
Arlene, thanks for the wonderful ideas to keep our focus on people and not on our electronic gadgets. I’m intrigued by your book Calm, Cool, and Connected. Even if I don’t win it sounds like a great gift to add to my wish list.
Thank you for your post. I love caroling. We plan to do a small version with our teen and twenty year old nieces this year. Unplugging is a great idea!
Thanks
Thank you for your post. I love caroling. We plan to do a small version with our teen and twenty year old nieces this year.